Toddler Friendly Taco Soup with Corn Tortilla Crisps

Life behind the scenes at Stir & Scribble is not all beautifully lit cocktails and artfully stacked donuts. I've allude to this before when talking about the current lack of date nights with my husband. My goal has always been to bring you real recipes that are fuss-free and family friendly (and strong drinks, because raising a family is tough business). So I also want to share more of our real family meals. 

Even as trained culinary professional - dinner time can be really stressful! Ella is either getting herself into trouble or begging for a snack, the dogs want in, no the dogs want out, 'Ella please stay out of the dog food' while trying to cook something that A. I want to eat B. Ella will eat. Priorities. 

This "Toddler Friendly" Taco Soup is more a strategy than a recipe - one that I learned in the trenches of cooking food for Ella. The end result is a soup for adults and a plate of food for Ella to eat. This isn't about soup for a toddler because honestly eating soup with a toddler will result in you both needing a bath and the floor needing a mopping and do you really want to do that on a Wednesday night? I would much rather watch Nashville and drink a cocktail. 

My friend* Jenny calls this tactic "Deconstructing Dinner" and it will serve you well to learn, embrace and employ this tactic regularly. You don't really want to eat plain pasta and peas or make two dinners every night until your kiddo learns to appreciate tomatoes anyway. 

*Okay - I've never actually met Jenny, but I imagine we would become friends over a cocktail and swapping family dinner stories. 

TODDLER FRIENDLY TACO SOUP with Corn Tortilla Crisps 
makes about 6 servings 

Soup:
4 (6-inch)corn tortillas 
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced 
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 
1 cup of frozen corn
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
1 teaspoon smoked paprika 
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
1 quart chicken broth 
1 can of diced tomatoes
8 ounces chopped cooked chicken 

for serving: 
Salsa 
Chopped avocado 
Sour cream
Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
lime wedges 

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the corn tortillas into wedges. Liberally coat a baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil and lay the tortilla wedges in an even layer on the pan. Flip the tortillas so both sides are coated with oil. Set aside. 

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Brown the onions in the hot oil until softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and peppers and cook until the garlic is fragrant about 3 minutes. Add the black beans and corn and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes - until the corn is cooked and the peppers are softened. 

At this point, I pull a spoonful of the veggie bean mixture out onto Ella's plate. It cools while the rest of the soup cooks. I also pull a handful of chicken for her plate before the it goes in the soup. 

Add the salt, paprika, and cumin and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, and chicken and bring the mixture to a simmer. 

Meanwhile, bake the tortilla crisps in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. While the crisp are still hot a sprinkle a few with shredded cheese to melt while they cool. 

Simmer the soup for 5 minutes - remove from the heat and serve with the tortilla crisps, salsa, avocado, shredded cheese and sour cream.  Ella gets her own diced avocado and a little sour cream for her "dipping' chips".

Baked Oatmeal Donuts with Maple Glaze

I'm sort of sorry I'm bring you these Baked Oatmeal Donuts on a Monday. Sort of. I'm also not sorry for finding another way to force help my family to eat oatmeal. You might not be able to wait until next weekend to make these. 

I've been battling my grandmother's cake donut recipe for about the last year and a half. When she passed away her donut recipe went with her and the few notes that are left haven't yield that taste memory for me. After another fail last month - I needed a donut win. Also because my grandmother's donuts are fried - I wanted something sort of nutritious. 

By substituting the white flour in a typical baked donut recipe for whole wheat flour and oat flour these donuts are higher in fiber and so more filling. I might even consider an unglazed one an acceptable weekday breakfast. Okay, on a Monday I might consider a glazed one an acceptable breakfast. 

Around here we can't eat oatmeal without brown sugar or maple syrup - so I've included brown sugar in the donut and maple syrup in the glaze. You can easily find a donut pan at your local kitchenware store or online. 

Oatmeal Baked Donuts with Maple Glaze 

makes 12 donuts  

butter or oil for the pan 

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour 

3/4 cup oat flour* 

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

3/4 cup milk

2 large eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

maple glaze 

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 

pinch of salt 

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a donut pan and set aside. 

Whisk together the flour, oat flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. In another small bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. 

Move the batter to a gallon sized zip-top bag. Cut a small corner off the bag and use it the bag to pipe the batter into the donut pan. Fill each cavity about 3/4 full. Bake for 8 to minutes of until the donuts are golden and spring back when touched. remove from the oven and remove from the pan to a cooling rack immediately. Re-grease and fill the pan until all of the batter is used. Cool the donuts completely before glazing. 

For the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth. Dip the donuts in the glaze and return to the cooling rack - let the glaze set for 30 minutes before devouring. 

*Make your own by buzzing rolled oats in the food processor or clean coffee grinder - 3/4 cup whole oats will yield just enough oat flour for this recipe. 

feeding baby | Strawberry Milk Mix

Further evidence that mytoddler daughter rules our kitchen - out of season strawberries in my fridge. Strawberries have been a weekly addition to our shopping cart since December. I get it kiddo - at two years old you just love what you love and you aren't worried whether your berries are seasonal, local, organic, or even washed. 

Ella basically has a strawberry radar on full blast. One particularly ornery Saturday - she insisted on being outside of the shopping cart to help. Luck would have it that there was a strawberry display just inside the store entrance. She stopped mesmerized, "stawbewrries" she whispered. I was trying to find the shopping list, trying not to block the busy store entrance, and clearly not paying attention when a quart of strawberries was lobed into the cart by a toddler obsessed. That carton of strawberries burst open - all over the shopping cart and the  store floor. 

I tried not to laugh as I scolded Ella. "Oh no, no, Ella we have to be gentle with our strawberries". I moved the shopping cart out of the way, smushing berries with the wheels, trying my best to let other shoppers in the door. And as I started picking up stray berries from the grocery store floor - another quart of berries hit the side of the cart to the cheer of "more stawbewrries pease!" I just lost it; I was in a full on giggle fit in the entrance of a very busy grocery store on a Saturday. We bought two pints of terribly bruised out of season strawberries that day. 

We also buy a lot of dried strawberries and freeze dried strawberries for snacks too. Ella has a dairy sensitivity that keeps her from enjoying store bought strawberry milk. So I worked up this Strawberry Milk Mix to indulge Ella's strawberry obsessions and use up some of the freeze dried strawberries that start to get stale after someone leaves the package open.  

There are lots of recipe on the web for making strawberry milk with fresh strawberries (heck, there is even Strawberry Almond Milk to be made) but fresh strawberries don't last very long at our house and I wanted something that could be a quick anytime treat - not a drag out the blender and the strainer treat. 

Strawberry Milk Mix 
makes 3 cups 

3 cups freeze dried strawberries - about 14 ounces
1 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla powder, optional 
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

Pulse together the strawberries, sugar, vanilla powder, and salt in a food processor to a fine powder. Store in an airtight container for up to a month. 

Combine 1 tablespoon of powder with 8 ounces of milk, almond milk, heck even yogurt and stir to combine well. Enjoy! 

Spinach & Broccoli Stalk Pesto

Having a toddler means grocery shopping is somewhat at the mercy of what she will eat from week to week. I do not enjoy buying overpriced and out of season strawberries, but they are one fruit I can guarantee Ella will eat no matter what. Bananas and apples can be gobbled up one day and picked over the next, but strawberries are forever. Same goes for broccoli. Ella will eat broccoli raw from the cutting board, she will eat it steamed, stir fried, and obviously covered in cheese. 

I buy fresh broccoli every week, whether I want to or not, and seemingly stock pile the woody stalks. I've tried a couple different techniques for using up the stalks: 1. Broccoli soup - I liked this, but no one else did 2. Veggie noodles - Ella and I liked this, but my husband did not 3. Broccoli Pesto - which we all love! 

I've written about pesto here before, but the ratio is worth repeating and hey - its a good way to use up all that spinach and broccoli stalks. 

Peel the tough outer layer off the broccoli stalks before you use them or you'll never get a smooth pesto! Also just a tip - when you plan to make the pesto - cook up a little pasta, and "clean" blender by putting a little pasta water in the blender, giving it a whirl, and then use that water to dress the pasta. 

Spinach & Broccoli Stalk Pesto 
makes 1 cup  

This weekend I had some parsley that needed using up, so I included that as part of the spinach called for. As I've said before pesto is all about using what you've got on hand. You can use any other kind of nuts, even different herbs. 

2 large cloves of garlic
2 ounces Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup whole toasted pecans 
3 cups fresh baby spinach 
1 cup broccoli stalks - peeled and thinly sliced  
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil 

Pulse the garlic cloves, cheese, and pecans into crumbs in a food processor or blender. Add the spinach, broccoli stalks, and salt and process until mostly smooth, stopping to scrap down the sides of the carafe as needed. With the machine running, stream in the oil, following and continue to blend until smooth. 

Pesto will keep very well in the fridge, but dose it into ice cubes trays, freeze, and then store in a zippy bag in the freezer it will last basically forever. 

just a tip | quick chop spinach

The original title of this post was "Spinach: I put that shit in everything". But that's not really a tip. I'm not trying to be one of those sneaky moms and feeding my family brownies that are secretly full of green beans. I just literally find a way to put a handful of spinach into every meal - its a really simple way to get some extra nutrition each day. 

Mostly I throw some finely chopped spinach into our stir fries, pasta sauces, or soups. By chance I found a way to have finely chopped spinach on hand all the time without chopping my life away: freeze it. 

Yup - freezing fresh spinach makes it incredibly brittle and then you can simple crush it with your hands and sprinkle it into whatever you're cooking. I literally just throw the whole bag of spinach into the freezer until I need it, then take out and crush what I need as I need it. 

Steak Frites

The original idea for this post was something akin to Ashley's dating her husband series. I'd write some kind words about my dear husband and the relaxing evening we shared. It was a really lovely and romantic idea. 

Here's what Sunday evening at 5:09 was like at our house:  

There was a rug in our front yard, I had chocolate frosting all over my shirt, Ella was crying about something (we still have no idea after asking repeatedly), my husband snapped at me because I hadn't given him enough time to vacuum the floors (its his thing), and the Brussels sprouts were burning. This was our date night. 

My husband works a lot. We are lucky if we get to have one meal as a family together during the week, luckier still if we get to have a Friday or Saturday night together. I'm not complaining - I'm happy to have a husband who works really hard (and likes it) and all that provides our family is incredible. It just means that we've been approximately 127.5 days without a proper date. 

It also means that when my husband has a day off - there are about 2,700 projects that I want to get done on that one day. This is totally doable and not insane. This Sunday was one of those days. 

Sundays are also the day when I shoot all the photography for Stir & Scribble or any freelance recipes I'm working on. Usually I'm shooting two full recipes plus two tips in a 2 hour window between nap time and losing daylight. This is also totally doable and not at all insane. 

Did I also mention that we have a toddler? What is that saying "the days are long but the years are short"? Our days are very very short right now.

I want to celebrate our little family in small ways more often - so I created this little riff on one of my husband's favorite meals - Steak Frites. Typically Steak Frites, steak and fries, is a served as rib-eye steak with deep-fried shoe string potatoes. If you think I have the time to prepare either of those - please re-read above. No, instead I bought a flank steak which is rather inexpensive and cooks very quickly and paired it with our new favorite oven fries. And because we are working on eating fewer processed foods - I also made steak sauce; My husband loves the stuff. 

The beauty of this meal is that it kind of cooks itself. Sure there are a few prep steps - but most of them can be started and forgotten; The same cannot be said for the Brussels sprouts. 

Steak Frites with Steak Sauce 

serves 2 (or 2.5) 

for the steak sauce: 

1 small onion,  chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon  dijon mustard

Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Cool the steak sauce for 30 minutes, strain out the onion and garlic and store in an airtight container in the fridge. 

1 - 11/2 pound flank steak 

kosher salt

2 large russets potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil 

Remove the steak from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking. Salt liberally, I used about 2 teaspoons for my 11/4 pound steak, and set at room temperature. 

Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch thick matchsticks and cover in cold water. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Soak the potatoes for at least 30 minutes. It takes my oven about this long the heat up. 

Drain the potatoes and pat them dry with paper towels. Spread the potatoes into a single layer on a baking pan and coat with the oil. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden - flipping them once about half way through. 

Heat a large cast iron pan on high heat. When the pan is ripping hot - sear the steak for 2-3 minutes on one side then flip and sear for another 2-3 minutes on the second side. Remove the pan from the heat and cook the steak an additional 5 to 10 minutes (to desired doneness - I cook mine for an additional 5 minutes for medium rare). Wrap the flank steak in foil and rest for 15 minutes. Slice the steak against the grain and serve with juices from the foil, the fries and steak sauce. 

Thirsty Thursday | Blood Orange Salty Dog

A grapefruit and a blood orange walk into a bar and order a gin. That's not a joke - its just a really good story. Citrus and gin are a match made in heaven. 

Look - I realize that you're probably reading this in the morning, at work, and I'm sorry you can't enjoy this Blood Orange Salty Dog yet. Think of it this way - I'm giving you something to look forward to, so you're welcome. 

A Salty Dog cocktail is typically made with grapefruit juice and either vodka or gin. Given a choice between the two - always choose gin. Salty Dogs are served a lot during the summer because they're light and refreshing; But why not take advantage of all the lovely winter citrus now and fantasize about spring. 

My friend Lesley introduced me to a product called Real Salt which is kind of the ideal salt for this Salty Dog. The minerals in Real Salt play really well with the botanicals in the gin and the bitterness of the citrus to add a surprising sweetness. Any fine sea salt will work for rimming the glasses for this Blood Orange Salty Dog. 

Blood Orange Salty Dog 

makes 2 drinks 

sea salt 

ice  

4 ounces gin 

3 ounces grapefruit juice

3 ounces blood orange juice 

Pour the salt onto a small plate. Moisten the rim of two old fashioned glasses - I like to use any left over citrus rind for this. Dip the moisten rims into the salt to coat the rim. Set the glasses aside. 

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Combine the gin, fruit juice, and a pinch of salt in the shaker and shake vigorously. Fill the rimmed glasses with ice and strain the cocktail mixture into the glasses. Enjoy. 

Valentine's Day Snack Mix

I never thought I would be this mom. 

I hoped to be one of those cool moms - you know the ones that fight the man and don't make a big deal about holidays, or first days of preschool, or make homemade snacks. 

When you aren't a parent you formulate a lot of opinions about the mom you will and won't be ("I'll never let my kid watch watch t.v./drink juice/eat refined sugar/fill in the blank) but actually being a parent instantly changes all of that. Suddenly you're so in love with a teeny person, a tyrant-like tiny person, but still so in love. Some days you'll bend your own pre-baby rules just to survive and other days you'll do the same just to make them smile. 

I am was anti-Valentine's day. I swore we would never-ever-ever celebrate Valentine's Day as a family. And yet here - I am buying classroom Valentine's Day cards and making snack mix for preschoolers. Yes - I realize that this is completely ridiculous and I still absolutely love it. Receiving a kiss (without asking!!) and hearing "Mama - I wube Baletines" is all it takes for me to start planning again for next year. 

Ella is also starting preschool this week (I've written about her other childcare here) and I'm just not even ready. She has a little lunch box and a classroom with a cubby to hang her coat and she will be spending the day with a bunch of people I don't know. Valentine's day is the most wonderful distraction for this big change -ever-ever. 

We used Pear Tree Greetings for our family Christmas Cards this year after a lot of friends recommended them (noted for having excellent customer service). And we loved the results! They were affordable, they shipped quickly, and the paper quality was awesome. So when the folks at Pear Tree Greetings asked me to try their Classroom Valentine's Day cards - I happily agreed. 

I ordered a couple variations on classroom Valentine's Day cards from Pear Tree Greetings - it was tough to decide because I loved the classic "puny" Valentine's Day cards and my husband loved the photo cards. We both loved the photo-booth Valentine's Day cards too.  I picked my favorite puny Valentine - Bee Mine, photo postcards to send to Grandmas, Grandpas, and MawMaws, and photo cards to give to friends and family.  

I'm packaging this obsessives snack mix with Ell'a classroom Valentine's Day cards, because I am official that mom and because I love Ella - I'm okay with that.  

Valentine's Day Snack Mix

makes 20 (1/2 cup) servings  

Ella really loves (we all do) the muddy-buddy style snack mix that my mother in-law makes for the holidays, but its full of sugar. I was looking for a way to mimic the fun of that snack in a little bit healthier way - I'd say we nailed it. Even my husband cannot stop eating this. 

2 large egg whites 

1 cup granulated sugar 

1 tablespoon water 

4 cups chex cereal 

4 cups multi-grain cherrios cereal 

1 cup pretzel goldfish crackers 

1/2 cup sprinkles  

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 cup freeze dried strawberries 

1 cup freeze dried yogurt bites 

Heat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly grease two baking sheets. 

Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and water until foamy in a large bowl. Add the cereals and crackers to the bowl and stir until well coated. Add the sprinkles and stir until combined. Divide the snack mix between the two prepared baking pans and spread into an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes. Stir and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the snack mix is dry. Cool completely before adding the strawberries and yogurt bites. Store in an airtight container for up to a week**. 

** The baked component of this snack mix will last longer without the strawberries and yogurt bites. You could make this now and add the berries and bites before packaging. 

Please note: Pear Tree Greetings did provide our Valentine's Day Cards (and sponsored last week's Instagram Giveaway) but all opinions are my own. I would never feature a product/company I didn't love. Its all about the recipes anyway, y'all.*