tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638912841237464142024-02-19T07:41:38.005-08:00Formerly Pregnant Lady CooksOne formerly pregnant woman, whose cravings nearly consumed her while she was with child, continues to follow her whims and cook everything that comes into her formerly nauseated mind. Thankfully her food philosophy is simple, and her post-partum cravings are following suit: eat real, whole foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains), with the occasional transcendent indulgence, as long as it's homemade.The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-40674511622660107962015-07-02T15:14:00.004-07:002015-07-02T15:14:53.011-07:00Stuff for sale
Beer fridge (garage fridge)
Large patio set
Small patio set
Larger filing cabinet
Smaller filing cabinet
Storage cabinet
Belarus upright piano
Large Chinese vase
Clothesline
The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-33756525051012487042010-09-27T10:29:00.001-07:002010-09-27T10:30:24.776-07:00Pre School CakeOnce I posted the many evocations Lion Cake I realized that I hadn’t posted a cake that I made reference to—the preschool cake. I did this one not long after Fielding was born, to thank Sawyer’s preschool teacher for being completely awesome, and to celebrate her first successful year of business. It was my first attempt at cake painting, which I loved, but which comes with, of course, a new set The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-49696600432468098912010-09-27T10:23:00.001-07:002010-09-27T13:21:14.003-07:00Many Evocations Lion CakeEven though I recently (like four weeks ago) declared that I was not ready to return to cake making after Fielding’s birth (this after making a cake with my foot on the bouncy chair the whole time, which was tricky business indeed), I inexplicably volunteered to do a birthday cake for my friend’s son. I guess it’s kind of like heroin. Well maybe not that bad. It’s like nitrous. I think I’m done The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-968932331135463912010-09-27T08:40:00.001-07:002010-10-01T09:10:51.666-07:00Freezer meals part II: Caribbean Shredded PorkServes 8     Another installment of the freezer meals that mom and I made to ease the family into life with two kids—it was great to be able to pull this out for dinner last night and only worry about making rice and some vegetables. And of course Chris loves such versatile leftovers. I wager he’ll be eating it at noon wrapped in a tortilla or in a toasted bun. 1 1/2 pound leanThe Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-2324157072577607922010-09-23T05:42:00.001-07:002010-09-23T05:46:10.996-07:00Asian Chicken Salad with Orange-Ginger Dressing Asian chicken salad has been a favorite of the Grays for a long time now—it’s the only way Chris will accept eating salad as a main course. To ensure that he does, I have to pack it full of hearty, crunchy niblets. It had been awhile since we’d done it, but the real inspiration for this salad was the dressing. It’s JAPANESE RESTAURANT DRESSING. If you eat at Japanese restaurants from time to The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-87298706680528007432010-09-21T14:37:00.001-07:002010-09-21T15:14:16.357-07:00Burritos with Green Chili Walnut SauceMakes about 2 cups   Anyone who has been to my town knows that it’s SMALL. Now there are  more than five restaurants here, but when we first moved in there were two: the Erie Cafe and Mina’s Latin Restaurant. Oh, good ole Mina’s. It was grimy inside and had a mysterious stage with a disco ball, but no advertisements for karaoke or local theater…what was it used for? It was basically The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-12201044522648654822010-09-16T20:02:00.001-07:002010-09-17T10:19:05.377-07:00Avocado Chocolate MousseServes 2-3     Oh yeaaaaah, talk about smooth, creamy, sweet, velvety luxuriousness. Chocolate mousse made from avocado is something I’ve been meaning to try for a long time, and something about which, no matter many good reviews I’d read or overheard, I was still a little doubtful. The moment of truth came when I was brainstorming dairy-free dessert ideas for my nephew. His momThe Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-34123833935451120582010-09-15T07:30:00.001-07:002010-09-15T07:30:03.047-07:00Chickpea Croquettes with Greek Salad ToppingServes 4 mmm, loved this one, thank goodness. In fact I forwarded the recipe to all my gluten-free friends. I think the only change I’ll make next time is to break up the chick peas in the food processor a little before proceeding. Also will try it with tzaziki. Topping 1 cucumber, quartered and sliced (1 cup) 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered 2 green onions, chopped 2 Tbs. lemon juiceThe Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-44387852729052766592010-09-13T20:07:00.001-07:002010-09-14T12:29:12.483-07:00Tian Tian Chao Mian (Everyday Fried Noodles)Serves 4 Before I get into these noodles I have to confess that I’ve really been mulling over the purpose of this blog for the last few days. In my attempt to cook my way through my collected magazine recipes, I’ve made a few this week that just really didn’t make the grade. “Should I put them on the blog?” I wondered. I mean, I did say that I was going to make all of the recipes that I’d cutThe Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-37815920670652103102010-09-12T16:27:00.001-07:002010-09-14T12:29:32.983-07:00Mango Dal (with Chard)Serves 6    I’m a dal fiend, so when I saw this recipe in Eating Well magazine, and imagined the blissful combination of my favorite fruit and my favorite legume preparation, I knew it would be on the menu soon enough. I finally got around to trying it when we had guests the other night. We served it with an Indian-spiced roast chicken (I made a spice rub with salt, cumin, curry, The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-59048181346793433792010-09-07T01:10:00.001-07:002010-09-07T09:46:05.887-07:00Eggplant and Tomato GratinServes 4 If ever you wanted to perfectly capture all of the best flavors of summer in one simple dish, this is it. I saw it on A Cooking Life recently and couldn’t stop thinking about it. You really ought to visit the link because her pictures are much prettier (whose aren’t??) and because she gives a lot of useful information about the execution. Her argument is that the success of such a The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-41668283180838992232010-09-06T20:10:00.001-07:002010-09-06T20:13:33.243-07:00Butter Bean Risotto with Swiss ChardServes 4-6 This one is actually from the most recent issue of Bon Appétit—I’m always looking for ways to use chard, and this one turned out to be completely, completely delicious. The toddler ate it, which leads me to this syllogism: if it is delicious, the toddler won’t necessarily eat it, but if the toddler eats it, it is indisputably delicious. 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 bunch Swiss chard,The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-16548622500566933622010-09-04T10:46:00.001-07:002010-09-14T12:29:51.102-07:00Pasta with Sausage and Butternut SquashServes 4 Another recipe from the collection down…about 800,000 to go. Only slight exaggeration. Once again I did quite a lot of adapting with this one, primarily for the (to me) hilarious reason that the grocery stores don’t carry canned pumpkin until just before Thanksgiving (I guess I should mention that the recipe was originally Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta). Not only do they not carry it now—The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-10639938587779353032010-09-01T20:45:00.001-07:002010-09-06T20:13:49.989-07:00Yogurt-Braised Chicken with Cashews and DatesServes 4-6 I almost don’t know if I can really say that I tried this recipe because of all of the changes that I made. Honestly, I scanned the ingredients before going to the store and was confident that I had everything—almost nothing but pantry staples in this one. But the original called for 4 tsp of cumin, and when I got into my spice rack I discovered barely one teaspoon in the jar. It The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-30095091253418212272010-08-31T09:12:00.001-07:002010-08-31T09:35:41.404-07:00Orange-Roasted Tofu and Asparagusserves 4 So I have a new goal for this blog: to cook through most or at least many of the recipes that I have gathered from cooking magazines in the past few years. They’re all collected in a big notebook where I’ve been trimming and pasting them in, a monument to the old analog age. There are hundreds of them, but I’ve probably tried under ten; I’d like to make an effort to remedy that. The The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-55572364582724182692010-08-25T18:59:00.001-07:002010-09-06T20:14:07.742-07:00Baba Ganouj Makes about 2 cups Sing with me now: “I’m in heaven, nightshade heaven…” I’m glad lots of people don’t like eggplant—more for me! Here is a recipe for the unforgettable Middle Eastern roasted eggplant dip, made from garden eggplants 1-1 1/2 pounds eggplant olive oil for roasting 1/4 C tahini 1 clove garlic 2-3 Tbs lemon juice 3 Tbs olive oil salt to taste First you need to roast your The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-25061076656947804172010-08-25T18:00:00.001-07:002010-08-25T19:03:30.810-07:00Zucchini Madness III: Bacon-Feta Summer Squash Muffins and Spicy, Honey-Sweet Zucchini BreadThe race to keep up with the squash plants continues, and this afternoon my kitchen was positively aflame while the toddler napped and the newborn nestled against my chest in the sling. The result: more savory muffins, this time with the unexpected combination of feta and bacon, and secondly a dark, spicy zucchini bread with natural sugar sources and whole grain flours. Bacon-Feta Summer Squash The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-26148878350616954692010-08-25T12:59:00.001-07:002010-08-25T13:02:02.067-07:00Zucchini Madness II: Garden Strata and Basil Squash CakesThe quest for original ideas for use of excess squash continues. We had the strata with dinner last night and the cakes were my lunch today. Honestly, I never get tired of these vegetables. They’re so light and adaptable! Garden Strata serves 4 4 C stale bread, cubed (we used a mix of sourdough and roasted garlic) 2 C grated zucchini and/or yellow squash 1/2 red pepper, diced 1/4 C The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-37189676154832930292010-08-23T12:40:00.001-07:002010-09-06T20:14:40.159-07:00Harmony’s Creamy Pesto DipMakes about 2 cups   My delightful neighbor Harmony, author of the inspiring A Healthier You, recently gave us a container of her luscious and uber-healthy pesto dip. Chris and I both went crazy for it. So, having cornered her this morning where our fences meet, I asked her for the recipe. She said that she makes pesto with basil, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice (she didn’t say whether The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-26836696147486454672010-08-19T12:39:00.001-07:002010-08-19T12:58:06.493-07:00Zucchini Madness I: zucchini fritters and zucchini french bread pizzaMakes 8-10 fritters and 2 8-in long pizzas The season is upon us. The season of zucchini door ditching—look out, I might be leaving some on a porch near you. Last night I did my best to incorporate the intimidating harvest into some dishes that would be a little bit novel for Chris, who, in truth, doesn’t even like zucchini very much. I thought they both turned out great—the pizza especially, The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-64752486296556800262010-08-16T06:23:00.001-07:002010-08-19T12:58:27.989-07:00Savory Summer Squash Muffinsmakes 12 muffins   The garden—and in particular the squash plants—is running amok. I’ve already got three bags of frozen shredded zucchini waiting to emerge on a winter day in need of a little sunshine. And now the summer squash is starting to overwhelm me, and I am kind of sick of sweet quick breads (blasphemy!). Enter the savory muffin! I have great plans to experiment on this technique,The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-32623416684538858772010-08-10T09:01:00.001-07:002010-08-16T06:26:21.880-07:00Freezer meals part I: Enchiladas for all palatesServes 5-6   In preparation for the transition from one-child family to two-child family, the difficulties and challenges of which will rear their ugly head after all of my generous helpers have left off cooking and doing dishes for me at the end of the week, mom has been helping me plan and execute some healthy freezer meals. This one includes some of the basic necessities of the The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-85455853027353972022010-08-09T13:55:00.001-07:002010-09-14T12:30:20.887-07:00Pear Custard TartServes 8 I’m not sure why there is such a proliferation of desserts on here lately—we really aren’t eating all that much dessert. We have had company since Fielding was born, and that was the occasion for this particular delight. And when I say delight, I mean deeeee-light. My mother has declared this “one of the all-time great desserts” that she has tasted in her life time. That’s saying a The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-68222001372878173862010-08-03T14:28:00.001-07:002010-08-09T15:29:02.817-07:00Provencal Stuffed Garden VegetablesServes 4-6    Yes, I made and photographed these before Fielding arrived. I was actually kind of a kitchen tornado in the days preceding his arrival—I must have sensed it, because we came home to some tasty leftovers and snacks and, thank goodness, a manageable overflow from the garden (boy did we grow one hell of a zucchini during our 30-hr hospital stay). 6-8 stuffable vegetables,The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891284123746414.post-72339481174709853162010-08-03T13:46:00.001-07:002010-08-03T13:47:45.292-07:00Pregnant Lady finally gets bun out of ovenAt long last, I’ve been delivered of my pelvic burden, in the form of the handsomest, sweetest little 8lb wonder ever. Fielding Christopher Gray left the oven a few days ahead of schedule, on Sunday Aug. 1. What a great birthday that is. Here are a few shots of his first few days. Daddy setting him down for the big weigh-in (8lbs 1.5oz):   That’s one proud papa. I think everyone has The Gray Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621794447355161523noreply@blogger.com1