Popcorn days

In our house we call days that just go bat you-know-what crazy "Popcorn days". It started when my mom read a blog from Soule Mama whom she has been following for quite sometime now. This particular entry was written by the author's husband and described such a day where popcorn was for dinner--because that is all that anyone had the energy to make. We have adopted this phrase in our house and when its just one of those days we say "its been a popcorn day" or something like that.

As I type this my parents are driving to the hospital with my three year old little brother. He has had a nose bleed that started around 6:45, stopped right when we were ready to take him to the ER the first time and allowed him to sleep for a bit and then decided to start up again about 40 minutes ago. Today has been a Popcorn day. Tomorrow I will post some yummy recipe and hopefully it will bring you a full tummy and some happiness. For now though I am off to make popcorn (or maybe just eat some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that are in the freezer- I'll post that recipe tomorrow! they are truly yummy and quick to make too!) and wait by the phone.

Beans and Rice-my way

Tonight, I decided that the meal of Sloppy Joes was just not enough for me. So at 9:30 or so I started making beans and rice. For me though beans are also not enough. I have to have veggies in with my beans. Most of the time I use what ever is in my refrigerator- a staple for me is squash of some kind.

First starting water for the rice- I wanted to be sure that everything would be done at the same time!

Pouring a little olive oil in my skillet so that my thinly sliced potatoes would not burn (or even worse stick!). I love the sound that oil makes when it is hot! I don't know why exactly but its this excited kind of sound that makes me happy- and a bit cautious, because lets face it, who really likes getting splattered by hot oil! I waited about 3 minutes then added in diced zucchini, diced tomatoes, and chopped chives (I would have used onions but it turned out we are completely out of onions! Time to go to the farmers market!).

I added the rice to the boiling water at this point.

Once the potatoes were starting to be somewhat tender I poured in a can of black beans, liquid and all. Next a liberal dash of red chili powder was added. Mixing it all together and then making sure to stir every few minutes after that so as not to have burnt food. By the time the liquid had cooked off, the rice was done and the potatoes were tender. Dinner (or 2nd dinner) was finished!

I was going to take a picture of my efforts but this meal is not exactly pretty looking. Tasty but not pretty.

I am going to play around with it some more- adding some different spices and veggies. It was truthfully a bit bland- adding a bit more chili powder would help. I am still a bit cautious of adding too much (one mistake where I dumped a huge- OK massive would be a better word for it- amount of chili powder in by accident and suddenly I am chili shy!)

If you want to try it:

1 small zucchini (or a 1/4 of a large zucchini)-diced

1 medium potato peeled and finely sliced

half of a small onion diced or several stocks of chives

3 smallish medium (but not cherry!) tomatoes diced

1 regular can of black beans

chili powder

Next time I would also add- a small yellow squash diced

Don't forget to cook the rice- starting before the rest of the meal!

1 cup uncooked rice

This made three servings and some left over rice.

If you try it let me know what you think and let me know if you come up with any improvements!

Have fun!

The Beginning...

Cooking Up Peace came to me via my mother. As I sat at my computer putting the finishing touches on a project proposal that I would be spending the next few months working on, she came up to me and said "How about a cookbook?" A cookbook? What does that have to do with peace? "You can talk about community and how food is a huge part of all cultures around the world and how hospitality is important to peace." Huh, I thought, she has a point. "Plus," my mom added, "you love cooking and you could try recipes out on all of us (my family) which we would love." And so the idea for this project and cookbook were born.

This cookbook will be kid friendly (as I will be trying everything out on my friends and family), as well as allergen friendly. My younger siblings have an extensive list of allergies (and I am allergic to dairy) so I have experience changing recipes to fit our needs. Ideally, it will also be a wide range of recipes from all around the world.

What you can do...send me family favorite recipes (all kinds are welcome! I will do the work of converting them to being allergen friendly, so don't let that scare you off!); quotes on/about peace, food, hospitality, and/or community that have touched you; stories from your lives and families; and anything else you think would be good for this project!

I will of course be crediting everyone who helps! If your family recipe comes directly from a cookbook...thats OK! just send me the name of the cookbook so that I can credit it as well!