I FOUND MY THRILL

I always wondered what ole Fats Domino found up there on that hill.  Now I think I know.  Well, one of the things, anyway!

See, in my world, thrills come pretty cheap.  I can have three people, standing in line, waiting to smother my face in kisses by simply yelling one word across the house:  "PAAAAN-CAAAAAKES!"  That word, "pancakes" can produce a stampede like only a new episode of (fill in the name of whatever kid show drives you nuts) can.

Now, our area of the world is known for many wonderful things: jazz, riverboats, gumbo, art, movies, coffee - you name it.  But one of my favorite unsung heroes of this land of plenty is the blueberry.  And right now, they're fat and juicy.  Our good friend, Mr. Jay, brings us some from his farm on the northshore and we promptly put them to good use!

And so, on day 12(?) of CAMP MOMMY, we're having Blueberry Pancakes with real maple syrup for breakfast.  For those of you 'spoiled' by instant pancake mixes like Bisquick, prepare to be amazed at what you can do with stuff that was hanging around your house anyway.  I like to teach my kids the 'real' way to do things (i.e. without marketing budgets attached) so that they can always enjoy life - even at times when they might find themselves so broke that they can't even pay attention. [rimshot]

BLUEBERRY THRILL PANCAKES
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
scant teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2.5 cups of milk
dash of maple flavoring
1/4 cup melted butter
Put first 4 ingredients in bowl and stir to incorporate.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir and stir until the mixture is creamy.  A mixmaster makes this job much easier, if you have one.  Heat a flat pan to almost smoking.  Lightly coat with cooking spray.  Pour batter on by spoonsful.  When the side facing you starts to "bubble," turn the pancake.  Leave it cook for 30 more seconds and it's done.  If you see any 'shiny' areas on the sides, let them cook a little longer.

If you are lucky enough to have blueberries, rinse them well and place them in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with any sweetener - if you choose to.  I also splash a bit of vanilla on mine and mix them thoroughly.  And if you are lucky enough to be in Louisiana right now (the old joke says, "Well, then you're lucky enough!") look on line for the many blueberry farms that are open for picking your own bucket.

To serve, pile a few pancakes on the plate.  Cut them into pieces (this way the syrup gets more soaked in).  Cover with a mess of berries and maple syrup.  WOW!!

Everybody sing....."I found my thrill, on Blueberry Hill....."
Comments? aintjuliachild@gmail

IF IT'S MONDAY IN NEW ORLEANS.....

I'll never forget one time when I read an article where 'red beans and rice' was described as 'gourmet food.'  Gourmet??  What a laugh!  Can't remember where I read that.

In New Orleans, red beans and rice is convenience food, digestible culture, staff of life, maybe, but gourmet? No.  And no other day of the week evokes this staple dish more than Monday.  Monday, the day we spend digging out from the excess of the weekend.  It is a day filled with laundry, mopping, toilet scrubbing - everything BUT cooking.  A pot of beans on the stove - or in the crock pot - frees the Domestic Czar (read: mom) to more pressing business.  Free?  Well, let's say "available."  But then, it could be worse:

YIKES!!

In my mom's day, beans were a two day process.  On day one, you'd rinse the beans picking out bits of mud or rock.  Then they'd sit in a pot of water and soak to soften them. On the second day, the beans would cook slowly with mom tethered to the kitchen for repeated stirring and monitoring.  I (and I'm sure legions of other modern moms) have devised a more streamlined approach that condenses the whole shebang into one day and requires a minimum of supervision.

"QUICK" RED BEANS ala crockpot
1 pound of dry red beans
1.5 pounds of smoked sausage
1 cup of trinity
several bay leaves
your favorite dry seasoning
Pour dry beans into your crock.  Rinse the beans (twice) and pull out any weird bits.  Now, slice the smoked sausage and add to the crock. (You can also use any other type of seasoning meat - or none at all.) Add the trinity, bay leaves and your favorite dry seasoning.  Now, cover the whole mess with BOILING water (or stock if you really want to layer some flavors!).  Adding the liquid already boiling confuses the beans and makes them think they've been cooking two hours already.  Cool, huh? Speeds up the whole process. And you'll still have plenty of time to undo the weekend 'kiddie bomb.'   Set the crock pot to 'high' and the beans will be ready in around 5 hours.  Set it to 'low' and add another 3 hours to that.  Just depends on how much of a hurry you're in  (or how dirty your house is!)

Check your beans about half way through to give them a stir and add a little more liquid if needed.

About 25 minutes before you're ready to eat, put some rice to steam and toss a salad.  Add some french bread and butter and a pitcher of mint sweet tea.  Gourmet? Gourmaybe....  But that's a stretch when you're eating them on the patio under a umbrella.

Now, you know there will be leftover beans.  Here's what I like to do the next day.  Throw the leftovers in a pot.  Add half the amount of bean volume in cream.  Stir over low heat.  Now, get out your wand immersion blender and whip up the whole pot into a smooth, cream of bean soup.

I have a picky teenager so, at our house, we call this Chili Soup.  Add some ground cumin to taste, top the bowl with sour cream and cheese.  She's none the wiser that she's really eating red beans ("Ewwww, mom").

That's our little secret......k?  Now, if you'll excuse me, my mop is calling.....

Questions? Comments? Please email me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com.  And share my web address:  www.thisaintjuliachild.com 
Please keep the tornado victims in your prayers and do whatever little thing you can to help them recover.

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM

Well, it had to happen.  Summer is here.  We made it through the last-minute flurry of final exams, piano recitals and field day.  And so the question begs, "Now what?"

As Camp Mommy kicks into high gear, I consider myself fully-prepared.  Memberships are updated to the Zoo, Aquarium, Children's Museum and City Park amusement area.  I've located the fishing rods in the shed. Bike tires are pumped up.  The blazing southern sun hasn't made the pool feel like bath water yet...YET.  Wii is online.  Library cards stand at the ready.  I should be cool, right?  RIGHT?!?

And then it starts, "Mo-o-o-m, she's hogging the remo-o-ote!"  BING!  Round One of the summer battles begins. I SCREAM. YOU SCREAM. Just wait till they get really bored.  That, my friends, is when I pull out my secret weapons. 

There is no amount of summertime angst that cannot be soothed over with something cold and sweet.  For a $6 investment at the local dollar store, I have bought myself ALOT of sanity with a few little FREEZY POP trays.  I figure each pop I make will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 cents.  Have you priced the ice cream truck lately???  Three dollars for a nasty pop that looks like a demented Spongebob (Redundant? Discuss.) and tastes like nothing that exists in nature?  $3 each???  Really???? 

And my pops won't have a drop of high fructose corn syrup.  In fact, they'll have fruit, vitamins, milk and fiber! All summer long, we'll have fun coming up with new concoctions to tickle our taste buds (and soothe the savage beasts).  Here is our first set of recipes.

BrrrrNANA POPS
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup of milk (I used canned pet milk)
1/2 cup of fresh, ripe pineapple chunks (you can use canned)
1/3 cup sweetner (sugar, Splenda...up to you)
1 tbsp honey
pinch of cinnamon
I am always looking for ways to use up ripe bananas.  In the winter, I make bread but this is a great idea for summer.  Just blend everything together and pour into a freezy pop tray.  You can also use small cups with wooden sticks that you can get at the store.  This batch makes 8 pops.  If you have leftover, throw some ice cubes into the blender and enjoy a quick smoothie.

PEANUT BUTTER CUP POPS

1 ripe banana

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tbsp condensed milk

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Blend all ingredients except the chips.  Stir in the chips.  Freeze in your pop tray.  This batch makes 4 pops.

I had lots of the second batch left so I whipped it up with ice in the blender. Put it in a fancy milkshake glass, added a large marshmallow, some chips for garnish and a sprinkle of cinnamon for color.  VOILA! 

Summer Bliss.  Summer Blessing!  And then the teenager said, "This is awesome.  My mouth's havin' a party!"  A happy teen - and no one is in the car or spending a fortune?  That, my friends....Summer Miracle!

Shhhh......hear that??  It's the sound of PEACE IN A POP TRAY.  Amen. Can I get a witness????

Thanks to my friend Pam for inspiration and taste testing!

Please pray for the victims of the tornadoes and do what you can to help them.

Questions? Comments? aintjuliachild@gmail.com