Penne alla Vodka with the Best Garlic Bread in the World

My first meal from Chloe's Kitchen, but it won't we our last. I love Chloe's blog, her upbeat style, her close relationship with her mom, but most of all her fabulous food. This is Penne (really whole wheat shells) all Vodka with the Best Garlic Bread in the World (her title, but she is right, great garlic bread). The garlic bread reminded me  of my mom's. Luckily, the sauce is a lot more than I needed for one loaf of Pekara sourdough bread so I can make more garlic bread soon. I topped the bread with za'atar instead of parsley because that is how we roll.

We had a lovely dinner on the porch complete with mixed salad greens from Gita's garden and the Market at the Square and raspberries from Farmer Greg (Market at the Square). We bought the basil from Greg too because our basil is still pretty small.

Oh and some white wine from Stef's TJ's care package from a couple weeks ago. The gift that keeps on giving. I've made the Penne Vodka from Veganomicon once before, but it didn't become a staple. I think that was a mistake. We need to have this more often, but first I have to try all the other wonderful sounding recipes from Chloe's Kitchen before it needs to go back to the library.

The Best Laid Plans

I woke up completely motivated to work on the dining room walls, scraping off wallpaper, fixing plaster, etc. Our house quickly became a revolving door of fun yesterday so my work kept slipping into the future. Rob took Josie in the bike trailer to Common Ground Co-op and the Market at the Square in the morning. As much as I miss going to the farmer's market as a family, it is such a sweet father daughter time for them. I enjoy hanging here with the boys. They requested a smoothie for breakfast even with the chill in the air. We didn't have any greens yet since Rob and Josie weren't back so this is what I made...

Frozen dark sweet cherries, raw almonds, frozen strawberries, hemp protein powder, cocoa powder, flax seeds, dried figs, shredded coconut, water, and soy milk. Frozen black berries on top. All organic, of course. Loaded with antioxidants (as well as vitamin C, calcium, iron, protein, good fats, etc.) and so good it feels like a decadent treat, but filling so you don't need anything else for breakfast. All full and ready to work, but wait there were dishes to do first and talking with the boys. Rob and Josie arrived home and we were hanging out on the porch and unpacking the produce from the bike trailer when Parker's friend from school arrived. They hung out and played for hours. I thought about getting the boys to help me with the dining room, but that didn't seem fair to Parker's sweet friend. Rob and I ended up trying to occupy Josie so she wouldn't ruin the Lego creations. As Parker's friend was leaving, Josie's friends Amara and Indigo showed up for their sleepover.

 Pineapple, garlicky kale, kalamata olives, capers, carrots, and Daiya with homemade sauce and homemade whole wheat crust.

 Sauteed mushrooms (from farmer Greg at the Market at the Square), garlicky kale, carrots, kalamata olives, and Daiya with homemade sauce and homemade whole wheat crust.

 Sauteed mushrooms (from farmer Greg at the Market at the Square), garlicky kale, carrots, kalamata olives, capers, pineapple, and Daiya with homemade sauce and homemade whole wheat crust.

I made sauce earlier in the day (garlic, onion, tomatoes, carrots, tomato paste, and oregano cooked and pureed...can't wait to use tomatoes from our garden, but the plants aren't close to producing yet) so Rob whipped up some whole wheat pizza dough and we had four pizzas for dinner. The kids played at the park, drew with sidewalk chalk, scootered around, took a bath, changed clothes, scootered more, etc. as Rob and I hung out with our neighbor, Anthony on the porch. As Anthony left, my ex-brother-in-law came over for a visit and the girls settled in watching movies. I love hanging a house where people feel comfortable just stopping by and hanging out, but it also means I never get anything done. I'm okay with that.

Breakfast for the sleepy kids (the girls fell asleep around 11pm and the boys even later) was whole wheat blueberry pancakes. We learned the hard way why it is important for young ones to get some sleep. There was some bickering and hurt feelings this morning. I hope some kids take naps today and maybe while Josie is napping I can tackle my dining room. Or maybe I'll take a nap too. The dining room can wait.

Only Happy When It Rains

As much as I've truly enjoyed the crazy Illinois weather. 95 one day and 60's the next, that is Illinois for you. My garden needed rain and I'm sure the farmers do too. Rain also means I can catch up on inside tasks like putting away clean clothes, vacuuming, etc.

The rain cold rain doesn't keep my youngest inside. She was freezing, but happy.

Josie singing in the rain, well until I snapped the picture. I'm afraid she does like life when it is complicated. Oh the joy of girls!

Something that was completely uncomplicated was dinner. Easy peasy! I checked out Spork-Fed from the library and was flipping through it on the porch as I watched Josie play in the rain.

Cashew Cream Fettuccine Alfredo with Sauteed Spinach from Spork-Fed

Well sort of. I used whole wheat spaghetti, garlic scapes and half of a red onion instead of shallots, almonds and water instead of creamer, and a mix of kale, beet greens, and chard for the greens. It turned out great!

School's Out!

Parker helping cook breakfast/brunch yesterday morning. Love having my eldest back for the summer (maybe longer since he's on the fence about going back to public school)! We made noochy grits and whole wheat blueberry pancakes.

Dema completed a end of 3rd grade math test (he's technically finishing 2nd grade, but he is doing math way above grade level and the 3rd grade curriculum was just for fun) on the porch in the beautiful weather.

Parker reading books to Josie. Dema usually reads to Josie during the school day, but Parker wanted to do the honors since he's home. Then he took a four hour nap in the afternoon (he might have stayed up a tad too late on his first night of summer break).

We had at least seven neighbor children/friends hanging out in the house at some point during the day yesterday and more at the park. I made some quick snacks with the leftover Trader Joe's care package Stef brought a couple weeks ago. Here is the Vegetable Pakoras that the kids loved.

I also made some quick black bean sliders. I don't know what officially makes something a slider, but I served them on potato slider buns so I'll call them sliders. I added Trader Joe's Mango Ginger Chutney (also from Stef, thank you!!!) which hit the spot and made the sliders somehow go with the pakoras...not like the kids care about such things. The sliders were made from the leftover black beans from the quesadillas the other night, nutritional yeast, bread crumbs, tomato paste, vegan Worchester sauce, and baked then lightly fried. Stuffed grape leaves on the side.

It filled the kids' bellies as they played and played at the park until we went to the vegan meet-up at Thara Thai. Fun to see all the meet-up peeps and new faces.

Always great to eat at Thara Thai. Thanks to them for being so accommodating to a large group of veg*ns!!

Food on the Go

Josie loves to help me grocery shop, especially when the shopping is at Common Ground Co-op. One Tuesday in April we hopped on the bus to Josie's soccer practice and then hopped another to Common Ground to pick up food for our Wednesday train ride to Chicago. She asked for A LOT of food from the deli since soccer made her so hungry. I couldn't say "no" when she begged for the Citrus Tofu Salad. She said she noticed someone eating this salad while we were shopping and it "just looked so good" she had to have one for herself.

A girl can't live on salad alone so she requested a bowl of vegan chili with whole wheat bread for dipping.

She saw these little peaches in the produce section and was so excited! She said they were juicy and delicious. She also ate a vegan yogurt. That girl was hungry.

Of course, Josie loves healthy foods, but once in a while it is fun to indulge. This huge molasses cookie was perfect for noshing on after lunch while we waited for another bus.

Once we put away all the groceries, Josie was ready for some park time so I quickly threw together Reuben Rolls with Homemade Thousand Island Dressing. Rob fried them up in the spring roll wrappers since he's better at frying and I was on park duty. Sorry the picture is horrible, but it was grab and go night so check out Spabettie's link above for beautiful pictures and the recipe. Parker gave them many thumbs up and asked for them in his lunch sometime soon. I made these with tempeh so Josie turned up her nose and opted for her leftover Citrus Tofu Salad (salad over fried food, couldn't really come up with an argument), but her park friends had a few bites and loved them.

 

Wednesday we set out for the train station - Chicago bound. (Dema turned eight recently and wanted a trip to Chicago as part of his present.) Parker stayed home with Rob and came up on Friday evening so it was just me and the littles.

 Josie and Dema asleep together on the train.

 Snack time on the train...

Spinach and Caramelized Onion Hummus from Common Ground, Pekara bread, baked tofu from home, along with apples and Veggie Booty (not pictured). All devoured in a matter of minutes.

Our friend Loretta and her daughter met us at Union Station in Chicago. I was sure the kids were full from the food on the train, but they said yes to eating at Native Foods. Secretly, I was very happy they weren't full since I hadn't eaten all day and Native Foods is so good. I was so busy eating I forgot to take pictures until we were almost done. Oh well, the weekend wasn't about food photos, but about relaxing with my family and our wonderful friends. Josie and Loretta's daughter, Teagan, both had a bowl of Freddie's Mac and Cheese. Dema loved his Native Chicken Nuggets so they were long gone before I could snap a pic.

I did get a couple pics of the kids eating dessert. My kids had the blueberry Cheesecake and Teagan had the chocolate Good Luck Cupcake. I wish I had a picture of Teagan eating her cupcake from the top without using her hands. It was too cute! Dema was so impressed with Native Foods, he asked for a repeat a couple days later.

We didn't just eat while we were staying in Evanston. The kids played. Dema built some Lego sets for Loretta's son - a big deal since Dema never builds the sets himself, that is what older brothers are for, but with Parker at home with Rob until Friday, Dema was able to enjoy being the eldest child for a while. Josie and Dema enjoyed playing with the light sabers and the neighborhood parks were their favorite destination.

We did take in a movie, Chimpanzee. I love the city with movie theaters that serve alcohol (too early for that though and we did have four children to look after) and coffee (never too early for coffee and they also have soy milk). Chimpanzee was a sweet story (a little too scary at parts for the kids, but I knew the ending so I could reassure them) and amazingly beautiful footage of the chimps and their surroundings...totally worth paying to view on a big screen. After the movie (and a little shopping) we met Loretta's sweet husband (he brought the wine) at Olive Mountain. I can not say enough about the nice staff (so friendly and happy to see four energetic children and two tired mamas) and the great tasting inexpensive food. We will visit again when we're in Evanston.

Parker and Rob came up Friday night so we all (Loretta's family and ours) went to the Museum of Science and Industry. Here the kids are watching the Rube Goldberg machine.

 Here Dema is waving to the crowd before he helps out with the carbon dioxide experiment.

 Dema is carefully taking balloons out of the container of dry ice.

 Cool! This was Dema's favorite part of the trip, second only to Native Foods.

When we go to Chicago we want to see all our friends, but it is rare we get them together at the same place. I organized a meal with Stef and Ollie (seen here), Loretta and her family (four in all), Todd and Katherine (with their two kids), and us. What vegan restaurant in the city could handle a big crowd (eight kids and seven adults) with ease? Native Foods was the answer (Lakeview location on Belmont). The staff was awesome!

 Native Chicken Wings with a spicy sauce or ranch like sauce.

 Ollie eating a Pizza Finger

 Saigon Rolls (oh my, I could eat these all day!)

 I think this is the Scorpion Burger. I just order whatever is on special that day and I always enjoy it. Oh if they would just open a Native Foods in C-U, I would be in heaven!

Josie playing with Tai and Parker enjoying his food. Sunday morning we were going to get on the road, but not before David made awesome character pancakes.

Josie with her butterfly. David mad dragons and more for the kids. Huge awesome points to David and the kids officially want to live with them.

You would think the kids would have been so full from the pancakes that they couldn't eat another bite, but we had promised vegan donuts to Dema for his birthday trip to Chicago so we stopped by Chicago Diner on the way out of town. The boys ordered vegan milkshakes (and shared with each other).

 Josie really enjoyed the donuts. We can't get vegan donuts in our town and I rarely make them.

 Rob went healthy with the Bi Bim Bap.

I went unhealthy with the Egg (Tofu)-Biscuit Sammy with both the optional cheeze and bacon, but the kids helped me eat it.

Parker loved his macaroni and cheeze. We had so much other lovely food on this trip, like the African Stew Loretta mad in the slow-cooker (I need that recipe!!!) and her homemade donuts. Samosas (the best I've eaten since we left DC) from JD Mills in Evanston. Great gin and tonics made by the lovely Loretta. So much fun and great food. It was a lovely visit, as always. It just took me over a month to blog about it. Dema was SO happy with his birthday trip to Chicago and we all can't wait to go back!