 I wasn’t planning on writing a post today -at all. However, my heart is aching, my mind is blurry, and my spirit is quite deflated. All this thanks to a 2mile wide tornado that ripped through a town in Oklahoma yesterday.
All I want is comfort food a peaceful heart and mind today. All I can do is pray for those affected by the tornado in Oklahoma and eat a big bowl of my better-than-boxed homemade mac and cheese. Another bowl.
Yesterday, while a massive tornado was happening thousands of miles away from us, I was at the pool with my kids. I left the office mid afternoon and picked them all up for a little after school treat. Meanwhile, thousands of people were hiding in their basements, closets and tubs; praying to God to have mercy and save their lives. They were probably praying for their children too, many of which were still at school scared for their lives.
I didn’t sleep well last night. Before going to sleep, I prayed feverishly for those who were affected, their families and people who are out there helping find survivors in the rubble. My mind couldn’t grasp the reality of how destructive nature can be -especially tornadoes.
Living outside of New Orleans since 2000 has shown me some of what nature can do. We’ve lived through a few major hurricanes…but this is different. With hurricanes, we have time to prepare, evacuate with our families or make preparations to stay. This is different. People were working, living their daily lives, children were at school… and then it happens.
After hurricane Katrina, many of my friends in California and New York asked why I lived in New Orleans. The country wondered why people lived in a place that flooded two stories high, why people came back to re-build, and how they seemed to be un-affected and let life go on. Life does go on, but that doesn’t mean that things like this leave us unmarked.
Becoming a parent has changed me in ways I never thought possible. Before becoming a parent, I didn’t know first hand what loving someone else outside of yourself was like -as in the unconditional deep love I have for my children. The kind of love people seek in their lifetime and would freely die for.
When I woke up at 1am and 2:30am, I stumbled into Baby G’s room to rock him back to sleep. In the rocking chair, all I could do is cry. I cried for those who wouldn’t hold their children again, those who are searching among the rubble in hopes of finding their loved ones, and mostly I cried for the pain the children who are injured and alone are suffering -they must be terrified, I thought.
Of course, I couldn’t go back to sleep with a heavy heart, swollen eyes and a very stuffy nose. So I did what any emotionally distraught person would do, I ate a big bowl of comfort food at 3am. A big bowl of creamy mac and cheese like this one -which I devoured standing barefoot in my kitchen in the middle of the night.
When I got to the office today, I couldn’t start working. My mind couldn’t focus and my heart once again was filled with sadness. How could it be? I prayed and prayed, asked God to help me feel less pain for others… yet here I am still thinking about the children. Then it hit me: God doesn’t want me to live “numb”! The pain I feel is meant for me to take action and live a life that is “other centered”.
And there you have it my friends. A little mid-morning revelation. For now, I leave you with this big bowl of creamy, delicious, better-than-boxed mac and cheese. It happens to be vegan, dairy free and if you want to… gluten free. These are the kinds of comfort foods my children ask for. The kind of healthy comfort foods I want you to feed your own children and eat yourself. This is food that can be made in the same amount of time it takes to make the blue box; except it’s made with ingredients that are real, better-for-you and delicious.
Pray for others, think of others, feel for others.
Better than Boxed – Homemade Mac & Cheese #prayforoklahoma
Author: Laura Fuentes – SuperGlueMom
Recipe type: Kid Friendly
Cuisine: Family Food
Serves: 4
- 8oz (half a 1lb box) of pasta
- 1 small sweet potato, cooked
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1½ teaspoons yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ – 1 cup coconut milk or any dairy free milk
- Boil pasta according to box directions. Meanwhile, cook your sweet potato in the microwave, turning it once, if needed.
- Peel sweet potato and mash it with a fork.
- In your blender or food processor, puree warm sweet potato, yellow mustard, cumin and salt.
- Drain pasta and put it back the pot. On low heat, add coconut oil and mix well. Add sweet potato puree and mix until evenly distributed on low heat. Slowly pour coconut milk in the pot ½ cup at a time. How much you add depends how much “sauce” your family likes.
- Serve immediately warm.
I’ve made this recipe several times with many variations. If you can tolerate dairy, use regular milk and butter instead of coconut milk and coconut oil. For a gluten free option, use your favorite box of gluten free pasta. The yellow mustard and cumin combo add that touch of tangy/sharp/smoky flavor that the fake box tries to give…but better.
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There are days where I don’t want to make intricate meals. It’s mid afternoon and it’s too late to throw something in the crockpot. I want something quick, easy and delicious my whole family will love.
When I say quick, I mean fifteen minutes or less of prep-time and the oven or stove can do the rest. For this, I usually hit the freezer and pull out frozen pie dough or puff pastry.
I love puff pastry. It reminds me of my grandmother’s kitchen. She loved to make all sorts of easy puff pastry tarts or quiches for dinner. When you see how easy it is to make this recipe, you’ll want to make it over and over again.
I decided to use what I had left of my cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls and one zuchinni. The zucchini looks all pretty, don’t you think? Ha! it’s not because I have fine knife skills, this technique is the result of using a vegetable peeler while balancing a baby on my hip.
Speaking of that baby… I can’t believe he is sixteen months old already! Time flies. My girl is turning 7 in a week. What is happening here?! Why can’t we pause time? I’m sure you can relate to this if you have kids of your own. It seems like it was yesterday when I launched MOMables and had a baby. My goodness!
This week has been filled with excitement and activity. I can’t wait to tell you more details… very soon. I promise. For now, know that I am cooking up some great stuff… little things here and there that lead to a really big thing.
Where were we? Oh yes. This awesome puff pastry quiche. It’s a no frills recipe. The ingredients are easy to swap for what you have on hand. Say… ham and cheese only? Bacon and cheese? Tomato, basil and mozzarella? Done and done.
Just because the pictures look pretty, doesn’t mean it’s too pretty to eat. Most of my blog pictures are taken outside, when dad is home and the kids are entertained. Today, I was alone. I used a lighting kit by a window and leftover props from a previous shoot. It was too cute to go to waste, right?
Next week, I’ll tell you about my trip to Virginia a few days ago. I had such an amazing time and got to meet other foodies who love hummus as much as I do! For now, I leave you with my new favorite way to eat eggs. I’m sure you are going to love it too.
Easy Puff Pastry Quiche Recipe
Author: Laura Fuentes – SuperGlueMom
Recipe type: Easy
Serves: 6-8
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of one 17.3-ounce package), thawed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¾ cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
- 1 small zucchini, shaved with vegetable peeler
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream (I used yogurt)
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Unfold pastry sheet on to a pie dish. If you want it to have nice edges, go around and cut the excess puff pastry all the way around, leaving ¼ inch over lap. You can also lay it flat on a baking sheet and create a rectangular quiche.
- Top with tomatoes, zucchini and cheese.
- Whisk eggs, rosemary, pepper and salt in a bowl. Whisk in yogurt or sour cream. Pour egg mixture over toppings over puff pastry. Bake until pastries are puffed and golden and toppings are set, about 18-22 minutes.
This recipe is very simple and versatile. Swap ingredients and have fun! If your edges are beginning to brown and your quiche is still jiggly, cover the edges with foil until it’s fully cooked and firm. Nobody likes jiggly eggs, right?
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I like to bake and test my recipes on the weekends… So I have to give it to my family, they’ve eaten a lot of scones and biscuits lately. Some scones were more biscuit like, while some biscuits were complete flops.
Not all biscuits are created equal; and when it comes to biscuits my family likes them big and soft, like the Homestyle Grands! Honey Wheat in the blue tube.
I suppose popping one of those familiar blue tubes is an easy task… but I’m telling you to trust me on this one. If you can measure flour, you can make these delicious honey wheat biscuits in about 5-7 minutes – the oven does the rest.
Ok, maybe you are already saying… “I don’t have a biscuit cutter” and.. Ok ok. stop it. Stop talking yourself out of making something from scratch because it might be a little challenging at first. If you don’t have a biscuit cutter use a drinking cup or glass to cut these. They are supposed to be BIG, remember? Now, where were we. Oh yes. Will you just look at them up close?
My husband introduced me to the blue tube years ago. In his single days, he used to scramble eggs and make biscuit, bacon and cheese breakfast sandwiches. The big homestyle honey wheat biscuits were our favorite. They were hugely delicious and they provided a filling weekend breakfast.
This was, of course, before I butter, baking and all things real ingredients. For the longest time, I didn’t bake that much. But now, we have freshly ground wheat and 3 kids who love baked goods… so I’ve come to love baking on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
It’s a good thing that I have the cutest taste testers in the world, don’t you think?
Making biscuits, waffles, amazing pancakes or scones is how I slow down from a week filled with deadlines, meal planning and projects. I am pretty sure my husband and kids appreciate me doing so, even if they don’t often say it.
During the week, I sometimes feel like I am rushing through the days and my mind can’t unplug from work-mode. This is partially my fault, I have a lot of projects on my plate and way too many deadlines in my calendar. I often remind myself that being an entrepreneur isn’t easy; add motherhood to that and it can be exhausting.
I’ve gotten better about asking for help. I finally feel like I have a great team of contributors over at MOMables that I can count on and delegate some things to. My husband has finally taken over our personal and my company’s finances and that’s another thing off my long to-do list. Note: he would like me to say that I have finally surrendered and admitted that I needed his help. Ok, fine. You could say that…considering I accidentally forgot to pay every house bill during the month of February–oh yes, I did.
So, when I tell you that I’ve embraced the kitchen and baking… it’s the truth. I need it! Plus, once I get the ingredients out of the pantry it’s just a matter of minutes since my stand mixer does the heavy work.
Go ahead, whip a batch -or two- of these huge puppies. Put some butter and honey on them and come back and thank me later. Enjoy!
Oh, and in case you were wondering… they are totally Superhero approved.
I caught Alex licking his lips telling his sister: these look delicious Sofia! Poor kid. If he only knew his mom was snapping away…
Pillsbury Grands Honey Wheat Copycat Recipe
Author: Laura Fuentes – SuperGlueMom
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 6
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1½ Tablespoons baking powder
- 6 Tablespoons very cold salted butter
- * ¼ teaspoon salt -ONLY if using unsalted butter
- ¾ cups milk
- 2 Tablespoons honey (optional)
- additional milk for brushing the tops
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour and baking powder. Stir together.
- Using a cheese grater, shred the butter and add the shreds into the bowl. For this reason, I always store a few sticks of butter in the freezer.
- Using your hands, mix the butter into the flour mixture until it’s crumbly and evenly combined.
- Form a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the milk and honey. Stir the flour mixture into the milk until a dough forms. Don’t over-mix.
- Sprinkle some flour on your counter and hand knead the dough. Add additional flour until the dough is no longer “sticky”.
- Roll dough with a rolling pin to about an inch thick. Cut the dough with 2-inch biscuit cutter (or the top of a large glass). After the 4th biscuit you might need to re-shape and roll your dough; but this recipe will yield 6 large biscuits.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Line up the six biscuits evenly spaced on the baking sheet.
- Brush the tops with milk and bake 13-15 minutes until a light golden brown.
You can make this recipe with 100% all purpose flour or 50/50 all purpose and whole wheat. In the ingredients, I wrote “whole wheat pastry flour” simply because I grind my own whole wheat flour very fine – to a pastry flour consistency. However, it will work fine with regular whole wheat. Final note: for some reason you have to grate the butter. When I tested it by cutting the butter into small pieces with a knife, the dough did not rise well and I had dense spots. Therefore, trust me and grate the very cold butter in like 20 seconds.
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2 comments
Hugs. Me too. All of it.
Thank you Rachel! I was thinking about you too, since you are much closer to all of this than me. xo!