A Girl and Her Ketchup

Sometimes there seems to be so very little of me in Lillian's looks and personality; so, when it comes down to it, I find I treasure the little things....the very little things.

Ham & Lentils...Tres Gomi Style

Yes, I finally had the inclination (and required leftover ham) to make Ruth's Ham & Lentils...or at least a resemblance of it. I find I'm not terribly in favor of following recipes in that either I am rather prideful in thinking I must certainly know a better way, or simply rebellious in that a recipe is not my dad and cannot tell me what to do. So, I decided to scrounge the fridge and freezer for ingredients that might make a decent imitation, if not replication, of Ruth's soup. I'm about to dig into my first bowl and it looks delicious. I used split peas and lentils, since I had leftover 1/2 bags of both, put a can of cream of celery in with two cartons of chicken broth instead of water and a ham bone. The other ingredient swaps are escaping me at the moment (since apparently, I am also of a mind to not write down my personal creations). I have also tried Jill's curry lentil soup but Paul has requested that I omit the curry from future attempts. So, lesson learned: lentils are delicious and agreeable when properly applied to soup. Second lesson learned: over-browned (usually called burnt in every kitchen but my own)cornbread makes an even better soup mix-in.

Home Ec. Project

In my efforts to cut the family grocery budget we have implemented a vegetarian night, sandwich night, and a fairly regular left-over night. This has blessed me with opportunities to get creative in the kitchen as convincing a meat'n'potatos man that food can exist without a slab of flesh making up it's core. (Paul has been wonderfully supportive, but 'eggplant sandwiches' is a stretch for him) So here brings me to my 'Eleanor 'of cuisine: lentils! I have long since held a desire to conquer these wonderful food-ish items, but haven't discovered a way to make them palatable to Paul in a, clear your plate and ask for more, sort of way. Any ideas? I'm up for soups, side dishes, etc. so please post away! I'll let you know how the results turn out...

Conquer the Impossible...

Yes, this is us with our three toddler/babies at a restaurant during the evening rush. What was once normal is possible yet again!