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[nemodernmama]

Apple Crisp 🍎🍏🍎

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

5-6 apples peeled and sliced (I used honey crisp and gala) 🍎

2 tblsp granulated sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

juice 1/2 lemon 🍋

Mix everything together in a bowl then pour into a buttered casserole dish

In a separate bowl mix:

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 tsp salt

Then cut 1 stick of cold unsalted butter into cubes and add to bowl of the dry ingredients. Use fork or pastry cutter to cut cold butter into the mixture until incorporated.

Sprinkle topping over apples. Top with 1/3 cup of chopped pecans.

Bake for 25/30 minutes until bubbly.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and drizzled sea salt caramel sauce 🍨

[nemodernmama]

Chicken Soup

First step is making the stock. It could not be simpler!!

Take one whole organic chicken and put it in a large pot. Then ➕

🔆 2 teaspoons of salt

🔆 1 teaspoon of ground pepper

🔆 2 bay leaves

🔆 1 yellow onion cut into quarters

🔆 2 celery stalks with the leaves

🔆 2 carrots cut into large chunks

Fill pot with water and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium low and simmer for one hour until chicken is falling apart. Let chicken sit in broth for 1/2 hour once done.

Remove chicken pieces to separate bowl and strain broth with fine mesh sieve.

This broth can be used for so many recipes!!! Any type of soup you can think up, rissotto, rice pilaf, stuffing, sauces or just on its own to sip. This can also be made in an instant pot if u r short on time in about 20 minutes or in your crock pot on low for 4 hours 🤗

Depending on the size of your chicken there is enough meat for two meals, I typically use 2/3 for this chicken soup recipe and 1/3 for a quick next day meal like:

🌿chicken salad

🌿chicken nachos

🌿chicken tacos

🌿 shredded chicken rice bowl

To make chicken soup:

Small dice of:

🔆 1 yellow onion

🔆 2 stalks celery with leaves

🔆 2 carrots

Heat a heavy bottom pan (I use my dutch oven) over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and one tablespoon of EVOO. Add your diced veggies and season with a good pinch of salt. Sauté until softened, about 5/7 minutes.

Then ➕

🔆 1 heaping tblsp better than bouillon

🔆 1 tsp garlic powder

🔆 1 tsp onion powder

Stir to combine and let cook one minute

Add your homemade stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes then turn off heat. Add your chicken back in with some fresh chopped parsley and stir to heat thru.

Serve with your favorite pasta, noodle or rice! I always cook separately then spoon soup over the top. This ensures noodles/rice don’t over cook and soak up all your stock. My go-to is ditalini. Top with freshly grated parmesan. I usually serve with some type of bread for dipping. Lately my kiddos are obsessed with kings hawaiian rolls so this week I split them in half and buttered them to make them extra yummy 🤤

I hope you enjoy this delicious treat!!

[nemodernmama]

Classic Red Sauce

🍅 Pastate (recipe to follow)

🍅 Two large jars tomatoes (fresh from garden will take your sauce to another level!! In a pinch I use glass jarred tomatoes and WF 365 organic tomatoes. I like to use one tomato purée and one tomato chopped)

🍅 one can tomato paste

🍅dried herbs (parsley+ oregano)

🍅Salt to taste ( I give one good pinch into the pastate and another small one before I set sauce to simmer.

Pastate

🧅 one medium onion

🌱one stalk of celery with leaves

🥕one orange carrot

🧄 two cloves garlic

🤏 Salt

drizzle of EVOO (1/4 cup)

Roughly cut all ingredients and put into food processor. Turn on and drizzle in olive oil. Turn off and scrape sides down with rubber spatula. Turn back on and process for 30 more seconds

Turn heat on heavy bottom pot to medium. Once pan is hot add your pastate mixture and turn heat down to med-low.

Sweat your pastate for about 5-7 minutes. The goal here is to steam mixture, not brown.

Add one can tomato paste and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

cook down for 2/3 minutes

Add your canned tomatoes slosh jars with water to add extra liquid about 3/4 cup.

Add dried parsley and dried oregano. Stir everything together and taste for seasoning.

Bring mixture to a simmer.Put lid on then turn down heat to low. Cook 20/25 minutes

You can use an emulsion blender to achieve a thinner sauce.

Serve with

-pasta

-meatballs

-chicken cutlets

-eggplant parm

[nemodernmama]

Looking for a great carb free option the whole family will love? This recipe can be altered to be dairy free if u omit the butter and vegetarian if you substitute meat for tofu. (If you take this route you must add lots of seasoning bc tofu is a blank canvas. Think S+P, garlic powder, onion powder,turmeric,and coriander one of my favorite spice blends 🥰 )

This meal is one pot and perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

Spaghetti squash with creamed leeks n greens

Roast 1 spaghetti squash whole in oven @ 400 until soft (depending on size 20-40 min)

After it cools cut in 1/2 and scoop out “spaghetti”

While it’s roasting make sauce:

Choice of ground: beef, pork, turkey or chicken

🟪Brown over medium high heat n remove from pan

🟦Slice a leek and add to pan with one tblsp butter. Season with salt and sauté until softened.

🟩Add 2 cloves minced garlic and a 5oz. container of fresh spinach, cook 1 min

🟨Add one can of full fat coconut milk

🟧Add back in cooked meat

🟪Simmer sauce for about 5 minutes and test for seasoning (I typically add a lil more salt, pepper, and garlic powder here.

🟦Pour over spaghetti squash n top with fresh chopped herbs I like parsley and cilantro. Chive is also nice here. 🪴

[nemodernmama]

Lately I’ve been experimenting with non alcoholic beverage recipes. I love to put them in a wine glass and your guests would love this too!! This is lemonade topped with lemon seltzer and it’s divine 🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋

[nemodernmama]

Today’s lunch was a mosh of leftovers!

-bed of mixed greens

-handful of spinach

-bunch of cilantro (torn w/hands)

-leftover salmon quinoa cake

-olives

-marinated beets

-2 baby gerkins sliced

-1 floret raw broccoli roughly chop

-1 shredded carrot

I topped my greens w/ a drizzle of EVOO and S+P with a drizzle of fresh Orange juice.

I topped my salmon cake w simple dressing of mayo (1 tblsp.) ketchup (2 tsp.) Dashes of: S+P, garlic powder, onion powder and about a tsp. of pickle juice.

This Italian mineral water goes perfectly ♥️ I fell in love with mineral water when I lived in Italy and you will too!!

If u don’t have leftover salmon cakes :) you could use many different protein alternatives:

-Chicken

-Shrimp

-Hard boiled egg

-a couple slices of deli meat

-tofu

Happy eating ☺️☺️☺️

[nemodernmama]

When everyone in my house starts sniffling I whip up a batch of these hot toddies!

2 cups water 💦

2 tablespoons honey 🍯

Juice of one lemon 🍋

Heat all ingredients in sauce pan over medium heat till just simmering.

I pour a shot of fireball into the adult glasses then top with mixture.

All glasses get cinnamon stick

I try and use the least processed ingredients I can find. This honey takes it to another level!

#nemodernmama #oldschoolremedies #simplelife #farmtotable #fallfavorites #coldweathercomforts

[nemodernmama]

Top 10 things you could be making yourself!

Along my journey to be healthier I was shocked to understand the amount of chemicals I was consuming in certain products. I was equally shocked when I discovered how flippin’ easy these items were to make myself. When it comes to making changes, I am a huge fan of little changes that make big impacts. Try these out and let me know what you think!

1) Dressings:

Dressings take no less than 30 seconds to make. Seriously, 30 seconds people!!! They can contain as little as two ingredients (oil and vinegar). Once you learn how to make one you can make a thousand variations by changing your spices and herbs. Bonus: kids love dressing!!!

My favorite dressings are creamy I must confess, and my all-time favorite is an orange ranch where you substitute the juice of an orange and some zest for the typical lemon or vinegar you find in the standard recipe. You can shake your dressings in a jar or container and they will keep in the fridge all week.

½ c mayo

1/3 c sour cream

Tblsp milk or water

S+P and garlic powder (tsp each)

2 tblsp citrus juice (orange and grapefruit are my fav, lemon and lime combo is also superb) OR vinegar (white,champagne,balsamic,apple cider sooooo many options!)

Fresh chopped herbs (pair with your citrus, parsley goes well with lemon and cilantro goes with orange. I like chive and spicy oregano too, those I would pair with a vinegar)

1 teaspoon sugar

2) Smoothies:

Number one the price of smoothies has gotten waaay outta control! Number two they are usually packed with sugar when you get them pre-prepared either at the store or at the juice bar. People say sugar is the silent killer, but I don’t think it’s so silent. I think everyone just doesn’t want to hear it. Well good news people this one is also prepared in about 60-90 seconds depending on what you throw in your blender. Even better news, you can pretty much throw anything in there! Here is my family’s favorite recipe:

Two cups frozen fruit (WF organic fruit medley 2lb. bag)

One can coconut milk  

Bunch of greens (usually spinach or kale)

½ c fruit juice (usually pineapple or pineapple cranberry)

Banana

Any fresh berries on hand or frozen (blueberry, raspberries have seeds and my kids don’t love it)

3) Popcorn:

So apparently eating microwaved popcorn is one of the worst ideas a person ever had. Having a lot to do with the butter topping and electromagnetic exposure, tasty! But popping your own popcorn is so simple your kids could do it and it takes just minutes. You don’t need any special equipment, just a stock pot with a lid. You add your oil (we use vegetable) and your popcorn kernels and cover placing over medium high heat.  Shaking occasionally until you hear it stop popping. Let sit at least 60 seconds before removing top. You can add sooooo many toppings, some of our family favorites:

-Melted chocolate with sea salt

-butter salt and sugar

-salt pepper and white vinegar

-salt and parmesan cheese (not shake on, grated from a block)

I would love to hear what you try!!

4) Cheese sauce:

Who’s kids don’t looooove Mac n’ Cheese?! My kids request it daily. What if I told you, you could make it from scratch in the same amount of time as the boxed version? I confess I use the box from time to time. But as my kids get older and my boys are eating enough for grown 200 lb. men I had to start questioning what I was doing. Cooking 4 boxes of mac n cheese for one meal seemed excessive, even for me! Once you learn this sauce you can use it to make so many wonderful things! Chicken broccoli alfredo, vegetables with cheese sauce like loaded baked potato, baked mac n cheese, pretzels with cheese dip! I just love cheese 😊

 2 tblsp butter

2 tblsp flour

Seasoning (S+P, dry mustard, about ½ tblsp each)

1-1   ½ c milk or half n half

1-2   1 cup grated cheese (cheddar, gruyere,parmesan,any kind you like!)

Melt butter over medium heat, add flour and whisk about 60 seconds. Add milk and seasoning continue whisking, bring up heat a bit. Whisk until thickened, about 2-3 min. remove from heat and add cheese.

5)  Bread Crumbs:

How many times have you thrown away stale bread? The best meatloaf’s, meatballs, and breadcrumbs come from these leftovers that normally would be tossed. All you have to do is keep a brown bag in your kitchen drawer and throw your unused bread pieces into it. When you need bread crumbs simply pulse for 15-20 seconds in a food processor. You can mix with herbs and spices to flavor your crumbs. My favorite is S+P, garlic powder, parsley and lemon zest. For meatloaf or meatball soak bread in milk until you can crush with your fingers, add to your mixture for the moistest results.

 6) Croutons:

If you catch your bread before it’s gone dry but not quite fresh it is perfect for croutons!!! Just cube and toss with Olive Oil and seasoning (I use S+P, garlic powder, parsley and shake on Parmesan cheese) and cook in 375 preheated oven for about 8-10 min. until golden, tossing occasionally.

7)      Whipped cream:

Whipped cream is ONE ingredient, heavy cream. You need a bowl and a whisk and the cream needs to be cold. You whip until fluffy. My kids love love love to make whipped cream. I add a tsp. of sugar and dash of vanilla when I want sweet cream.

8)      Fruit syrup:

I give my kids plain milk and almond milk but sometimes I make flavored milk and above and beyond their favorite is strawberry. Once you have learned to make strawberry syrup you can add it to milk, serve over yogurt or ice cream, make a milkshake or use it to sweeten a smoothie or bowl of oatmeal. Just like all the rest it could not be easier!!

1 carton strawberries, greens removed (can substitute any fruit, larger fruits need to be chopped)

½-1 c sugar (I find one cup to be way too sweet but if you are just lessening your intake you may need to start there and then cut back)

1 cup H2O

Optional:

Zest of citrus (I always use Orange, it is just my favorite 😊)

Put in sauce pot over medium/low heat and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until it reduces and becomes syrupy, about 8 min. for strawberries, longer for larger fruits.

My family’s favorite syrups:

Figs (cut in ½), orange (you use peel, talk about multipurpose!), peach (skin off, sliced) and blueberry (I pass thru sieve)

9) Salsa:

I love salsa!! It is so good with well just about everything! I am not talking about that soupy stuff from a jar. I am talking about cilantro bursts and bright refreshing lime followed by heat from the jalapeno on the back of your tongue. I am talking guacamole for daysssss. It is just a handful of ingredients thrown into the food processor and pulse. Once you have the basics you can go nuts changing out the ingredients always having a super FRESH, RAW topping on hand.

             Two tomatoes, rough chop

             Spicy pepper like jalapeno, rough chop

             Cilantro bunch

             Juice of one lime

             S+P and garlic powder

             *MMH: Taste your spicy pepper before adding to the mix to gauge heat level. Much like women peppers level of spice can vary greatly from one to another even though they look exactly alike on the outside😊

10)   Memories!!!

The most important part of all of this is your relationship with food and your family’s relationship with food. When I stop to take the 10 minutes to prepare these items listed my kids inevitably end up at my feet and a memory is imprinted.

My hope is that just one person tries something new because of this post!  

XOXOXO

MK

[nemodernmama]

Very excited and humbled by the out pouring of love and support ♥️ Everything seems to be falling into place and it feels magical ✨

[nemodernmama]

Getting ready to make a batch of creamy vegetable soup 🥣 my kids come back for seconds and it’s super easy to make. Check me out at #nemodernmama on tumblr for the recipe 🥰 https://www.instagram.com/p/B7rFgqiJ4wP7oD-jQ-TwSh8bFfdCquvkIgUwiA0/?igshid=gxtciif7ahbs

[nemodernmama]

Did you know that humidity plays a huge role in the transfer of illnesses?!

I read an article a few months ago about a scientist who worked developing chemotherapy. She quickly realized that no matter how aggressive the treatments were the problem would never be solved unless she had a better understanding of why people were getting so sick in the first place despite Herculean effort‘s to keep germs out of the hospitals💡In her study she utilized two elementary school classrooms. She manipulated the humidity in one classroom by adding humidifiers. The second classroom without. The results were astounding, the classroom where the humidity was raised had 88% less incident of the flu that season. 😮 Her research showed that low levels of humidity create dry flaky skin. The skin then goes into the air carrying the virus with it🦠

From WebMD: “By raising indoor relative humidity levels to 43 percent or above, investigators reported that they were able to quickly render 86 percent of airborne virus particles powerless.”

For those of you like me who hate wrestling with a humidifier which requires a lot of maintenance to disinfect weekly you can kick it old school 🕰 Large pot of water on the stove, bring it to a boil let it simmer. I like to add different fragrances to mine like 🍋 🍊 really any type of citrus ! Cinnamon and cloves are amazing 🥰 Play around with any spices you love ❤️

#NEModernMama #Oldschoolremedies

[nemodernmama]

Chicken veggie pasta

4 Boneless skinless chicken thighs

1/2 red onion minced

Bell pepper sliced I used 1/2 bag of frozen

One large RIPE tomato diced

One handful Parsley chopped

1/2 cup filtered hot water

1 tsp better than bouillon

1/3 cup half n half or 1/4 c hvy cream

Spices:

S+P

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Paprika

Coriander

Cardamom

Cayenne pepper

Cut chicken into pieces (I get about 8 per thigh)

Sprinkle with seasoning (I don’t measure my seasoning, I sprinkle over my proteins and sauce trying to be sparring. Especially important with kiddos whose pallets are still developing!

For this recipe I coat the chicken with each of the spices with the exception of the cayenne pepper which I only do a small dash because a little goes a long way.

Mix bouillon into hot water, set aside

Turn the heat on under your sauté pan to medium high and get your pan nice and hot.

Add about a tablespoon of your preferred cooking oil to pan once hot and place chicken in the pan to sear. Do not move your chicken around! After about 3 minutes flip the chicken to brown on the other side. Cook for about 2 more minutes and then remove chicken to a bowl being careful to leave liquid in pan. You are not looking to cook the chicken here, just get some nice color and flavor developed on the bottom of your pan.

Add a little more oil to your pan and then add your onions. Sauté on medium high heat for about 3-5 min. Add to bowl with chicken. Again leaving any liquid.

Now sauté your peppers, if using fresh it will take longer but for these frozen peppers it took just two minutes. Add to chicken bowl.

Now there should be a nice coating on the bottom of your pan. Bellisima 🙌 Add the diced tomatoes and stir around to deglaze your pan. Turn heat down to medium low. Add your bullion mixture and let simmer a minute or two. Add half of the cream and half the parsley. Season with more of all the spices except cayenne pepper. Mix to combine. Now add back chicken, onions and peppers to pan. Stir then cover and cook until chicken is cooked thru. About 10 minutes. Finish with rest of cream. Cook 1lb fettuccine, bucatini or linguine till al dente! Drain and add back to your sauce pot. Top with finished sauce. Stir to incorporate. Pasta will finish cooking in the hot pan no need for heat!

Serve w/remaining chopped parsley

Buon appetito amici ♥️

[nemodernmama]

Leftover farm stand 🌽 is the ⭐️ of my Sunday dip!! Perfect for fall 🍁 and football tailgates 🏈 the recipe couldn’t be easier! •3 ears cooked corn taken off Cobb •1/2 block of softened cream cheese •1/2 cup of sour cream •one can chopped green Chile’s •one farm stand tomato 🍅 diced •Salt Pepper Garlic Powder Mix everything together and pour into a casserole dish. *If u like it spicy add one diced jalapeño Top with grated cheddar cheese. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20 min. until bubbly and browned *Sometimes I put under broiler for 3-5 min to brown more Top with juice of 1/2 lime and chopped cilantro Serve with tortillas #nemodernmama #Sundayfunday #Patriotsgame #fallsnackideas #tailgate #ilovefood #nofussrecipes https://www.instagram.com/p/B3AadospLJd/?igshid=1j2hvz53iwvjg

[nemodernmama]

So before I met Sean I’d never made lemonade except for country time ☺️ The first time he made it for me I was amazed. Like all glorious things it’s simple. Juice of a lemon 1/2 c cold H2O Favorite sweetener (I use sugar) Pour over ice and enjoy 🍋🍋🍋 #nemodernmama #simplelife https://www.instagram.com/p/B1pBK_Yp5_-zHUvhpSLacq4pgnl4Rz1J9PJ5yY0/?igshid=1gie40wsx4q44

[nemodernmama]

Summer blooms 🌸🌸🌸 https://www.instagram.com/p/B1g5IBpp_MSiWLZcxGpJCIPpdvUb98IaOWZiac0/?igshid=1e1ttx0lc6eph

[nemodernmama]

Ode to summer menu starts with my personal favorite BLTA with garden tomato 🍅 #summa2019 #summertimefavorites #nemodernmama https://www.instagram.com/p/B1gyObPJ-ncoZcntNZwxVFxhS6XRHOsznPkJDg0/?igshid=1u4ozt9kxujgg

[nemodernmama]

It’s that time of year again ☀️♥️👩🏼‍🌾

Sweet Summertime

This time of year the quality and variety of produce is obscene here in New England. The farmers markets and road side stands are bursting with tomatoes, cucumbers, and one of my summer favorites zucchini! Zucchini is fantastic in the am with your eggs, fried and dipped in marinara for a snack, raw as a great crunchy addition to your crudité plate and my personal favorite as the star of my homemade zucchini parm. If you love eggplant parm but not the gas that comes after then meet your new best friend; eggplants cousin, the zucchini! Zucchini tends to have less bite than eggplant, it is easier to digest and easier to get my kids to eat. There are always little hands reaching onto the counter when I am frying zucchini in my kitchen 😊 I like to serve this with a nice light arugula salad with a simple EVOO/lemon juice dressing and Italian Spritzer. Ciao ciao mi amici xoxo

*MMH=Modern Mama Hint 😉

Zucchini Parmesan

-2 lbs zucchini

MMH*: zucchini should be about size of a banana, the larger ones have less flavor and can get very seedy. I used 5 organic zucchinis. Check to make sure it is free from dark spots and still firm to touch

-1 cup flour for dredging

-3-4 large eggs

-Oil for frying

-Jar of marinara sauce or homemade (recipe to follow)

-Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cut zucchini into rounds or strips, I like to do a combination because I am indecisive LOL

Beat eggs in shallow dish with about ¼ cup of water, this is your egg wash

Pour about 1 cup of flour into shallow dish

MMH*: I use zip lock bag for easy clean up

Heat oil of choice over med/high heat

Dredge zucchini in flour then into egg wash

Fry until golden brown and salt once removed

In a casserole dish layer: fried zucchini, marinara sauce, parmesan

MMH*: I like to start with a small amount of marinara before my first layer

I make sure to use about a ladle full of sauce for each layer; if you use too much sauce it will fall apart when you cut it. I sprinkle about a 1/3 c of parmesan on each layer. I often use already grated cheese and it comes out just as amazing but grate your own to take your casserole to the next level!!

Bake at 350 until top layer of cheese is golden and casserole is bubbling (about 30 min)

MMH*: if casserole is bubbling but top not as brown as I like I will put it under broiler for about a minute (do not walk away!!!) instead of cooking longer.

I like to garnish with extra chopped parsley

Let your casserole sit at least 20 minutes before cutting, it is even better the next day if you can wait that long to dive in!!!

Homemade Marinara

-2/3 cloves garlic minced

-2 tbsp. EVOO

-2 Tbsp.. tomato paste

-1/3 cup red wine

-whole canned tomatoes (one large 28 oz.)

-Fresh herbs chopped or dried herbs

MMH*: I used parsley and spicy oregano from my herb garden. Dried oregano, fresh basil or pepperoncini all work well here.

Sautee garlic + pinch of salt in EVOO until fragrant, about 1 min

Add tomato paste + pinch of sugar and sauté another minute

Add wine and stir to combine

Pour whole tomatoes into a bowl and crush with your hands (oh this feels so good!!)

Add tomatoes to pot (season with salt and add about 1/3 cup of water to can and slosh out rest of tomato juice, add to pot and bring to a boil

If using dried herbs add now

Simmer sauce for 20 min

If using fresh herbs add chopped parsley and oregano now

 #NEModernMama