Pickled Cucumbers

1 English cucumber

1/2 cup white-wine vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cut cucumber crosswise into very thin slices (preferably using a manual slicer). In a bowl whisk together remaining ingredients until sugar is dissolved and add cucumber, tossing to coat. Marinate cucumbers, covered and chilled, stirring occasionally, 4 hours.

Whole Roasted Chicken

Roasting a whole chicken is so simple and so delicious but a little intimidating if it is your first time. Depending on the appetite of your family it can last you several meals. It typically lasts our family of 4 two full meals because we have big eaters. We eat roasted chicken one night and then use the rest for salads, sandwiches, pizzas, etc. the following day.  If I'm feeling extremely lazy I just remove the giblets, toss the chicken in the crock pot, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, pour in a little broth and cook it on low for about 6 hours. If we are having company or I want something crispier and prettier then I use this method. It is fool-proof and one of my favorite meals.  If you don't have or don't like rosemary then you could use other herbs like basil, majoram, oregano or thyme or even dry herbs de provence. If you aren't down with butter something is wrong with you  then you could substitute the butter for a 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil.  I got this recipe from Pioneer Woman's blog.

Whole Roasted Chicken

1 Whole Chicken, rinsed and patted dry (I use an Organic Free-Range Chicken from Trader Joe's for about $10-14)

1/2 - 3/4 cup of butter, softened

3 Whole Lemons

4 Sprigs of fresh Rosemary

Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Put the softened butter into a bowl. Zest two of the lemons and stir the zest into the softened (not melted) butter. Finely chop 1 sprig of rosemary and stir into the butter mixture. Give the mixture a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet that is lined with aluminum foil. Rub the entire chicken with the butter mixture making sure to get in all the joints and crevices. Rub butter in the cavity and under the skin.  Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice of one or tow of them on top of the chicken. Stuff the six lemon halves into the cavity of the bird. Stuff the remaining 3 sprigs of rosemary into the cavity of the bird as well. Roast in the oven for about an hour and 15 minutes. Skin should be golden and the juices sizzling.

Serve with fresh green beans and roasted potatoes. Yum!

Roasted Sausage, peppers and potatoes

This is the easiest, no-brainer meal ever and it only takes a few minutes to whip together. I've made it several times now and have tweaked it to meet the taste of our family. I like extra mustard and Brad likes extra onion so feel free to play around with it. We prefer the taste of the hofbrau brats over italian sausages but use whatever you like. This is a new Lucht family staple. :)

Ingredients:

1- 1 1/2lb  raw sausages, cut into 2" pieces ( I've used both italian sausage and brats from Trader Joes)

1 lb baby potatoes, quartered

2 sliced bell pepper, 1/2" wide and 3" long (I used green but red would be good too)

1  large or 2 small sweet onions (sliced in chunks the same size as peppers)

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

1-2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoon grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Add the sausage, potatoes, peppers, onion and rosemary to an extra large mixing bowl.
2. In a separate small bowl whisk olive oil and mustard together. Add garlic, parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper, whisk until well combined.
3. Pour over sausage mixture and toss well until everything is coated.
4. Grease a large, thin cookie sheet with sides and pour out the mixture. Spread evenly over the baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes until sausage is cooked through and potatoes are golden and tender.
5. Serve with parmesan and crusty bread

Ruby's 2nd Ice Cream Birthday

We celebrated our sweet little Rue turning two by having lots of friends over for ice cream sundaes.  We had a full sundae bar complete with glass ice cream dishes that I found at Goodwill, a pretend ice cream parlor, a coloring station, a make-your-own ice cream hair bow station and last but not least an ice cream cone piñata.  Party favors were scented ice cream cone bubbles from Hobby Lobby and balloons with brown craft paper cones in the shape of ice cream cones.  We had so much fun and I really can't believe my baby is this big!

Asparagus Frittata

While I'm on an asparagus kick I thought I'd add this easy, healthy and delicious breakfast. It whips up in about 15 minutes start to finish. You could use any veggie that you enjoy, we just happen to love asparagus. Can't wait to make this next year with asparagus from our garden!

Asparagus Frittata  

Ingredients:

2 T unsalted butter

1/3 cup shallots, minced (one shallot should give you this much)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 lb asparagus, tough ends trimmed off, cut into 1 in pieces

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

1-1 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss Cheese (I use the Swiss & Gruyere Shredded Blend from Trader Joes's)

Directions:

Heat the butter in a 10-inch oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add shallots and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. While the shallots are cooking pre-heat the broiler on high. Add chopped asparagus and salt to the shallots and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook covered for 3 more minutes. 

Pour the beaten eggs over the shallots and asparagus and cook without stirring for 2 minutes until the eggs start to set. They will still be runny on top. Sprinkle the top of the eggs with the shredded cheese and place in the oven under the broiler for about 5 minutes. It is ready when the cheese is melted and the eggs are slightly browned. Loosen the frittata with a spatula and invert onto a plate. Season with salt and pepper. Slice into pieces and serve while warm or room temperature.

Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin with potatoes and Lemon Asparagus

This is a great meal to make if you are having company or if you are bringing a meal to someone else.  The flavors are simple and it is very aesthetically pleasing. We aren't typically huge pork-eaters but this recipe makes me want to change that. My family devoured every last bit of it. It fed our family of four perfectly so you might want to double the recipe if you are having company. If you are aren't down with asparagus what is wrong with you  then you can replace it with with green beans or broccoli.  :)

Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin with potatoes and Lemon Asparagus

Ingredients

1 pound new potatoes, quartered (I used the tri-colored potatoes from Trader Joe's)

• 3-4   tablespoons of olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1  pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 pounds) (Again, I buy a 2 pack at Trader Joe's)
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2  tablespoons  fresh thyme leaves
• 1  bunch asparagus (about 1 pound), trimmed
• 1  lemon, sliced

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the oil and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until tender and browned, 20 to 24 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, rub the pork with the parsley, thyme, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. After the potatoes have cooked for 14 minutes, heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Do not  over cook the pork or it will be chewy. You are just browning it at this stage and will cook it through in the oven.
3. Add the asparagus and lemon to the skillet and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stack the asparagus on either side of the tenderloin and then lay the lemon slices on top of the asparagus.  Doesn't it look pretty? Remove the potatoes from the oven and cover with foil. Transfer the skillet to oven and cook until the pork is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with the potatoes, asparagus, and lemon.

Thoughts on Mother's Day

Last night as I was putting Will to bed he said to me "Hey mommy, do you know that Ruby REALLY likes you?". It made me laugh because it's true- wherever I am, there is Ruby. She is my little shadow, brushing her teeth when I brush mine, helping me cook and put away dishes. If my hair is in a pony tail she wants her hair in a pony tail. If Brad tries to take her out of the car she cries and says "No, mommy!".  This has been an adjustment for me. Will is much more laid back and chill and whereas he loves his mommy, his love is not as intense and pursuing(sometimes down-right stalkerish) as Ruby's. Ruby is watching my every move, keeping a close eye on my comings and goings, emulating everything I do. It has made me extra conscious about how I talk about myself and how I spend my time. I am Ruby's definition of womanhood.

There are times when I try to think back about moments with my own mother and I feel sad when my memories of her are blurry or incomplete. It has been over 20 years since she died. I was nine years old. As I look at my own children and the little kids in my neighborhood the reality of what it would mean for one of them to lose their mother really sets in and I realize the significance of my loss. I was a little girl just about to enter the torturous years of middle school and my mom, my definition of womanhood, was dying in our living room and all I could do was look on and watch it happen. I remember feeling confused, powerless, and most of all lost. I spent the next few years after her death not really knowing quite what to do with myself.

Motherhood has brought me back to my mother in a special way. When Ruby cries and I scoop her up into my arms to comfort her and she slimes my shoulders with her mouth, I remember the saltiness of my mother's skin when I would cry in her arms in the same way. When I read to my children before bed and they snuggle into my sides I remember her reading Teddy Bears Picnic and The Giving Tree to me. As I plan birthday parties and holidays dozens of memories flood into my mind of her making every celebration special and extravagant. I am comforted when I realize that I don't have to remember everything perfectly because my life is all wrapped up in her life just like Ruby's life is all wrapped up in mine. Even if I can't quite remember her voice or what her laugh sounded like I can feel her in my veins. I can hear her voice in my own voice, her laugh in my own laugh, her sigh in my own sigh.

It has been over twenty years and at times the pain is still fresh and my loss is glaring.  I desperately wanted her there on my wedding day and at the births of my children. The difference between now and when I was young is that life is now livable and I don't feel lost anymore.  As I've matured as a woman and grown comfortable in my own skin I feel thankful for who she was and how she loved me.  As I parent my children I am thankful for her example during my early formative years. Happy Mother's Day to my kind, intelligent, thoughtful, beautiful, creative, gentle mother. I miss you. I love you. I can't wait to see you again and introduce you to my beautiful family.