What's Cooking At Our House

Something's always cooking -- literally and figuratively.  We have a house full of cooks!  Why this is I don't really know, except that we all love to eat -- and it's become rather expected -- more by the children, themselves, I think than by us -- that if you live here, you know how to cook.  And this is a good thing. Such a good thing! Paul (Mr. Rice -- he should have been Chinese!) is a wonderful husband to wife, Nicole, and can take over when needed or desired in the kitchen.  Both of our Seminarians ended up being seminary cooks: Dominic (Mr. Innovative, you just never know what he'll pull together with what ingredients) started out with the job right out of high school and Br. Philip-Jon (Mr. Tobasco with the asbestos tongue) held the position for a couple years.  Michelle (who just landed a job on the early morning bread-baking shift at Panera Bread) can hold her own with the best of them; Theresa (the bake sale queen where she's boarding in Olathe, CO) knows her way around the kitchen pretty durn well -- and there's a rumor that even Kevvy can cook if he wants to.  

This last bunch of kiddos, however, may give all of the Big Kids a run for their money.  Oh my goodness, can Cathy and Anna put on a dinner!  And we've started giving them a chance to impress us once week -- to everyone's benefit.  While I plan and prepare most dinners and Dan is the star of weekend breakfasts, Saturday night is the girls' night for epicurean greatness. Lucky us!

Tonight, Cathy took care of dinner, making an amazing pan of Chicken Cacciatore (this recipe here), served over brown rice (because Dan and I are making an attempt at going Paleo).  It was stellar!

Anna was on tap for dessert, and served up something that none of us have ever tried before: Spicy Walnut Raisin Pie.  Her first attempt at crust from scratch, too!  And it was delicious!  Perfecto!  Yuh-um!

 (Yeah, I went off the diet for pie...  You caught me.  But, really, 

it was a sacrifice I made for Anna's sake...)

The boys give it a thumbs up!  Even William, who doesn't like nuts! Success all the way around!  Thank-you, girls!

Here's the recipe for the Spicy Walnut Raisin Pie

3 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 cup light or dark corn syrup

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

Heat oven to 375.  Prepare pastry. Beat eggs, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, corn syrup, and butter with hand beater until blended. Stir in walnuts and raisins.  Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.  Bake until set, app. 40-50 minutes.

* Oddly enough, everyone said this pie reminds them of bread pudding!