Cooking Archives - Radioactive Elephant

Easy peasy, round and cheesy: the perfect cheeseball recipe.

Everyone needs a go to cheeseball recipe. This is mine.

(In an effort to save you valuable time, I decided NOT to include my life story and how it relates to this recipe…. it’s just a cheeseball. Just make it yourself.)

The Basic:

2 blocks cream cheese (let it sit out to soften)
8 ounces shredded cheese (I play around with different types of cheese to create different flavors)
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tsps garlic powder (to taste- I honestly don’t think you can ever have too much garlic…. so go wild)

Combine ingredients in a stand mixer if you want your life to be easy. Or mix by hand if you are lacking the proper equipment. Hard work won’t kill you.

For a trip to flavor town:

Jalapeño Ranch Cheddar

Take the basic recipe but use 4oz white cheddar and 4 ounces sharp cheddar
Add 1 jalapeño diced or shredded thin. (Without seeds)
And half a ranch dressing/seasoning packet (if you are feeling bad about using a store bought seasoning packet – remember you only live once)

Toppings:

Roll in pecan bits (because this is Texas and pecans are awesome)

8-10 Ritz crackers crushed (a ziplock bag works wonders) and combined with 2 tsb of smoked paprika (it’s way better than regular paprika)

Roll cheeseball in a roundish shape and cover with topping. For a fuller flavor, let cheeseball set in the fridge for 2 hours. Or overnight. Serve with crackers.

If you want to feel like your college art degree wasn’t a waste of money, sculpt your cheeseball into a pumpkin. Then, wait for the applause and cheering to begin.

You’re Welcome!

Food Aversions: A Struggle Not Understood

Food is one of my joys. Some of my best family memories are around family dinners. Sharing a meal can bring people together. But with my tiny person, food is a battle ground

“So your kid is a picky eater too?”

“He will eat when he is hungry.”

“He will grow out of it.”

I hate these words. I often feel like nobody really gets it. That no one really understands. I’m pretty sure most people don’t.

That battle ground has a history: years of struggle, an occupational therapy diagnosis of sensory aversion, and a diagnosis of autism with restrictive and repetitive behaviors.

My kid actually started loosing significant weight at age 2 due to him not eating anything I was fixing. Then, the doctor suggested feeding him whatever he would actually eat. And lots of it. So I did.

Then we fell into the “only eating a handful of things” trap. All of which had the exact same texture.
My friends suggest we go to a kid friendly place so my son can eat. I laugh. They mean well, but that won’t help.

Now, my son eats between 5-15 foods, none of which are on any menu. Recently he asked the guy at Chicken Express for peanut butter crackers. I don’t think he really heard him, but my husband and I had a good laugh. I have gotten really good at bringing his food to restaurants. I used to order an extra plate and act like I’m going to share my food just so we don’t stand out. Nowadays, I don’t even care.

Our current menu:

Peanut butter crackers (protein)
Waffles
Cereal
Chips
Crackers
Cereal bars
Muffins (you can hide a lot in a muffin)
Yogurt
Puréed fruits and veggies (squeezable baby food)
And sometimes turkey bacon. If I’m lucky.

One time, I started full on crying when I say a two year old eating a banana and I realized my kid never had one. I’ve longed for him to eat fresh fruit, veggies, heck ice cream or candy…. seriously anything.

We started our OT therapy journey right after our son turned 4. We have been wanting to get private therapy for two years, but due to insurance issues and lack of a diagnosis, we had to wait.

I really expected therapy to just fix him. I had read many books and tried multiple approaches and nothing made significant changes.
After our first few visits, the therapist played a game involving food. She got him to eat a French fry. That’s right. I just waited months, nay years, to pay someone to convince my 4 year old to eat a stupid French fry.

He says he doesn’t like it. I feel there is so much irony in this.

Since then, we have been playing the same game at home. It’s nice to get him to try new foods. Tiny bites really. And it doesn’t work every time. It takes so much effort on our part to be both encouraging and persistent.

Food Game: Earn a smiley face for each, lick, bite, nibble of a new food. And he has the option to spit it out. The goal is just to touch his mouth with a new sensory experience. Our reward: 20 minutes of Ipad time.

Yes, we play with our food. All in an effort to provide new sensory experiences.

Food Game Round 2: A little more self directed. He wanted to draw his own smiley faces.

One of my best moments was when I realized he likes tea. I can take him out to coffee shops or Starbucks, because green tea is his favorite. But he just doesn’t like French fries!

I would love to just eat, drink and be merry.

Until then, he will eat the same damn things. Food is food, and calories are calories. We will play games with our food. And I’ll pay a therapist to get my kid to try even the most kid friendly type of foods.

I’ll try really hard to remember that my child is more than his self restrictive diet. He is funny, goofy, full of energy and lights up my life with his joy.

And we can always just go to Starbucks. Because my kid is just too cool for French fries.

Welcome to Voices of Special Needs Blog Hop — a monthly gathering of posts from special needs bloggers hosted by The Sensory Spectrum and The Jenny Evolution. Click on the links below to read stories from other bloggers about having a special needs kiddo — from Sensory Processing Disorder to ADHD, from Autism to Dyslexia!

Want to join in on next month’s Voices of Special Needs Hop? Click here!

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A fancy sandwich served with a little bit of grace

Okay, a week or so ago, I shared a cute picture of my dinner. I like food, and tend to take pictures of new recipes I try or restaurants I visit. Sorry, I’m that person. Most of the time, I’ve slaved over the stove and feel especially proud. Recently,I shared my food picture for another reason: I was 8 months pregnant, exhausted, overworked, and yet managed to fix real, hot food in under 15 minutes. I felt like superwoman. And lately, this superwoman has been feeling her cape slipping off a bit.

Well, I thought the recipe was pretty simple, but I had plenty of people ask me questions or for specific details. So this week, I photographed the process.

Fancy Sandwiches

Step 1: Gather your ingredients.

Did I mention the whole pregnant and tired thing? So this week my husband went to the store for me. I asked him to get deli meat and a good cheese. He returned with this. A little less fancy than round one, but he sighted a long line and the deli counter and this brand having a coupon. But guess, what? Still tasted great.

Deli meat
Cheese
Crescent rolls

Possible combinations:

Ham and Munster (my personal favorite)
Peppered turkey and Baby Swiss
Italian (salami, pepperoni etc) and Provolone
Or anything… seriously

Step 2: Roll

Nothing fancy here. Meat, cheese and roll. It takes 3-4 minutes. I like cheese, and put a whole slice. A half slice would work just as well, if you’re crazy like that.

Here is my secret, roll on wax paper. Not only will it save on clean up, but I have my baking sheet underneath. I just pop into the oven. This allows the cheese to melt out, get gooey, and yet come right up.

Step 3: Bake

Follow the instructions on your crescent rolls but add 2-3 minutes or until they start to brown. For me, this made my cooking time 14 minutes.

So, I had dinner ready in about 15 minutes and only 3 minutes required any effort. I added mustard as a dipping sauce and paired it with chips.

Sure, I will make elaborate recipes, with more than 3 ingredients, again. Maybe in 2-3 months when my body feels a little more together. But right now, I’m giving my self grace and suspending the unrealistic expectations I have set for myself. It’s more about relinquishing my pride, pride in eating healthy and fresh, meal prep and planning , and having it all together. While, it’s not an excuse to be lazy, I do need to find some things I’m willing to let go of. For me, it’s my meal prep time and exchange it for a 15 min nap on the couch after work.

Are you in a moment of your life when you need grace too? How have you simplified dinner time? Or another part of your life? Any great 15 minute recipes to share?

Salsa time!

It’s pretty easy if you let the food processor do all the work! Except peeling garlic. That part sucks and is the longest part of the whole process. I think they make a kitchen tool for that?

My recipe was inspired and adapted from this one: http://www.ahealthysliceoflife.com/the-secret-to-perfect-garden-fresh-salsa/

Get your fresh veggies! I use whatever is on hand. In this picture, I have yellow and red tomatoes, plablanos and jalapenos.

No garden? Check out your local farmer’s market or grocery store. Everything out of season? The Pioneer Woman has a good recipe I have used in the winter that uses canned tomatoes.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/restaurant-style-salsa/

Now, let’s get started!

1. Slice tomatoes in half and squeeze or scoop the juice and seeds out. Fill the food processer about 2/3 way full with tomatoes. I don’t measure but if you need a number: 25-30 small cherry sized tomatoes or 8-10 Roma sized.

2. Slice 1-2 jalapeños and 2 plablanos peppers. You could substitute a variety of peppers. Taste to decide heat level. The jalapenos from my garden have been pretty spicy. Remove seeds and give them a quick rinse.

3. Slice 1/3 of a medium onion. I prefer purple onions. I like the sweetness. I was given yellow onions by a nieghbor so I used them. I’m not a fan of white onions and will usually avoid. I know, I’m wierd!

4. Peel fresh garlic. No need to mince, the processor can handle it. I use 1 head of garlic or 6-8 small cloves. Or 5 large cloves. I like my garlic! The ones from my garden have been full of flavor but not intense. You might use less from the store. Or not, I like garlic!

5. Add cilantro! I go light on the cilantro. My garden didn’t produce any so I use 1/3 of the bunch from the store. Or enough to cover the top of the processor.

6. Add spices. 1 tablespoon ground cumin. 1/2 teaspoon salt. I use kosher, but it’s not a deal breaker. 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar.

7. Give the processor a spin! I put mine on high for 30 seconds. Then pluse several times until the big chunks are removed and it looks more like pico.

This is a good time to taste and adjust. I take a tortilla chip and dip it in. If it seems to mild you can dice up another half of a pepper, but beware. After it sits in the refridgerator for a day the spice will get more intense. If it’s already too spicy, I have had success by adding a few extra tomatoes to mellow it out. Missing something? Usually, an extra pinch of salt will help.

8. Add juice from one lime.

9. Give the food processor another spin. I pluse until desired consistency is reached. I like the resteruant style.

Taste again. I dare you to not just start eating it straight from the food processor!

I keep in mason jars but I’m not actually brave enough to can. Lasts about 2 weeks in the fridge. Well, actually less because we eat it!

Let the flavors meld for a couple hours or 1 day for best results. Then enjoy!

Makes 1 -1 1/2 mason jars full of salsa. Oh, you want that in ounces? About 16-20 ounces.