30 Second Chocolate Sauce

When I made my 2 Minute Fudge Frosting a few days ago, I had the idea to put it on cookies. I always keep a package of animal cookies around for quick toddler snacks. The rich, creamy chocolate flavor was just begging to be a cookie dip.

This afternoon, while the kids were having their snack, I threw together an even quicker, dippier version of the frosting. It's thin and saucy, and -if possible- a little bit richer.

Let's face it. When you need chocolate, 2 minutes is 1 and half minutes too long.

I've spent the rest of the evening thinking of delectable applications for this simple sauce. Fresh strawberries with whipped cream. Pancakes. Apple slices. Granola and yogurt. PB toast. Oatmeal cookies. Peach slices. Cherries. Hot oatmeal. Waffles. Ice cream. Blueberries and cream. Yogurt-berry parfait.
Endless possibilities

2 TBS cocoa powder
2 TBS powdered sugar
2 TBS + 2 tsp melted coconut oil
Small pinch sea salt

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and beat with a fork until smooth. Serve as a dip or a sauce.

The One-Dish Method

Washing dishes might be my least favorite chore. After ironing. Which I don't do. The only thing I like less than washing dishes, is having them piled up in my sink and on my counters. In the heat of the Louisiana summer, dirty dishes can lead to very bad nastiness in an absurdly short time.

I cook all of our meals and with a family of 6, dishes pile up at light speed. Some days, I felt like I never got more than 3 feet from the sink all day, and they just kept coming!

I had a couple of problems:

#1. No dish washer. No where to hide the dirties, and all the labor is manual.

#2. A huge sink. I love my triple sink, but it can hold an enormous number of dishes.

#3. Very little counter space. Real estate is so limited that a single stack of plates takes up half my workspace.

#4. An almost unlimited supply of dishes. We have over 3 dozen plates alone. We won't even discuss my collection of antique glass bowls, platters and bake ware, all of which see regular use. And, of course, there are cups, glasses, jars, plastic storage, pots and pans, and so on and so on and so on. You get the idea.

I triple sparkly heart love my dishes. Truly. Sometimes I just gaze at them in admiration.  We don't use paper products, even for guests and holidays. Our friends tend to have as many kids as we do. We really do have a use for all those dishes. So those are staying. I may not add any more (many more?) but I'm not not giving them away.

I'm not adding more counter space. I don't need MORE mess.

I love my sink. I would like it to be usable.

I don't like dishwashers. I would rather wash by hand.

I needed a solution to tame the insanity without a major overhaul of our lives.

So, I devised the One Dish Method.

I started off with the cup problem. I sat down with the 2 oldest kids and we did a little math. Our family was using more than 40 cups each day. A bit excessive, wouldn't you say?

I assigned each family member a reusable water bottle. ONE. They are washed and refilled repeatedly throughout the day as needed, and live next to the water dispenser. No more lost cups. Ever. Each person has his own color or name written on the bottle in sharpie. Everyone is responsible for their own bottle. Even the 1yr old keep track of his own bottle.

Juice, soda, coffee, etc, we do use a regular cup. These are for water only. But, we are almost exclusively water drinkers, so this has nearly eliminated the cup problem.

Here are a random sampling of bottles, hanging out in their home, waiting to go to work.

The water bottles worked so well, I decided to expand this program to include dishes.

I pulled out one plate per person-2 adult sized dinner plates for myself and my husband, 3 divided plates for the kids, and one enamelware plate for the baby, one bowl each-ceramic cereal bowls for the grownups, small glass bowls for the kids, and an enamelware bowl for the baby, and one appropriately sized fork, spoon and set of chopsticks per person. Actually, I used generic chopsticks. I didn't want to deal with matching them. I stacked everything neatly in middle of the table, with the utensils in a mason jar. Done! These are all the dishes we need for any given meal.

When it's time to eat, the kids hand out the necessary items. After dinner, everyone carries their own stuff to the sink. The kids wipe down the table. I wash and replace, and that's it.

AH. So much better!

We still have access to all of the dishes. I didn't pack anything up. They are available if we need an extra plate of whatever. I did sift through all of the chipped and cracked dishes that I had been hanging on to just in case. We no longer need them.

Sometimes less is more.

2 Minute Fudge Frosting

So yummy, so fast. Who needs a cake? You will want to eat this right out of the bowl. Super rich. Not too sweet. Look how beautifully glossy and shiny it is!

This recipe is one generous single serving. I used it to frost Chocolate-Covered Katie's One Minute Chocolate Cake.  Here's what's left of the finished cake. It's a little too rich and delicious to eat all at once. Pace yourself.

2 TBS cocoa powder

2 TBS powdered sugar

2 TBS melted coconut oil

2 tsps milk ( I used vanilla almond milk)

In a small bowl, combine cocoa powder and sugar. Blend completely.

Add coconut oil. Stir and mash until it forms a thick, smooth paste.

Add one tsp milk. Mash into paste completely.

Add second tsp milk. The paste will begin to melt. Beat with a fork or whisk until smooth and glossy.

Frost cake immediately. If placed in refrigerator or if the kitchen is cool, it may harden. warm in microwave for 15 seconds and stir until spreadable before using if this happens.  



Quick and Easy Kolaches

The Strawberry Papa, D, Made these for breakfast this morning. If you are wondering what a Kolache is...I don't really know. D says it's similar to Pigs in a Blanket. It seems that every bakery and donut shop in the South has their own version of kolaches, and none bears any resemblance to any other.
D spent his early childhood in his grandfather's bakery in Houston. The bakery was known for it's kolaches. D modelled these after his childhood memories, minus the waking up at 4am.
This will probably be the simplest recipe you will  ever see here in Strawberry Land. D makes these on the weekends so I can sleep late. The little Berries devour them.

2 cans of large flaky biscuits
1 package of hot dogs (or sausages, though D insists hot dogs are more authentic)

Preheat oven to 325F.

Cut hot dogs in half. Roll one biscuit around each hot dog half. Bake 8-10 minutes or until perfectly golden brown. Serve warm.

Tortilla Casserole

My 9 year old named this. The 6 year-old suggested Fruit Taco Combo. He argued that tomatoes are a fruit. I didn't think that name was entirely appropriate, even though he made an excellent point, and olives and chilies are also fruit.

All 3 verbal kids declared it "Delicious" and the baby licked the plate. High praise for the kids who routinely ask "Are there beans in this?" and make their excuses when I (almost always) say yes.

This whole dish costs less than $5 and takes under 30 minutes to make, including baking time.

Approximately 8 corn tortillas
1 large can refried beans
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1 small can tomatoes with green chilies
4 oz Mexican style shredded cheese
1 small can sliced black olives

Dice onion and garlic. Sautee in oil until tender. Remove from heat. Add tomatoes, stir.

Layer into casserole dish, 4 tortillas, half of the beans, half of the tomato mixture, and half of the cheese. Repeat layers, and top with olives.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, until melty.

Serve with shredded lettuce, diced fresh tomato, salsa, and guacamole, as desired.

20 Minute Turnip Soup

This soup is super easy, deceptively tasty and a perfect use for the extra turnips in your CSA basket or garden. It's a perfect autumn soup, but I have the AC cranked up and we are enjoying it today for lunch.

2 turnips with greens
2 carrots
1 box broth, 2 cans stock, or the equivalent

Dice turnips and shred greens. Slice carrots. Add veggies and stock to a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender.

BLT Wraps

My children had the Mini Croissant BLTs for lunch ( I had one, too. Had to taste-test, you know), but I wanted a lighter option, so I had this.

Lay out one leaf of lettuce-any kind, this is green leaf, my favorite. In the center, lay 2 half slices of tomato and 2 strips of crisp bacon. Fold over each side of the lettuce, and VOILA! one-handed lunch.

It tastes decadent, but it's only 91 calories! Most of the fat, calories and carbs in a traditional BLT come from the bread and mayo. This wrap has neither and still tastes delicious. I'm going to go have another :)