Cauliflower, Raisins & Anchovies with Pasta

I've been trying to serve less red meat and more fish, so I recently revamped this recipe, which contains a whole can of anchovies. Check out the notes after the recipe to see how I packed a bento the next day.

Cauliflower, Raisins & Anchovies with Pasta
Serves 4

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 head of cauliflower, broken into small florets
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup hot water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 2-oz can oil-packed anchovies
8 ounces dried tri-color rotini or other short pasta
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. In a large bowl or zip top bag, toss the cauliflower florets with the olive oil and salt. Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on the baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes or until golden brown, turning the cauliflower over halfway through the cooking time.

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Also, combine the raisins and hot water in a small bowl.

3. Drain the pasta, and set aside. In the same pot (in which you cooked the pasta) over medium heat, combine the can of anchovies (including the oil they're packed in) and garlic. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, smash the anchovies, and cook until they form a paste. Add the pepper flakes and cook for two minutes.

4. Drain the raisins. Add the cauliflower, raisins, and pasta to the anchovy mixture and toss until well combined. Serve with Parmesan cheese.


The above picture shows a bento I packed the next day, using a compartmented container from Easy Lunchboxes. The main compartment holds the pasta, topped by a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan. The smaller compartments hold a peeled and segmented clementine, and a mini pumpkin muffin. The leftover pasta is delicious cold, so it's perfect for a brown-bag lunch.

Menu Plan Monday: Week of 11/18/2012

The kids are off from school all week, and while that would seem to give me more time to cook dinner, I've found that the unpredictability of such days means quick and easy is best. So here's what I'm thinking:

Monday - Sashimi, Rice, some kind of vegetable

Tuesday - Meatball Sandwiches, Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday - Tuna Noodle Casserole, some kind of vegetable

Thursday - Thanksgiving with family (I'm contributing Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole, sauteed Brussels sprouts, and maybe more)

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - More leftovers {or something easy like sandwiches}

Sunday - Dinner out

See more weekly menus at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monitoring Your Credit Report

A few years ago, it became possible for consumers to get a free credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. You can get one free report each year from Equifax, Experian, and Transunion.

One way to maximize your access to your credit reports is to obtain one credit report from one of the credit bureaus every four months. That works out to three reports per year, so one report per credit bureau. But spreading out your requests throughout the year makes it easier to catch something hinky sooner rather than later.

I failed to take my own advice and it had been a couple of years since my husband and I had checked our credit reports. I'd forgotten how easy it is to do, and they've made it easier to understand each section. I was also able to print the report as well as download a digital copy.

Now I'm setting up email reminders in my Google Calendar to remember to request a copy of our credit reports every four months. The credit bureaus vary slightly in their reporting. And since we have combined finances, I've decided to request reports from different bureaus for myself and my husband each time, which should further maximize our chances of catching anything untoward.

One good thing we did a couple of years ago was add an inexpensive rider to our homeowner's insurance policy - for $25 per year, we get Identity Restoration services. So when we had a question about something on one of our credit reports, we just called our insurance company and they're investigating it for us. Hopefully it'll turn out to be nothing, but I'm feeling the $25 per year is money well spent.

There are, of course, companies that will monitor credit activity for you. But it's easy to do yourself - just don't forget to set those reminders!

A Public Thank You to Volunteer Coaches & Adminstrators

As my sons' baseball and soccer seasons wind down, I'm feeling exceedingly grateful to all of the volunteers that make league sports possible at minimal cost. In each of my boys' leagues, there are a small handful of dedicated parents and grandparents who give too many hours to count to make sure the kids get placed on teams, that the teams have schedules and fields to play on, that everyone has the necessary equipment, and more.

Each league also has a group of parents - some experienced, some new - who volunteer to coach. And while some coaches may be better than others, they all have one thing in common - they volunteered to make a difference.

It's no small task to take charge of five to twelve (or more) little people, each with their own personality and skill level. To try to provide only positive feedback and encouragement, even when the kids are not at their best. To organize drills at every practice, plan each game's roster, and make sure everyone gets a chance to play every position while still having a good experience. To deal with their parents, who are not always reliable or good communicators.

We have been blessed to have coaches throughout the years who are great teachers and examples for our children - and I do mean we, because a good coach is a blessing not just for the child but for his parents as well. So I just want to say . . .

THANK YOU to everyone who gives of their time to make sports leagues possible!

Menu Plan Monday: Week of 11/12/2012

I am so happy to have cooler weather (cold weather, in fact - for LA anyway). It makes me want to bake, braise, and simmer. {Sounds like a dance ;) } The big problem is finding time to do those things, as I have been crazy busy this past month, and it's catching up to me because I've been fighting off the same cold for a couple of weeks now. I'm working on managing my time, though, and hopefully that will give me more kitchen time. Here's what I'm planning for this week:

Monday - Coq au Vin, Sweet Potato Gratin

Tuesday - Slow Cooker Chili

Wednesday - Dinner out

Thursday - Farfalle with Cauliflower & Raisins (didn't get to this last week)

Friday - Miso Chicken, Rice, some kind of vegetable

Saturday - Dinner out

Sunday - Mini Farfalle With Creamy Mushroom Sauce, Steamed Broccoli

See more weekly menus at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Tuna Avocado Salad (Super Easy Recipe)

Since saving money is a priority around here, it's hard to justify one of my favorite indulgences, Japanese food. At restaurants, it's just crazy expensive to order high quality raw fish, whether it's in sushi or sashimi form. So a while back, I started satisfying my cravings by buying my own fish at the Asian market, and serving it for dinner. Sometimes I make a Tuna Avocado Salad, and I love this version because it's incredibly easy, and very adaptable.

Tuna Avocado Salad


6 oz. sashimi-grade tuna
1 ripe avocado
2 tablespoons ponzu sauce (available in the Asian section of most markets, at least here in SoCal)

1. Using a very sharp knife, dice the tuna into 1/2-inch cubes. (It's important that your knife is sharp so that you don't shred the fish.) Add to a medium size bowl.

2. Dice the avocado into 1/2 cubes, using your favorite method. (Sometimes I like to dice it in the skin and scoop it out, sometimes I peel the skin off and then dice it. Do whatever works for you.) Add to the bowl with the tuna.

3. Pour in the ponzu sauce and stir to combine, taking care not to mash the avocado. You may want to add more ponzu to taste.

4. At this point, you can add any number of ingredients to enhance the flavor to your liking - some things to consider are grated fresh ginger, Sambal, chili flakes, hot sauce, or green onions. Once you've added all of the ingredients, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to serve. You can serve it over a bed of greens, maybe with some shredded carrots and boiled bean sprouts, for a complete one-dish meal.

Menu Plan Monday: Week of 11/5/2012

I didn't make a monthly menu plan for October and it left me scrambling every Sunday to come up with a menu plan for the week. So I've made a plan for the rest of November, and although I'll surely change it up each week to better accommodate our schedule and what I want to use up, I already feel better about it! So here's what I've got lined up for this week:

Monday - Salmon Sashimi, Spicy Tuna Avocado Salad, Takikomi gohan {rice cooked with vegetables}, some other kind of veggie

Tuesday - Rice & Bean Enchiladas, Salad

Wednesday - Pan Bagnat, Fruit

Thursday - Vegetable Tempura, Rice

Friday - Greek Style Skewers (this is the week I actually get to these!), Orzo

Saturday - Dinner out

Sunday - Farfalle with Cauliflower and Raisins

See more weekly menus at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

My new dryer and new clothesline: Spending & saving at the same time

You might have paused for a minute there and thought to yourself, why would she get a new dryer and new clothesline at the same time? After all, they're both used for drying clothes and you wouldn't use both at the same time.

Well, there's a simple explanation. The dryer died last weekend, and although we went early on Monday morning to buy a new one, the earliest it could be delivered was Thursday.

Now, I should explain at this point that I do laundry at least six days per week, sometimes seven. So the idea of letting all the laundry pile up for almost a week was horrifying. I would have a literal mountain of clothes and towels.

I'd been wanting a clothesline for a while, for energy efficiency reasons. It's always seemed like a waste to toss the occasional small load into the dryer. But there really isn't any place in our house for an extended clothesline, nor any space to set up a drying rack. So it wasn't until the old dryer died that I decided I had to have a clothesline.

My darling husband set up the clothesline to run  wall to wall in the garage. I felt so domestic hanging clothes up on it, and it reminded me of hanging clothes up to dry with my mom when I was little. Because it's a relatively short line, and the drying time was so long, I could only wash a half load of laundry each day (maybe two if the load consisted of quick-drying items like dish towels). Still, it kept the laundry from piling up to an overwhelming level while we were dryer-less, and I look forward to using it on small loads in the future.

So we did spend quite a bit this last week, between the dryer, delivery/installation/haul away, and the clothesline and clothespins. And I'm very happy and grateful that we have more than enough to pay off the credit card bill in full when it arrives. All that hard work to establish a solid emergency fund and give ourselves peace of mind has paid off again.

I also expect to recoup some savings over time. The new dryer should be a lot more energy efficient than the old one - which was a Maytag that I suspect was approximately 40 years old. The delivery man commented that old Maytags were built to last a long time, whereas new appliances only last eight to twelve years (our old washer was also a Maytag and approximately 40 years old when it died a few years ago). And of course, we'll also save when I can use the clothesline instead of the dryer.

Does anyone else use both a dryer and a clothesline?