Sacra-mom-ato

Search for the "Best Burger": Famous Burgers

Once is a blue moon, my hubby and I get a "date night" sans kids.  Last night, we ceremoniously dropped Eli and Vivian off at my in-laws (thank goodness we have them!) for an overnight and breathed a giddy sigh of relief.  FREEDOM.  However short, but freedom none-the-less.  I love my children but sometimes I need a recharge from the ongoing responsibilities of mamahood.  Sometimes those responsiblities are light as a feather, but sometimes they are really, really heavy.

In honor of the new year, Jeff and I decided that we would embark on a "date night" journey together:  the search for the BEST burger!  Our goal is to try every worthy burger competitor in town and by the end of the year, deem our favorite burger, rating each beef and bun concoction along the way.  We decided that we would rate the burgers on a scale of 1 to 10.  Jeff would rate the cheeseburger and I would rate the bacon cheeseburger.  And because burgers and fries are inextricably linked, we have to rate the fries too. We decided to base the ratings solely on the taste of the food and not the atmosphere, etc.  So I did a little research on Yelp.com and found our first competitor:  Famous Burger.  

Located on the corner of 65th and Folsom Blvd., Famous Burger got rave reviews on Yelp.  It's in a nondescript little building, clean but somewhat sterile on the inside.  There was a standard menu of items - not too small and not too big (I'm always worried when the menu is really long).  You order at the counter, are given a number, and pick up at the same counter.  Condiments, utensils, etc. are in a corner of the dining area.  The place was pretty empty - only a few other customers and no one ahead of us ordering.  The cashier was very sweet and initiated small talk as we mulled over our order.  I think she was the daughter of the owners, both of whom were working in the open kitchen. 

I ordered the Sourdough combo with bacon and Jeff ordered the 1/2 lb. cheeseburger.  The burgers came after about a 10 minute wait and each were wrapped in a white paper.  We got "everything" on them - shredded lettuce, tomato, onions, pickle, American cheese.  My sourdough burger came with mayo, Jeff's came with thousand island dressing.  I also had bacon.

My burger was a 7.  I loved the flavor of the meat patty but it was too overcooked.  The sourdough bun was not a bun - just two slices of sourdough bread.  (I really love a sourdough BUN.)  The bacon was nice and crispy, the lettuce shredded and cool and fresh.  I should have added some mustard for a bit more zing.  The cheese was melted perfectly - gooey but not dripping. 

Jeff's burger was a 7 out of 10 too.  He felt his meat patty was a little overcooked - not as juicy as he would have liked.  He really liked the thousand island dressing, the lettuce, and the fluffy but substantial bun. 

Fries:  7 out of 10.  They came out hot but were undersalted.  They were also the thick kind of fries - but not crispy enough on the outside.  

No burger nirvana but passable. 

Famous Burgers

6500 Folsom Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95857

(916) 731-5323

Weekend Fun: Sacramento's Discovery Museum

Saying hi to a triceratops.

 

Vivian makes friends with an apatosaurus.

 

Dinosaur rubbings.

 

Painting a "pet" rock.

 
Is that a turtle? 

We went to Sacramento's Discovery Museum for the first time this afternoon.  Don't know why we hadn't gone before!  It was fantastic and perfect for my two little ones.  Lots of hands-on activities and exhibits right at their eye-level.  We didn't have a chance to go to the planetarium show or the live animal show (both free with admission) because we had to keep a 2pm appointment, but we definitely will be back for both.  If you are a Sacramento local, I would highly recommend bringing your kids here. In addition to the exhibits and shows, it looks like every weekend they also have some sort of fun arts & crafts activity for the kids.  We're considering become members, we liked it so much!

Game Night

In my house, Thursday night equals game night.  We have been slowly collecting games during our thrifting adventures and now we have about 15 toddler-friendly games that are fun for both the kids and the parents.  It's a great way for us to reconnect as a family and to teach the values of sportsmanship, fair play, and mutual respect. 

Dinner on the Quick: Chicken Fingers

I've always loved chicken nuggets - salty, crisp on the outside, moist on the inside - the perfect bite-sized delights.  But nuggets are, by its very definition, unnatural... Come now, where on the chicken is a nugget?!?  And I know that delightful, crunchy coating on most nuggets gets a lot of help from processed ingredients.  But what to do?  Kids LOVE chicken nuggets and they do make for a quick and easy meal.  When the kids are happy, this momma is happy.  So here's to making our own!  

I've been able to convert my kids to "Chicken Fingers".  Another catchy chicken name that doesn't really make any sense, but somehow my kids love the idea (and taste!) of homemade chicken fingers.  The process is really very simple - cut up skinless, boneless chicken breasts into finger-sized strips, dredge in seasoned flour, then egg, and then seasoned bread crumbs.  Place in the oven and 20 minutes later... voila, you have your own chicken fingers.  We served our chicken fingers with organic ketchup and homemade thousand island dressing.  Side dishes included carrot sticks, broccoli florets, sliced apples, and steamed spaghetti squash seasoned with parmesan cheese and butter.  We were a happy, satisfied family by the end of the meal. 

I'm going to experiment with freezing the leftover chicken fingers to see if they can be reheated easily and successfully for a quick dinner. 

Chicken Fingers

Thanks to a recommendation by my friend Robin,I used the bag of frozen chicken tenders from Trader Joe's.  No sketchy additives - just chicken - and a nice shortcut since they are already cut up into chicken finger sizes.  This makes about 8 servings.  We each had a serving and then plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow. 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into finger-sized strips, or chicken tenders

1/2 cup flour

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup water

2 cups bread crumbs (seasoned or plain*, as you wish)

*if using plain breadcrumbs, season with salt, pepper, your favorite dried herbs, and grated parmesan cheese. 

• Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a resealable plastic bag.  Seal and shake the bag to distribute the seasoning. 
• In a separate shallow dish, combine the eggs and water.
• In a separate shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs and seasonings. 
• Place the chicken in the resealable plastic bag of flour and seal and shake until the chicken is well coated.
• Remove each piece of chicken from the flour and shake off the excess flour. 
• Place the floured chicken in the egg, making sure both sides are coated.
• Then, place the egged chicken in the bread crumb mixture, pressing down to coat evenly.
• Place the coated chicken pieces on a sprayed cookie sheet.  Spray the tops of the chicken pieces with canola oil or olive oil.  Place under the broiler for 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and golden brown. 

Just Discovered... Pear Budget

Financial times are tough, people!  The Great Recession has definitely taken its toll on my family.  Jeff and I have watched our incomes shrink little by little and our expenses grow and grow.  Jeff took a pay cut for his current job (left a company going bankrupt for a more stable company) and I, as a public schoolteacher, am facing furloughs because of extreme state education budget cuts (Love you California, always thinking ahead to what's best for your people!).  We've had to make some tough choices and learn to STRICTLY follow a budget.  We've always "sort of" followed a budget but now there's no choice.  I've always done our budget via an Excel spreadsheet, but just discovered something that is infinitely better:  Pear Budget! 

For the last month, I have been entering all of our expenses via the Pear Budget system.  Oh my!  It's been VERY enlightening.  Things do add up.  All the little things - gifts, lunches out, entertaining, impulse buys at the grocery store - are no longer little when you combine them.  I've realized that are certain expenses we need to cut and other expenses we have to carefully consider. 

With Pear Budget, you first create a budget under the tab "PLAN".  They have recommended categories but you can also easily create your own, as well as go back and edit as you need to.  Then, you enter each expense as it occurs under the tab "ENTER".  You can do this from memory (dangerously inaccurate for me!) or you can save your receipts.  Since I have had more free time this month, I've been able to enter my receipts in every day.  But I anticipate that I will have to just create a little box for receipts to go in as the week progresses and define a time for receipt-entering once a week.  Then, most importantly,  you can click on tab "REVIEW" and see your up-to-date monthly budget!  Wowza!  It shows you the categories where you are over-spending and "extra" money you may have.  You can even figure out how to budget in non-monthly expenses, such as home maintenance, Christmas presents, etc.  And man, do I realize I need this. 

Here's the website:  Pear Budget    The first month is free.  And, no, I've not been paid to talk them up.  If you know of a better system, let me know... I'm all ears. 

Chicken Matzah Ball Soup

My husband grew up having matzah ball soup at Passover - one of the delights of Jewish cookery.  I was excited to try the soup for the first time, but honestly, was a little disappointed.  The matzah ball (like a dumpling) was heavy, the soup broth was clear and very mild, and there were no visible vegetables or chicken.  "What kind of chicken soup is this?!?",  I cried in my head.  But I soon learned that there are different VARIETIES of chicken matzah ball soup, and yes, some are more like what I had initially envisioned in my head.  I decided to research this very important dish:  I asked my husband's grandmothers to teach me their versions of chicken matzah ball soup.  One grandmother just put a box of matzah ball mix in my hand and said, "See, this is the secret."  The other grandmother said, "Just a little of this and a little of that."  No help.  So I read lots of cookbooks, researched recipes on the internet, and watched matzah ball soup cookery on TV.  I tried my temple's soup at a seder dinner.  I tried the soup at Jerry's Famous Deli during a trip to LA.  I sought chicken matzah ball soup out everywhere I could.  Hmmm.  

So here's my SYNTHESIS of all my matzah ball soup research.  My matzah ball soup is hearty with lots of shredded chicken and vegetables but with a clear, buttery broth.  The matzah balls are light and fluffy. 

Robin's  Chicken Matzah Ball Soup

Broth Ingredients:

1 4 lb. broiler chicken, cleaned

1 Tbs. salt

2 tsp. pepper

2 carrots

1 large yellow onion, skin on, halved

1 head garlic, skin on, halved

the bottom of 1 large bunch of celery stalks

Place the chicken, 2 carrots, halved onion, garlic head, and celery stalks' bottom in a large pot.  Add enough water to just cover.  Add the salt and pepper.  Bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the liquid and set aside to cool. 

Pass the liquid through a strainer and discard the vegetables.  You should have a clear broth with flecks of oil on top.  Skim off as much of this oil as you can and save.  Set the clear broth aside.

Soup Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

4 stalks of celery, finely chopped

shredded chicken

1 box matzah ball mix

1/8 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot on medium heat, add the olive oil, carrots, onion, and celery.  You want the vegetables to sweat but not get any brown color, so it's best to keep the heat medium to medium-low.  Once the onion looks nice and translucent (about 5 minutes), add the chicken broth.  Simmer.  Meanwhile, remove the chicken meat from the chicken and shred with two forks.  Add the meat to the soup.  Let the soup simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Time to move onto the matzah balls.  Yes, I use the boxed kind.  I still haven't found a good recipe from scratch!  My little trick is to use the saved chicken oil (from making the broth) in place of the vegetable oil that the box calls for.  I also let the mixture firm up in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, instead of 15.  Then, I form the matzah balls, bring the soup up to a boil, add the matzah balls, and quickly reduce to a simmer.  I put a tight-fitting lid on the soup and let the balls cook/steam for 20 minutes.  No peeking!

Right before serving, taste to see if more salt and pepper is needed.  Garnish with finely chopped parsley. 

Blueberry Muffins

Sometimes you just have a craving.  And suddenly that craving coincides with a new recipe you've just discovered.  And, even better, that recipe coincides with ingredients on hand.  And that's how these blueberry muffins came to be.

It was late Monday night and I was catching up on my DVRed cooking shows (of which there are too many!).  One of my favorites is America's Test Kitchen, simply because they THOROUGHLY test each recipe within an inch of its life.  And there it was - the world's most beautiful blueberry muffin.  Jeff and I both agreed it was the most wondrous thing we had seen in ages. 

I started to calculate in my head - yes, I have frozen blueberries.  Yes, I have milk and yogurt.  Yes, I have butter.  Yes, I have lemon.  Oh the delight to realize that I could make these muffins and not make a special trip to the store!

Here they are, in all their glory.  

Great recipe.  Easy on the eyes and tastebuds.  And yes, making a quick blueberry jam does make all the difference!

From America's Test Kitchen

Best Blueberry Muffins with Frozen Blueberries
from the Episode: Best Weekend Breakfast


If buttermilk is unavailable, substitute 3/4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk. Our favorite brands of frozen blueberries are Wyman's and Cascadian Farm.

Makes 12 muffins

Lemon-Sugar Topping
1/3	cup sugar  (2 1/3 ounces)
1 1/2	teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon
Muffins
2	cups frozen blueberries
1 1/8	cups sugar (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon
2 1/2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour  (12 1/2 ounces)
2 1/2	teaspoons baking powder
1	teaspoon table salt
2	large eggs
4	tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly (1/2 stick)
1/4	cup vegetable oil
1	cup buttermilk  (see note)
1 1/2	teaspoons vanilla extract

1. FOR THE TOPPING: Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.

2. FOR THE MUFFINS: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Rinse remaining cup berries under cold water and dry well. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Toss dried blueberries in flour mixture. Then, using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into blueberries and flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)

4. Following photos below, use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.

5. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Leggo My Waffle

I love the convenience of pre-packaged, frozen waffles.  Just pop one in the toaster, cover with your favorite toppings, and eat.  Kids love them, adults love them, and they are a great way to start the day.  But in an effort to get away from packaged, preservative-filled foods, I made "healthier" waffles this morning for breakfast and have frozen them for future breakfasts-on-the-go a la Eggos waffles. 

I doubled a Mark Bittman recipe (love him) and altered it a little by adding whole wheat flour.  The waffles came out of the waffle iron hot, crispy, and delicious and didn't really need any toppings - though we used a little butter and maple syrup to up the yum factor.  Jeff and I both  noticed that these waffles were denser than usual and very filling - probably because of the whole wheat flour.

To freeze, I let the leftover waffles cool completely and then layered them between slips of wax paper. Then I placed in a resealable gallon-size freezer bag. 

Here's the Bittman recipe (from How To Cook Everything) that I used:

"Quick and Easy Waffles"

Ingredients:

canola or other neutral oil for brushing on waffle iron

2 c. all-purpose flour*

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 c. milk

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

• Brush the waffle iron lightly with oil and preheat it.
• Combine the dry ingredients.  Mix together the milk and eggs.  Stir in the butter and vanilla.  Stir the wet into the dry ingredients.  If the mixture seems too thick to pour, add a little more milk.
• Spread a ladleful or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done, usually 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your iron.  Serve immediately or keep warm for a few minutes in a low oven.

*I replaced half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.  Unbleached, of course. 

Winter Spinach & Citrus Salad

I love salad.  Salad of all varieties and permutations.  It's hard for me to have a meal without having a salad as a component because something just feels missing when a salad isn't present.

But in wintertime, it can be a bit rough to indulge in my salad cravings.  In the summer, vegetable salads are so easy to throw together - there are fantastic lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. that are literally bursting forth in the garden.  In the winter, however, the fresh vegetables are much more limited.  Once the weather changes and the cold hits, I have to change gears and start thinking of salads that combine winter vegetables, fruits, nuts, and even cheeses. 

Here's an example of one winter salad that I love.  It utilizes citrus (in season right now), nuts, and winter greens.  The orange segments and sliced red onion give the salad a freshness and sweetness that is  a welcome juxtaposition to the hearty and rich dishes that often make up my winter dinners.

Winter Spinach & Citrus Salad

Ingredients:

3 handfuls of baby spinach leaves

2 oranges, peeled and cut into segments

1/6 of a red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup toasted, sliced almonds

3 Tbs. olive oil

the juice from the leftover orange discards

1 tsp. honey

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

In a medium bowl, place the spinach, orange segments, onion, and almonds.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, honey, salt, and pepper.  Dress the salad with the vinaigrette right before serving.  Makes 4 servings. 

Tonight, we had our family "movie night" - watched Mickey & the Beanstalk (borrowed from our public library) and ate this salad and homemade chicken sausage pizzas.  The kids were happy (pizza & a movie are always a hit here) and their parents were happy having a quiet evening at home. 

The Value of School Gardens

Blogland and the Slow Food movement are up in arms about an article about school gardens by Caitlin Flanagan.  Writers and commenters are excoriating Ms. Flanagan because of her belief that the school garden movement is failing students.  The comments have been sizzling - calling her "stupid" and "elitist" and "snotty".  I read her article and did find her writing to be a bit elitist in tone and I didn't agree with everything she said, but I do think her article to be worthy of more temperate discussion. 

Here's my take.  School gardens are great - if they are used wisely.  The school garden can be a fantastic component of curriculum, but it really should be a SMALL component, not the primary component.  I say this because, as a public school teacher in a socio-economically challenged school, I have students with extreme need for the 3 Rs.   Students who need to be explicitly taught the basics because they do not get adequate academic support at home.  Students who are learning English (I myself was an English Learner).  Students who have undeveloped critical-thinking skills and need to be taught concrete strategies for problem-solving.  Students who don't know how to recognize a sentence, much less write a coherent one.  Students who have no concrete knowledge of numbers because they have not been exposed to one-to-one correspondence and other number sense situations.  All of these basics that students have missed out on!!!   

And yet, public school teachers are expected to do it all - we have to teach these academic basics (oftentimes making up for a lack of involved parenting, filling in the gap that should never have been there to begin with!) on top of trying to meet the ever-insane academic standards that first No Child Left Behind and now "Race To the Top" policies have implemented.  There are district and state guidelines for the number of minutes to be spent on various subjects, ranging from reading/language arts to P.E. Then, there is the ever-growing role that teachers have of social workers - meeting the needs of kids who are emotionally neglected.  Helping to diagnose students with learning disabilities.  Communicating with parents and oftentimes teaching parenting skills("Maybe you should not let your 6 year-old child watch TV while he is supposed to be doing his homework, because it will be hard for him to focus.").  Making sure a student is adequately clothed and fed.  Checking up on a family when a child has missed too many days of school.  Then, there is the overwhelming amount of paperwork - grading tests and essays, filling in report cards, writing class newsletters - and also the classroom prep - putting up bulletin boards, remember student birthdays, planning class celebrations, art projects, developing homework packets, and the like.  Oh, and did I even mention the need for on-going professional development?

My students are in my classroom for only 300 minutes a day - 1500 minutes a week.  I have to maximize EVERY MINUTE for learning. 

So, my question is:  Where does a school garden fit in all of this?  A school garden can be illustrative of many curriculum components - science, math, etc. - but how can it get me the most bang for my buck?  I have to make sure my students are strong and analytical readers - and a school garden is not going to get me there.  I have to make sure my students understand multiple math concepts, and after a few applied examples in a school garden, I'm not sure how the garden will get me there.  

I do think that a school garden teaches the values of hard work, the importance of farming, respect for nature, and nutrition, to name a few.  I have a small vegetable garden at home for my own children to reap the benefits of gardening and we also have a membership in a CSA.  I am a strong advocate of understanding and respecting where our food comes from.  But what place does this have in our school system?  Maybe it works in a school where the students enter the classroom with all the basics intact and there are no academic deficits to overcome.  Maybe it works in a school where there is a lot of parent volunteerism - parents manage the garden (but isn't the point that the students are supposed to manage it?) whereas teachers can utlitize as much (or as little) of the garden process as they feel fits within the needs of their students. 

And I also think this whole debate illustrates a problem with the American school system:  What really is our end goal for students?  Do we want them to be "competetive global workers" or simply be informed and analytical citizens?  What do we want our students to learn?  Are we willing to sacrifice art, music, school gardens, so that our students are academically "proficient" according to government standards?  What about parent accountability?  

This is not to say that I don't want a school garden.  In fact, we have one at my school and I always look at it longingly as I pick up my students from their line after lunchtime.  But I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around WHEN I can find the time to fit it into my daily schedule AND still meet the academic needs of all of my students.  As soon as I find the answer to my dilemma, I will let you know.