Are you having a hard time walking through your dining room or finding thing in your pantry because there’s too much clutter?  If so, you might need to go on a diet–a clutter diet!  My friend Lorie Marrero has an awesome website where you can declutter your life with professional help from organizers like Lorie and her friend, even if you can’t afford to hire a personal organizer to come to your home. 

In her Clutter Diet newsletter this week, Lorie writes about ways to save money, including weekly meal planning with The Scramble!  Here’s the link:  http://www.clutterdietblog.com/2009/02/get-your-financial-act-together.html.  You’ll love her tips (I’m going to try that home dry cleaning kit)!

I wanted to share this article from Whole Foods Whole Story blog–I think they do a great job of explaining why eating fiber is so important for our health and offers some great suggestions on getting more fiber in our diets by eating beans, which have even more fiber than whole grains (and I think they are delicious and so versatile!). 

Here’s the link:  http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2009/02/healthy-tip-boost-your-fiber/

Last night I went to my friend Catherine Gutman-McCabe’s house for our montly book club dinner, and she made a dessert that was super easy and really delightful, Cracker Jack Sundaes.  She combined Cracker Jack, Caramel ice cream topping, and vanilla ice cream in mugs.  I don’t think there was anyone who didn’t finish their dessert (if there was I might have finished it for them!).  (Catherine asked me to credit the restaurant in Virginia where she had first tasted this treat, but I can’t remember its name.  Sorry CGM.).

Do you have a few favorite Scramble recipes?  If so, please share them here (by adding a comment), or on The Six O’Clock Scramblers group on Facebook. 

This week I have a new favorite recipe that will be in the newsletter soon, Baked Catfish with Curried Tomato Sauce (created by my friend Madhavi Naik).  Madhavi wanted to adapt some of her more labor-intensive Indian recipes for a non-Indian cook like me.  I made it for my family and my visiting mother in law last week and the result was spectacular!  Here’s a preview:

Catfish in a Curried Tomato Sauce

Prep (15 min.) + Cook (25 min.)

6 servings

This is my favorite new fish recipe created by my friend Madhavi Naik.  It looks so simple but you won’t believe how complex and tanatalizing the flavor is.  Serve it with lemony garlic spinach and basmati rice.

2 lbs. catfish (or other thin white fish) fillets

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

¼ tsp. turmeric

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp. minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

15 oz. diced tomatoes (no salt added) with their liquid

2 tsp. curry powder

Season the fillets with half of the salt and all of the turmeric, rubbing the spices gently into the fillets.  Set them aside. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and sauté them until they are lightly browned, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic,, remaining salt, and the curry powder and sauté it for about 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and simmer everything for 3 – 5 minutes.  (Start the rice, if you are making it.) 

Meanwhile, spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, and put the fish in the dish.  Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the fillets (add 6 oz. baby spinach before sauce, if desired), and bake it for 20 – 25 minutes until the fish flakes easily in the thickest part.  Serve it immediately. 

I’m always looking for a little more inspiration for healthy snacks, things that will keep them from begging too much for ice cream and chips when they’re hungry.  I came across this wonderful list on the American Dietetic Association’s website.  Please let me know if you have any other healthy snack ideas to add. 

http://www.eatright.org/ada/files/Snacks_for_Kids_English.pdf

This week in The Scramble I wrote about awkward situations we’ve had when having company for dinner or going to someone else’s house.  While I’m always thrilled to be invited to someone’s house for dinner, I have learned that to arrive absoutely famished can backfire.  Twice recently we were invited for dinner at someone’s home, and not a morsel of food was served until about 1 1/2 to 2 hours after we arrived.  Yet the drinks were flowing, so it was easy to overindulge on an empty stomach.  In one case I was so hungry that I resorted to snatching some of the popcorn the host had made for the kids! 

Do you have any dinner disaster stories of your own, or any advice for people like me who are trying to learn to throw dinner parties with less stress?  Please post them here to share with me and other Scramblers.  Thanks!

Not for the kiddies, of course, this bright red martini is a wonderful way to celebrate at home. 

(makes 4 martinis)

3 cups pomegranate juice

1/2 cup fresh lime juice (2 - 4 limes)

2 Tbsp. superfine sugar

½ - 1 cup vodka (depending on how strong you like it)

Shake the above ingredients with ice to chill (use a cocktail shaker) or combine and serve  over ice.  Serve in martini glasses, garnished with a thin slice of lime.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Here are two more fabulous ideas for reusing Scramble leftovers from Scramble subscribers.  The first is from Nina G. of Petaluma, California: 

“I did something good last night, so I thought I’d share…  Due to the economy, I’ve cut back to purchasing ingredients for only three of the meals.  My husband and I just have one two year old, so we usually can stretch the proportions into two meals.  I hate to eat the same exact thing two night is a row, so I’ve been “re-purposing” the left overs into a slightly different meal.  SO - two nights ago I made the Brazilian Halibut with Coconut and Lime…then last night I re-vamped the left overs into fish tacos.  I made a little slaw with cabbage, lime, cilantro and a tiny bit of the coconut milk I had left, and put that into the tortilla with the halibut mixture.  My husband and I were floored at how good they were!!”  

The second idea comes from Mary D. of Worcester, England (!):

“I made the Sesame noodles for dinner the other night and had a ton of leftovers.  The next day I heated some vegetable broth and added the noodles and made my own sort of Ramen Noodle soup.  I cut up the noodles and my son loved it as well.  Today, I had my second serving of the noodle soup and love it.

I think I prefer the soupy mixture to the noodles themselves.  I find them a bit dry and wonder how much sesame oil the Chinese resaturants must add so that they are so glossy.”

If you have other creative suggestions for using Scramble leftovers, please share them with other Scramblers here.  Thanks! 

What’s your favorite music to listen to while cooking?  I’ve been a huge Jack Johnson fan for years–just love his music’s combination of mellow and catchy, and now I’m starting to dig Ben Harper and Dispatch (not every song, but especially The General and Two Coins).  Anyone have any recommendations for great music to cook (or drive, etc.)  to, the kind of stuff that just instantly puts you in a good mood, isn’t too complicated, and is easy on the ears?  Love Eva Cassidy and Norah Jones, too, but sometimes they’re a little too mellow for cooking.  Please share your recom

We are trying to get the word out even further about the Scramble and we need your help.  If The Scramble has changed your evenings for the better and you would be willing to share your story with the media, please let me know at aviva@thescramble.com.  We are particularly looking for families in or near the following cities:  Washington DC, Baltimore,  St. Louis, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Dallas or Houston, Phoenix, San Diego