What I'm Cooking

Bon Appetit's Giveaway Contest

2011-01-31T07:47:00.000-08:00

I love reading food magazines, Clearly, since I write a food blog...Well, last night I was checking out the latest issue of bon appetit, one of my absolute favorites for cooking techniques and ideas, and I came across a really cute giveaway. They are for a "Colori" mini prep knive. They retail for $14.oo and if I don't win I might just have to order a few anyway. You can enter to win one for free at bonappetit.com or just go ahead and buy them at kuhnrikon.com

Spinach Crepes

2011-01-30T15:49:00.000-08:00

We had dinner a few months ago at our Finnish neighbor's house and had the most amazing meal. The food was all prepared from scratch and was delicious. My three kids ate everything! I was so proud, but actually it was a testament to the food. Paula, the hostess with the mostess, made my kids a traditional Finish treat: Spinach crepes. They were so light and crispy and smothered in Lygonberry jam that my children have been begging for them ever since. Finally, I lured my neighbor over for coffee and company and convinced her to teach me how to make them...

It's a basic crepe recipe, but absolutely perfect! 3 cups of milk, 5 eggs, 1 cup of flour (more if thicker consistency is desired), a pinch of salt, and then add defrosted frozen spinach (don't be shy, these are perfect so add away).

The mixture looked like this just before frying the crepes in my cast iron skillet.

The kids could not wait! I had them too, and now I'm just hoping mine come out as well!

French Onion Soup

2011-01-10T12:28:00.001-08:00

Yummy! French onion soup from scratch...and it wasn't hard!

This is the kids table, before the kids got to it. It's been very cold so warming up with a nice soup is just what we needed. I served it with french bread sliced thinly and topped with mozzarella cheese that I warmed in the oven until melted, a mixed greens salad, and croutons and chives topped the soup off.

The most complicated part of this soup was starting off with a roux, which is just a fancy word for butter, oil, and flour mixed together to make the soup thicker. You just need to use equal parts and it will come out perfectly.

This is the roux just before I added the onions...

Ah, perfect vidalia onions add just the right amount of sweetness.
I cooked them until they were translucent and the bottom was browned and then added vegetable broth.

At this point I seasoned the soup and added a few chives. I let it just come to a boil and then dropped it down to simmer for about 30mins and it was perfect!

Crock Pot Oatmeal

2010-05-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to try a crock pot breakfast. I'm not the best in the morning but I love making breakfast for the kids. It feels very domestic to me. That being said it's that time of year when school is winding down and everyone is ready for Summer. It's harder to get up and get everything done. I got a new crock pot and was searching for some different recipes when I found one for oatmeal.

It was pretty good! Actually, it was surprising. I'm pretty sure this is how hotel's and buffets do it, because it reminded me of that consistency. It was more soupy than if you cook it fresh. It has more time to soften.

I put three cups of water for every cup of oats. Next time I will cut one cup of water to make it thicker, though. So, if I put two cups of oats in I would add five cups of water. I added cinnamon, a half teaspoon of vanilla and a tablespoon of butter so it wouldn't stick to the sides (per suggestions I had read online).
It looked like this in the morning. I didn't have much sticking so I'm assuming the butter worked. I'm definitely going to make this again, and I'll probably play around with the recipe some more, but overall it was a great addition to the breakfast repertoire.

Summer Pizza

2010-05-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

Summer is here...well, almost, but I'm ready! The Farmer's Markets are open and tomato's are in abundance. The bikes are hosed off and ready to ride and the pools will officially open this weekend. I'm ready to put up my Winter Stew's and heavy dishes and find a lighter fare for the warmer months. If you read my blog you know I love pizza. I think I could eat pizza every day, but I'm getting tired of the same old thing so I'm trying out some fresher ingredients and a thin crust. My first attempt at home-made thin-crust went horribly wrong. This week I opted to buy a packed one and it was delicious! I'm still a little bitter about my crust, but I made make it my Summer mission to perfect it! I think it would be excellent on the grill!
I just ended up using what I had on hand, but other veggies would be a delicious addition too. I had tomato's, fresh mozzarella sliced, garlic, and parsley.
I used basil spread that I keep on hand. You can buy it in the produce section where the fresh herbs are. It keeps really well, and is good when you just need a little.
Then I layered on the fresh ingredients and drizzled with olive oil. I put into a 400 degree preheated oven for about 12 minutes.
It looked like this...for about five seconds. We devoured it! I'm going to keep experimenting with the dough and try a few grilled versions. I'll keep you posted.

Mango, Walnut, Honey Sandwich Filling

2010-05-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

This is the second sandwich in my series. I'm feeling very creative this month so prepare to see some bold, new ideas! As a new vegetarian I got pretty sick and tired of peanut butter and jelly every day for lunch so my answer is to the monotony is to try a new sandwich each week. This one turned out great and I am very encouraged by all the possibilities now that I'm thinking outside the box.
I cut up a ripe mango into really small, chunks, and added walnuts for protein...and because they are delicious!
Then I poured in a generous couple of teaspoonfuls of honey. You know I hate to measure anything so keep in mind I was generous!
I stirred it all together and put it write on some bread so I could taste it. It was really unique and refreshing. This is definitely on my summer sandwich rotation now. This would be great on a croissant, but I didn't have any. I just couldn't wait, but I have plans...

Tofu Cutlets

2010-05-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

Tofu...hmm...it conjures up a lot of images, but I actually really like it. I was very intimidated to actually cook it, but after a friend showed me how to work with it I've gotten much bolder. The key is in the preparation. I've become accustomed to cooking tofu in same ways I used to cook chicken. My kids actually prefer the texture because it's so smooth. Chicken can easily be too tough for small kids. This is a great way to get protein as a vegetarian too.
First, you need to buy extra firm tofu so it doesn't crumble and fall apart. Then drain it and slice it.
Then you need to lay out a double layer of paper towels and place the slices on top of it. Then place another double layer on top of the tofu and put a cookie sheet of cutting board on top to press out the moisture. Change the towels once and then you are ready to prepare.
I love cutlets so I make an egg wash with garlic, egg, and a little water in one bowl. In the second bowl I use Italian bread crumbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Then just dip each slice in the egg wash, then the bread crumbs and right to a hot, oiled skillet for frying.
This makes a nice crispy crust. My whole family loves this, and they were reluctant tofu eaters!

Fried Ravioli

2010-05-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

I forgot about these until I came across this picture today when I was looking for something to post about. You see, I take pictures of most of the food that I make in case I want to post about it later. Of course, usually, if it's amazing I post right away. But these got put on hold due to a busy schedule. You know, the whole raising three kids got in the way of my blog excuse. Anyway, I made these about a month ago to go with pizza. I was going through a frying phase and attempting to fry anything vegetarian, because hey, just about anything is delicious fried. I had a package of frozen cheese ravioli in the freezer and thought I would experiment on pizza night. I made the pizza, of course, but put these out as well. Needless to say, the ravioli was a big hit, and everyone gobbled them up. I know now that I need to make more than one package for a family of five!
I boiled them first, but kept them a little more al dente than I normally would. I then dipped them in an egg, garlic mixture and then coated them in italian bread crumbs. Basically, I did exactly what I would do with eggplant or chicken, just with ravioli. Then I just fried them in a little olive oil. The trick is just to make sure the pan is hot, but not smoking when you fry something like this.
This is easy and will definitely grace our table again soon!

Amazing Vegetarian Sandwich

2010-04-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yum!! I'm a bit of a Sandwich snob. I love them and I'm always trying to make the best Sandwich I can so in honor of Spring and the Farmer's Markets opening up I'm going to try to post a new Sandwich every week. This is my first vegetarian Sandwich that I've fallen in love with. I mean how can you resist something this delicious, healthy, and full of protein? Well, I can't.
I bought whole wheat sandwich flats this week and decided to make a chick pea spread (normally I would make hummus, but I was in a hurry...er, hungry so I just blended a can of chick pea's with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper) . I put half of a very ripe avocado on top of the chick pea spread, and then topped with fresh alfalfa sprouts. Delicious! Next time I make this I'm going to add some chilli powder to the chick pea's to make it spicy. In fact, now that I'm done with this post I think I'll head to the kitchen and give it another try.

Laundry Soap

2010-02-08T06:23:00.001-08:00

I took a small recipe and adjusted it so that I only have to make this once a month for a family of five. This is easy and I feel totally worth the effort considering the amount of savings. I don't have to pay for any advertising and it really works to get the clothes clean.
I use a plastic storage container to keep my soap in and use a small measuring cup to scoop into the wash.
I simply mix 1 part borax with 1 part grated Ivory soap with 1 part baking soda. I add essential oil for a fresh smell, but it's not necessary.

Ingredients:
3 cups of Borax
3 cups of grated Ivory soap
3 cups of baking soda
essential oil

Directions:
Mix ingredients and store in an airtight container. Use 1/4 cup per load. NOTE: if you do not use fabric softener you will need to add vinegar to the rinse cycle to soften the clothes.

Vegetarian Tater Tot Casserole

2010-02-08T06:06:00.000-08:00

I love tater tot casserole, but I've only ever eaten it with meat. I finally found a vegetarian recipe and it's amazing! It was just the right thing after shoveling snow all day...total comfort food.
Just throw a bag of tater tots into a greased 9x13 casserole dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Then pour a mixture of cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and a cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top.
Spread the mixture over the dish and top with french fried onions, yum!
I wanted to take the picture right out of the oven, but we couldn't resist trying it first. I think I'll go reheat some of the leftovers up when I'm done writing this post!

Ingredients:
1 bag of tater tots
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
10 ounces of sour cream
1 to 1 1/2 cups of french fried onions

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 casserole dish and spread tater tots over bottom. In a separate bowl stir together sour cream, cheese, and cream of mushroom soup. Pour over tater tots and then spread out mixture. Top with french fried onions. Bake for 45-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

Crusty Pizza Dough

2010-02-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

This is easier than you think...my two-year-old can do it!

You just throw all the ingredients in the mixer with a dough hook and let it do the hard work.

Then you set it aside for a little while to rise...

Then you punch the dough, which is really quite fun!

Then you put the dough on a pizza sheet and top any way you like.

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal

Directions:
Dissolve yeast in warm water mixer bowl. Add salt, olive oil, and 2 1/2 cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Mix on low about 1 minute.

Continue mixing, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Knead on low about 2 minutes longer.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover, let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down (fun part).

Brush 14-inch pizza pan with oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Press dough across bottom of pan, forming a collar around dege to hold toppings. Add toppings as desired.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Two Week Dinner Menu

2010-01-27T10:18:00.000-08:00

This month we've decided to try out vegetarian cooking. As a family we eat organic for lots of valid reasons. Certainly the food quality is high on the list of reasons why. Besides being a responsible thing to do it's also more diverse and higher quality than more processed and chemically treated food. It's not something I try to be overly political about, but as a mother I feel strongly about feeding my kids the safest, most nutritious foods. It's not that I'm against eating meat, actually, I really enjoy both cooking and eating meat, but the cost for grain-fed organic meat is very high. We decided to buckle down and try to be more responsible with our money this year. We spend a lot on food! As a family of five our food bills were starting to get out of control. I decided to get some more vegetarian recipes in the mix and try to cut out the high cost of meat. A lot of my friends are curious as to what we eat and whether or not my husband approved. My husband has been surprisingly happy with the change and even concedes he feels a lot healthier. Here is a two-week sample of our dinner menu. For breakfast we rotate between homemade waffles, oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins, and muffins with fruit and yogurt. For lunch we usually eat peanut butter and honey sandwiches with fruit and carrots or crackers with cheese and fruit.

Dinner Menu:
Monday: Crock pot Spinach and Artichoke Dip with French Bread
Tuesday: Quesadilla's with Salsa and Guacamole
Wednesday: Spinach, Feta Quiche and Salad
Thursday: Baked Potato's with Broccoli and Cheese
Friday: Homemade Pizza and Salad
Saturday: Black Beans and Walnut Burgers, Fruit, and Sweet Potato Fries
Sunday: Lentil Stew, Garlic Bread, and Salad

Monday:Breakfast for Dinner
Tuesday: Pasta with Pesto and Salad
Wednesday: Potato Soup with homemade bread and Salad
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Calzone and Salad
Saturday: Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese, Fruit, and Salad
Sunday: Fried Ravioli and Salad

Dishwasher Detergent

2010-01-27T10:04:00.000-08:00

This post isn't about food...actually, I'm working on updating the blog with our current menu, but as we have switched to vegetarian for the past month, I'm still working out the kinks in the menu and will update with yummy recipes soon.

We've made a lot of changes as a family lately and one of the bigger one's is that we are making our own soaps. We are trying out recipes for laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, all-purpose cleaners, and window cleaners. The easiest one I've found is for dishwasher detergent. I've been using it over the last month and it works great! It takes two minutes to mix up and costs a lot less than the store bought. You might even have all the ingredients in your house already.

Ingredients:

1 cup Baking Soda

1 cup Borax

Vinegar

Directions:

Mix thoroughly and store in a container (I used a Ball Jar), use approximately 2 TBS per load.
Use vinegar in the rinse compartment as a rinse agent to help prevent residue
Try adding 2-3 drops essential oil.

I found this recipe and lots of other great one's for homemade cleaners on www.tipnut.com

Spinach Feta Quiche

2009-12-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine gave me this recipe and it's fast becoming a family favorite. It's fancy enough to serve to guests, but kid-friendly enough to serve for dinner!

The onion, garlic, spinach mixture just before the spinach wilted.
The egg mixture with the addition of the feta cheese.
All the ingredients dumped in the bowl before being mixed and poured into the pie shell...
Yummy!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
7 ounces of fresh spinach
6 ounces of herb and garlic feta cheese (or any seasoned variety of feta)
8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
1 nine ounce Deep dish pie crust (unbaked)
4 eggs beaten
1/2 cup of milk
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick holes in the pie crust and pre-bake for 5-7 minutes so the crust doesn't end up soggy. In the meantime, melt butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter, oil mixture until browned slightly (about 7 minutes). Stir in spinach and saute until wilted. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper and add in the feta cheese. Then stir in the spinach mixture and the cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour (or when a knife pushed in the center of the quiche comes out clean). Because of the long baking time you may need to wrap tin foil around the crust so it doesn't burn!

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

2009-12-09T09:37:00.000-08:00

I love stuffed pork chops...actually, I love all stuffed meats, but pork chops are the only thing I really cook with any really recipe. I found a recipe for a stuffed pork chop in a magazine a number of years ago and have adapted it as my own throughout years of fine tuning. The only downside of the pork chop is that it is a lot of work and I somehow always end up with extra stuffing and I'm never quite sure what to do with it. Alas, the stuffed pork tenderloin. I took the tenderloin and sliced it in half and pounded it flat by covering it with saran wrap and hitting it with a skillet (fancy, I know). Then I simply placed all the remaining stuffing I had in the middle, rolled it up, and secured it with toothpicks. The cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the meat and the amount of stuffing, but I would say a good starting point would be 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

My stuffing recipe:
One onion chopped up
two pears chopped into small cubes
four pieces of bacon
1/2 pound of smoked Gouda cheese chopped into small cubes
fresh parsley (for color)

I cook the bacon in a skillet and then remove and set aside. Cook the onion in the bacon fat until translucent and add the pears until softened. Remove from heat and toss gently in a bowl with remaining ingredients.

This is pretty easy...and definitely easier than stuffing individual pork chops!

What to do with Kale?

2009-09-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

Kale is not usually on the menu in our house, but we belong to an organic produce co-op. Which basically means we buy our produce along with a whole bunch of other people in order to save money. The thing that is a deterrent for most people is actually the selling point for us...you can't choose what you get each week. They buy from local farms so it's seasonal/organic. So, no watermelons in January and a lot of kale and lettuce in the Fall. These kind of constraints excite me and allow me to explore new foods and recipes that I would never venture to try on my own. Since I don't want a bunch of kale wilting away in my refrigerator I've been looking for a good recipe and this is it! This is so good, if I weren't in a co-op I would go looking for some kale in my grocery store to whip up this soup...seriously!

ZUPPA TOSCANA SOUP

Did I mention it has bacon in it?! Well, it does. I cut up six slices of bacon with my handy kitchen scissors and fried it in a large stock pot.
Then I added a half an onion chopped up. *insert delicious smell here*

I bought a pound of spicy Italian sausage and, again, using my handy, dandy kitchen scissors I cut them into inch long pieces and baked them in the oven at 350 degrees while I worked on the soup base. For the soup I just added a pint (or four cups of water). I added a dry onion soup mix packet and let simmer while the sausage cooked (about 20 minutes).

When the sausage was done I added it and about two cups of washed, chopped kale to the soup and three small red potatoes washed and chopped.

stir...
I let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes more until the kale was bright green and tender.

Last, I added 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream (by the way, this isn't exactly light)...
but it's so delicious. This will be a staple at our house during the coming Fall/Winter weather.

Doughnuts

2009-08-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

The jury is still out as to whether or not homemade doughnuts are worth the effort...My husband definitely thinks they are, but I'm not convinced. They were a ton of work and took almost four hours from start to finish! However, they were amazing! Totally different from fast food doughnuts. They were much lighter (although, probably not in calories).

They were not the most beautiful doughnuts ever, but I had to improvise on cutting them by using a cup and then punching out the centers with my thumbs.

The process begins by scalding milk in a saucepan and pouring over the yeast in a mixing bowl. Then I added the flour and let it sit until the flour began to crack, which took about forty-five minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan I melted butter and "burnt" vanilla to infuse the flavor. This was actually pretty neat, as I've never done this before. I'm sure there is some property from chemistry that this represents, but I couldn't for the life of me tell you what that is. The vanilla actually beads up and turns the butter brown. It smells delicious!

Then I poured the vanilla/butter mixture into a bowl with whisked egg yolks and blended those ingredients. Next I poured the egg mixture into the flour/yeast mixture and blended until a very sticky dough formed. I think you are getting the picture of how labor intensive this yummy little treat was to make, but I will continue for those of you who wish to replicate.

Then I cleaned the bowl and sprayed it with vegetable oil spray and placed the dough back in to rise...this took about two hours for the dough to completely double in size.

Ah, finally, it was time to roll out the dough try to make something that looked like a doughnut. I'm not sure that I succeeded on the aesthetics, but I don't think it would matter what you shaped these like because I stared with some balls just to test my frying method and they were great!

These are my little dough balls in the oil. They puffed up perfectly and no one in my house really cared that they weren't shaped like perfect doughnuts.

As for a recipe...there are lots out there and I'm not really sure I used the best one, but I did find it hard to see the steps so I hope this little explanation of the steps will make it easier for you. I have since seen a number of easier recipes out there so I may try again and if I find a recipe worth posting I will certainly put it here first.

Walnut Fudge Brownies

2009-08-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

I cook a lot, but I'm not much of a baker. I decided that this would be the year I tackled my fear of exact measurements and buckled down to learn how to really bake. For my birthday I got a KitchenAid mixer, which honestly, intimidated me for weeks. I've been trying to decide what my inaugural recipe would be, but because it takes four hours to make I'm saving it for the weekend and will have to post later...stay tuned. So, yesterday, I threw caution to the wind and decided to make something easy to get my feet wet. Shocking as it may sound, I've never made brownie's from scratch ie. not a box. It wasn't nearly as big of a deal as I imagined and they came out great. My family decided they were twice as good as box brownie's, which in my book makes them worth the effort, because they weren't really twice as much work!
I threw in my margarine, sugar and vanilla and mixed them first...
While, at the same time I melted my chocolate and margarine on the stove top. The recipe said to let this cool, but the baking rebel that I am just couldn't wait, so I threw the chocolate in the mixer as soon as it was smooth.
This is what the batter looked like! I poured the contents of the bowl in the pan, but the beater was all mine! I had to hide because I didn't want to share with my kids, and it's probably not good to eat raw egg, but that's the joy of baking for me!

Here's the recipe I used, courtesy of Kitchen Aid
Fudge Brownies
1 cup margarine or butter, softened, divided
4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (I add liberally)

Melt 1/2 cup margarine and chocolate in small saucepan over low heat; set aside to cool (or not if you are rebellious)

Place remaining 1/2 cup margarine, sugar, and vanilla in mixer bowl and mix. Add eggs, one at a time, beating about 15 seconds after each addition. Stop and scrape bowl.

Add cooled chocolate mixture and mix about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Add all remaining ingredients. Turn to Stir Speed and mix until well blended, about 30 seconds.

Pour into greased and floured 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack and cut.

Paula Deen's Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

2009-08-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

These chicken nuggets are delicious! The dipping sauce is just as good. Kid's love them, but the best part is that adult's love them just as much. They make a great appetizer too. What's the secret?

They are breaded with Sour Cream and Onion potato chips! Yes, that's right, leave it to Paula Deen to come up with the ingenious idea of breading chicken with potato chips.
The one thing I learned after making the recipe the first time was to season the chicken with salt and pepper before breading it. I thought it would be too salty, but it was a little bland without that initial step. The picture above shows the "assembly" line I use...chicken, egg mixture, and potato chips.
Then onto a baking sheet! I was shocked that Paula Deen didn't fry them, but it made me feel a little better about the whole potato chip thing. You just have to remember to drizzle the melted butter over them so they don't dry out in the oven!

Here's the original recipe Enjoy!

Cinnamon Applesauce Waffles

2009-08-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

I stopped buying frozen waffles for kids, mainly because with three kids it was costing us a fortune. Once I realized how simple it was to make them I decided to just do it myself. Besides they tasted better. At first I just tried out a few basic waffle recipes, which were good, but then I started adding cinnamon to them and they were even better. Last week I stumbled on a applesauce waffle recipe and put the two together and am pretty sure this will become my everyday waffle recipe.
The batter looks a little runny when it's in the bowl, but the waffles come out light and fluffy when cooked. Without doubling it I'm able to make enough to freeze for a second day, so in theory I could make a big batch at the beginning of the week and freeze them for breakfast all week. I haven't done that yet, but mostly because we eat other things too. They freeze great though, but you have to toast them (not microwave as my husband found out).
Recipe
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups reduced fat milk
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup applesauce (can use fresh or frozen)

Place ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine until well blended. Let batter sit for five minutes before using.

Spaghetti with Canned Tuna

2009-08-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

This post is a long summer vacation in the making. I was on vacation for five weeks, during which I didn't cook at all! It was great, but by the time I got home I actually missed planning meals, and shopping for fresh ingredients, and cooking dinner for three small children, who let's just say, aren't always really excited to try what I make. I grabbed a pile of cooking magazines and cookbooks and set out to find something new to make. In the new Bon Appetit magazine I stumbled upon a recipe in the BA Foodist column that Andrew Knowlton writes. He answered a woman who wanted ideas for what to make with all the canned tuna in her cupboard with a tantalizingly easy recipe that I couldn't resist. What followed changed the way I will look at canned tuna forever!The recipe is as follows: Open a can of high-quality tuna and heat its oil in a skillet over medium heat. Mix in garlic, parsley, and lemon peel. Add tuna, gently breaking it up, and add a pinch of dried crushed red pepper. Toss the tuna with al dente spaghetti and enough pasta cooking liquid to moisten. Top with toasted breadcrumbs and herbs. No cheese necessary.
This is how it looked when it was ready to serve, but it tasted amazing! The lemon flavor was really light and permeated the dish. This dish will definitely be a regular on our menu.

Crabbies

2009-06-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

This is a great appetizer, but since we have three small children and rarely throw a dinner party, I decided to throw caution to the wind and make them just for us. They turned out just how I remember and I can't believe now that I was waiting for company to make these! However, if you are cool and have people over then these would be a great "company" hors d'oeuvres.
It's really easy too! You just make the crab/cheese mixture and spread it on rye toast, or french bread rounds and freeze until solid. Then you can either store in a plastic freezer bags until you are ready to cook them, or like me you can just throw them under the broiler and eat them!

Recipe:
1 stick margarine, softened
1 jar Old English Cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 can crab meat (6 1/2 ounces)
1 package thin sliced small party rye bread of french bread, sliced thin.

Mix butter, cheese, mayonnaise, and seasoned salt. Add crab meat. Stir to mix. Spread on party rye breads or sliced french bread rounds. Freeze until solid and store in plastic bags in the freezer until needed.

To serve, broil in a single layer under broiler until bubbly and lightly browned.

Banana Bread

2009-06-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the perfect banana bread! I've been dabbling in banana bread recipes lately, but nothing has so moved me as this one. This is so good I will probably pass it down to my Grandchildren.

I do not bake, but I do leave banana's out too long and have learned to make banana bread. This recipe is so good that even I, who refuses to follow all the "rules" and hence will never be a master baker can make this come out really, really good. I posted this picture to show you that I didn't even have time to mix this together with the dry first and then the wet...no, I just threw it all in a bowl and mixed it together.

So, the recipe I have doesn't call for chocolate chips, but the rule breaker in me had to add something and I happened to have half a bag of chocolate chips. I threw them in and something magical happened. Seriously, I love this banana bread! So, here's the recipe:

Banana Bread
4-5 mashed banana's (use ripe, or in our house brown)
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease loaf pan. Technically you should mix your sugar, oil, and eggs in the bowl, then add you banana. Next, you mix in your flour, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Bake the banana bread for one hour or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Pulled Pork

2009-06-04T12:20:00.001-07:00

This is so easy! I start with a Pork sholder, fat side up. You want the fat to melt down on top of the meat and actually glaze the Pork.
I add a Pork Rub. I just make sure the Pork is fully coated. Personally, I don't like to touch the Pork if necessary, but with the Rub I just shake it all over.
This is the Rub I used this time. I really like the McCormick's Grill Mates. They have lots of different flavors and I've liked all the different ones I've tried.
I just leave the Pork like this, not adding anything else. I put the cover on the crock pot and cook it all day on low. Every Crock Pot is different, but you should be able to slow cook it from 9:00am until 5:00pm.
Once it's time to eat just "shred" the pork with two forks. We have different taste in BBQ sauce so I don't add the sauce. We just put out all the bottles and everyone can choose what they like. I serve this on hamburger buns, because I love Pulled Pork Sandwiches, but this would be great with rice too.

Spaghetti and Meatballs with Italian Sausage

2009-06-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

I make my meatballs the way Grandma Joanie taught my mom to make them. I'm sure there's a recipe somewhere, but I've made these so many times I don't reference one anymore. For just my family of five I use one pound of lean ground beef about 3/4 cup of Italian breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped, one egg, and about a teaspoon of water. I mix it all together, with my hands and roll into balls.
When I go all out and add Italian sausage I just buy a package of four or five links of either Spicy or Mild (In this case Spicy) and cut them into bite size pieces using my kitchen scissors.
I cut up onion and minced garlic and brown them in the bottom of a large Saucepan. When the onion is translucent I add the meatballs and Italian sausage to brown them before adding the sauce. Otherwise they would fall apart in the sauce.
I make my sauce in the blender with large cans of peeled whole tomotoes packed in puree, or diced, or whatever I have in the pantry. I blend in parsley, garlic, a dash of sugar (to offset the acidity), and whatever veggies I have on hand. I blend all down until smooth and add it to the saucepan. I let it cook down for at least an hour. I bring it all to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer until dinner time.
We add Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Muffins

2009-06-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

It's berry season and I really wanted to try a new recipe for blueberry muffins and this recipe was a little more work than I'm used to for baking muffins, which usually is nothing more than opening a box and adding an egg or two, but my family thought it was well worth the effort.
The bowl on the left is a combination of the egg, yogurt, and vanilla. The bowl on the right is the dry ingredients. The two are combined before the blueberries are added.
This is what it looked like before baking...
This is a picture of the muffins after baking. The blueberries burst open and were really yummy!

Recipe:
1 Cup of All Purpose Flour
1 Cup of quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
4 tablespoons unsalted Margarine (stick, melted)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen, thawed and drained)
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel (zest)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 120cup regular muffin pan with baking spray. Blend together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir together yogurt, butter, egg and vanilla in a small bowl. Pour yogurt mixture into the center of dry ingredients; stir until just blended using a rubber spatula. Do not overmix. Fold in blueberries and lemon peel. Divide the batter evenly between prepared muffin cups. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan, than remove from muffin cups and cool completely on a wire rack.

Crock Pot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

2009-04-27T04:52:00.000-07:00

We love this dish! I used to make it for guests, but it's so good that we started eating it for lunch on the weekends and sometimes even for dinner!

The kids really like being able to play with their food and this lends itself to fun. I give them whatever we have on hand to dip with. This night we had carrots and french bread. Although, this isn't exactly health food, they got a big serving of spinach and carrots.

I love that I can make this in the crock pot. Note: I've made this in the oven when I forgot to pre-plan and it came out great. I just heat at 350 degrees for 20-40 minutes (or until bubbly in middle).

Recipe

2 cups Frozen Spinach

1 (14 ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained, chopped

1/2 cup refrigerated Alfredo sauce (from 10 ounce container) Note: can substitute jar sauce too.

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 oz. (1 cup) shredded Swiss cheese

Cook spinach as directed on package. Drain spinach, pressing with fork to remove excess liquid. Chop spinach finely.

In a 1 to 3-quart slow cooker, combine spinach and all remaining ingredients; mix well.

Cover and cook on low setting for 1 and 1/2 to 2 and 1/2 hours. Serve with sliced French bread.

I double this recipe for a crowd.

Crock Pot Cheeseburger Recipe

2009-04-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

This is a little different that normal burger patty's, but really tasty and easy! I love this on a busy night when I need something ready when we walk in the door. I also like to make this as an appetizer for laid back gatherings. They are fun to serve buffet style with an assortment of buns and a tray of your favorite burger garnishes.

Recipe:

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 teaspoons instant minced onion

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

8 oz. Velveeta cheese cut into 2-inch cubes (2 cups) hours.

hamburger buns (either regular sized or mini for appetizers)

toppings of your choice

Directions:

Brown ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently to break into small pieces. Drain. Stir in 2 tablespoons ketchup, onion and 1 teaspoon mustard.

Spray 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon beef mixture into sprayed slow cooker. Top with the cheese.

Cover; cook on low setting for 3 to 4 hours.

To serve, stir beef mixture. Serve with desired toppings.

Curry Chicken Salad

2009-04-15T17:32:00.001-07:00

This is probably my favorite easy recipe to serve for a lunch with the ladies or just to have on hand in the fridge when I'm so sick of peanut butter and jelly with the kids. I've also made this for baby showers since it's so easy and can either be put on sandwich rolls or over salad with a nice Balsamic vinaigrette.

I don't have an exact recipe. I actually ate this at a favorite restaurant in Boca Raton, FL called The Tin Muffin. It's a tiny tea room type place that only serves breakfast and lunch, but everything they make is delicious. One of my favorite dishes is the curry chicken salad and I think I've replicated it pretty well. Here's my recipe...

Curry Chicken Salad

One Rotisserie Chicken pulled off the bone and shredded

a handful of pecans or walnuts browned in a 350 degree oven until fragrant

a handful of red grapes cut in half

a large scoop of mayo to taste

salt and pepper

curry to taste (I use less than The Tin Muffin, which ends up with a yellow salad, but it really is a preference thing)

The only note I would make is that I add the grapes last because they are more delicate than the rest of the ingredients. This is even better the next day!

Monkey Bread

2009-04-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

I made this particular "Monkey Bread" for this past Christmas. My Mother-in-law always made this for her kids for Christmas morning and I've adopted the tradition. I will say, that if you want to adopt a tradition this is a good one! I was just thinking about this today and how delicious it is and wondering if I could work it in to other holiday's like April Fool's Day or maybe Palm Sunday....

Recipe for Monkey Bread
4 pkgs. Pillsbury rolls (not buttermilk)
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cinnamon
1/2 lb. butter
2 tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. sugar

Separate rolls and cut each into fourths. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup cinnamon. Roll pieces in this mix.

Melt butter and stir in 2 tablespoons cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar.

Grease Bundt pan. Place half of biscuits in pan, then half of melted mixture, then remaining biscuits and remaining melted mixture. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Turn over pan and eat while warm. Pull apart with fingers.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

2009-03-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Instead of the traditional breading I use two crescent rolls pinched together and rolled smooth.

I wrap the browned chicken with a slice of ham and swiss cheese and then bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees until done (about 20 minutes).

This is probably my signature dish. I've been making it for years and it's even tastier than it looks. The Swiss cheese melts and is perfectly gooey inside the puff pastry. I find it much easier to make than the traditionally breaded Chicken Cordon Bleu, and the chicken stays moist and delicious. I served it with asparagus, roasted in olive oil and minced garlic, lightly seasoned with salt and lemon pepper.

Quick Chicken Pasta

2009-03-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

I make this a lot, but have never really thought of a name...so I'll just call it "Quick Chicken Pasta" for the blog, but it could probably also be titled "Refrigerator Pasta" to be fair because I usually just make it with whatever is on hand. Tonight I used a package of precooked chicken strips and sauteed them in a little olive oil and minced garlic. I then added some fresh parsley chopped finely and sun dried tomatoes also chopped up. Next, I added some chicken broth to make a sauce, but sometimes I use cream. While I cooked the pasta I just heated it through and then tossed it all together and grated some fresh Romano cheese over the top. It literally takes 15 minutes from start to finish and it's really good!

Lentils

2009-03-19T19:01:00.001-07:00

Yummy! This is a comfort food from my childhood. The key to making this extraordinary is using a little fresh parsley and fresh Romano cheese on top. This is a great dish for new mom's because lentils are full of iron, which new mom's need. It's also family friendly because it's very reminiscent of spaghetti. I serve with french bread, lightly seasoned with garlic and Romano cheese, and salad. Here's the recipe:

Lentils
Ingredients:
1 sweet onion, medium size
1 Large can of stewed tomatoes
2 cans of Progresso Lentil soup
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound of baby shells pasta (or any small pasta)
Romano cheese (you could omit this)

Preparation:
Finely chop onions. Saute in olive oil until translucent and tender. Blend stewed tomatoes in the blender and add to the onions. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until cooked down. Add cans of Lentil soup. Simmer until heated through.

Boil small pasta with salt in separate pan until done. Drain, reserving 1 cup water from the pasta. Add pasta and reserved water to the lentils.

Serve in soup bowls with crusty Italian bread. Sprinkle with Romano cheese.

Whole Wheat Caesar Salad Wraps

2009-03-18T16:34:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of what I served the kids who did not want the wraps. I just made them some bow tie pasta with a jar of sauce I had in the pantry and let them eat the salad on the side with some fruit. I prefer them to eat what we eat, but sometimes I will make exceptions.
The whole what wraps were bought at Trader Joe's and so was the salad dressing. I just prepared the salad and wrapped it up. Super easy for a busy evening. I served it with fruit, because salad seems to be my "go to" side dish and tonight it was the main dish.

Turkey Meatball Sub

2009-03-18T16:22:00.000-07:00

This sub was made using Ground Turkey and Feta to make meatballs. It was delicious! I've had really bad luck with ground turkey in the past, but I am fearful no more. I saw a number of recipes for ground turkey and bleu cheese, but I had feta in the fridge so I simply tweaked the recipes to suit the ingredients I had and it came out great. I mixed a pound of ground turkey, 1/2 cup of ground feta cheese, 1/2 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper flakes, and two eggs. The mixture seemed really watery, but it cooked up really moist. I made the sauce by chopping up 3 tomatoes I had in the fridge, blending them in the blender. I added seasoning, basil, and garlic and then just cooked down in a saucepan while the turkey cooked. I split a large sesame loaf I've had in the freezer for two weeks, after thawing, of course, and added every cheese I could find...Parmesan, asiago, and romano. I'm not sure that kept this healthy, but who cares! I made turkey and it was moist and yummy, I feel like I can cook anything right now!

Eggplant Parmesan

2009-03-13T07:32:00.001-07:00

In honor of "Italian Night" at my cooking club I'm posting my Grandma Joanie's Eggplant Parmesan recipe.

Ingredients:

2 large eggplant or 4-6 small Italian eggplant

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs

1 1/2 cups grated Romano cheese (can substitute Parmesan cheese or locatelli)

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

olive oil & vegetable oil

Preparation:

Peel the eggplant and slice it thin. Place sliced eggplant in bowl of cold water with salt.

Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl with the garlic. Mix in cheese. Add a tablespoon of water to the eggs. In a second shallow bowl combine the Italian bread crumbs and parsley.

With a fork take each slice of eggplant and dip in the egg mixture then coat with the crumbs mixture. Layer the eggplant on a plate until all are coated.

Heat oil in an electric skillet or frying pan. I like to use vegetable oil with about 1/2 cup of olive oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Fry the eggplant slices in a single layer, turn, removed when browned.

Coat the bottom of a casserole dish with marinara sauce. Place a single layer of eggplant slices on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and grated mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers to the top of casserole.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. This can be frozen, thawed, and baked as well!

Thin Mint Truffles

2009-03-12T11:37:00.001-07:00

I made these using half a box of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. I have a Girl Scout in the house and ended up with a case of Thin Mint cookies! How that happened is too long of a story, but needless to say I felt adventurous enough to experiment with some of my excess. I've made the Oreo truffles before and figured I could do the same thing with the Thin Mint cookies. I didn't have any baker's chocolate to melt, but I had two bags of Nestle chocolate chips so I looked at their website for tips and it said to add about a teaspoon of vegetable oil for a shiny coating. I put the chips in two bowls (one for white chocolate and one for semi sweet chocolate) and added the oil. I microwaved them each for one minute and they melted perfectly. I simply stirred them with a fork. To make the truffles I used a sleeve of thin mint cookies, which I processed in the food processor until in a fine grain. Then I added about a cup of cream cheese (I didn't measure). I blended until a consistency I could form into balls. I then used my ice cream scoop to measure out the balls, and then rounded them by hand. I dipped them in the chocolate and popped them on a cookie tray in refrigerator for about an hour. They were very rich, but delicious! I will definitely be making these again. These are also a great Girl Scout cooking project for the younger girls, since there is no baking. However, they were a bit messy so I would keep that in mind before I invited twelve girls over to my house to no-bake!

Rainbow Pancakes

2009-03-02T06:16:00.000-08:00

These should really be called Birthday pancakes! My little guy turned 4 today so I had to make something special. My good friend is a fabulous cake decorater and cook and she made these with the Wilton color gels and shared the recipe with me. I've made them ever since. I never could figure out why regular food coloring wouldn't work in pancakes, but the gels work great...as you can see. To make the "4" pancakes and star I used a picnic squirt bottle (like those used for ketchup) You could get really creative with that tip, but I had hungry kids!

Taco Night

2009-03-01T18:33:00.001-08:00

I love buffet-style dining! Taco night lends itself to this very nicely. Mexican food is a family favorite, but it's just as easy to make at home as it is to eat out and much cheaper! I use anything and everything in the fridge to make this meal, and no two Taco night's are the same. A good friend in Florida taught me how to make guacamole and I just can't have a taco without it now. The fresh ingredients make the meal. For right now I can still get away with a pound of ground beef, but I think I'm going to have to start buying two pounds. These kids are starting to eat a lot more! To make the guacamole simply cut up ripe avocado, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Mash all the ingredients with a fork. Add the juice of half a lime and half a tomato cut up. Stir all together and enjoy! I can't give more specific directions because I don't use them and I think this is definitely one dish you should use the flavors of the fresh ingredients to decide what more is needed. Yummy! Even my youngest loves taco night.

Pastrami and Swiss Pita Sandwiches and Fruit

2009-03-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

Photographing food before my family can get their hands on it is more difficult than it looks. My little one has the hardest time waiting for me to click a shot, as you can see from the picture! On the weekend I try to make one lunch that is nicer than just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and goldfish. I think it's nice for us to all sit down to lunch together and I also think it's good practice for the kids to eat different foods. This weekend I made one of my all time favorites...Pastrami! I cut pita's in half and stuffed them with pastrami, Swiss, and spicy brown mustard in some, and horseradish sauce in others. I then wrapped them in tin foil and baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for about ten minutes (until the cheese melted). I served it with leftover fruit from the week. This is a good way to clean out the fruit drawer before I hit the grocery again :) These sandwiches are great for dinner too. I love them with soup on a cold evening, but sometimes I just can't wait for dinner.

Birthday Party Fare

2009-03-01T18:13:00.000-08:00

My little boy just turned 4 and for his birthday party he wanted a Super Mario theme. Unfortunately, the party stores don't carry Mario stuff yet and I didn't plan far enough ahead to order anything so I had to just make it up. I planned to have the kids make pizza in "Luigi's Pizza Parlor." It was fun and a lot less messy than I expected. I used mushrooms for toppings since the Mario games have a lot of mushrooms throughout. For the cake I made cupcakes and iced them in green with white chocolate chips to look like the 1-up mushrooms from the games. I drew a big picture of Mario on a poster board and the kids played pin the mustache on Mario. I think at four they were a little young to really get the games, but they enjoyed it. We also played Mario says (an ode to Simon says). I served the adults quiche and salad and made a spinach artichoke dip in the crock pot. It was nice to have more grown up fare for the adults! The party was a success and the food was a hit.

Sausage and Peppers with French Bread

2009-03-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

I actually make this pretty regularly because I can make it quick and the whole family likes it. This time I tried to save myself time by using frozen peppers, but I would NOT do that again. The peppers are usually so pretty in this dish, but tonight they looked so tiny! It still tasted good, but I love the way food looks on the plate almost as much as how it tastes. This was pretty dissappointing, but tasted fine. I got the sausage from Trader Joe's and used the spicy chicken kind. It was good, but Pork is really better for this.

Mojo Pork and Black Beans and Rice

2009-03-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

This dish is my spin on a Cuban classic we ate a lot of in South Florida. It also happens to be cheap and easy! I used leftover pork tenderloin and marinated it in Mojo sauce then heated it in the skillet. I just served with my favorite rice from Trader Joe's and some black beans I heated and seasoned with salt, pepper, onions, and garlic. It took me about thirty minutes to put together and that was only because of the rice. This dish is so easy.

Dr. Pepper Pork Tenderloin in the Crock Pot

2009-02-23T18:17:00.000-08:00

This was a first, but if you know me you know I have Dr. Pepper in my house. I was thrilled to find a recipe for Dr. Pepper Pork in the crock pot. The recipe was actually for pork chops, but I had two tenderloins so I put a pork rub on them and browned them in the skillet. Then, I put them in the crock pot and poured in about a half a can of Dr. Pepper and put it on low for about four hours. I served it with rainbow potatoes that I roasted in the oven for 30 minutes. I got the potatoes at Trader Joe's. I sliced them and marinated them in the fridge in olive oil, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper until I was ready to roast them. I served it with salad. It was delicious. Between the sweetness of the Dr. Pepper and the spicy flavor of the rub it was delicious. I ended up making a gravy out of the sauce left in the crock pot and it just added to the overall flavor. I will definitely make this again. I'm looking forward to trying out more Dr. Pepper recipes!

Monday Morning Breakfast

2009-02-22T18:28:00.000-08:00

Monday morning in my house is a comedy of errors, but with pre-planning I can make sure everyone at least has a good breakfast. On Sunday evening I made bagels with peanut butter and grapes and covered them in saran wrap on the table. I put all the plates, bowls, and spoons out, along with cereal and bananas. That way when we're running late in the morning I don't have to do any prep work in the kitchen and even my little ones can help themselves to something while I'm running around finding lost shoes!

More Leftover Chicken Recreated

2009-02-22T18:20:00.000-08:00

The remainder of the roast chicken from the week was put into a green bean casserole. I added biscuits to it to make it more hearty and then made some rice and corn to go with it. I made up the casserole on the fly, but it was really good. When I make it again I will add the rice to it before I bake it and use it as an all in one meal. For desert I made cookies from the dough the kids made earlier in the week. I had put whatever didn't fit on the pan last time in a freezer safe zip lock bag in the freezer. I just defrosted it while I made dinner and popped them in the oven while we ate.

Weekend Lunch

2009-02-21T13:58:00.001-08:00

I love fixing a pretty meal for my family. Even though, realistically it looks like this for about 3 seconds after I snap the photo, it's my way of loving the family. I made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and leftover chicken soup with apples and pretzles.

Saturday Morning Family Breakfast

2009-02-21T13:54:00.001-08:00

My wonderful husband has been working like crazy and I wanted to have a nice family meal together, but I was really tired at 6:30am when my two-year-old decided that it was breakfast time. So, I made eggs and sausage and then took the easy way out and made frozen waffles. I don't think anyone really cared and I felt good that we got to enjoy a meal as a family around the table together.

Play Date Dinner

2009-02-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

The kids had a playdate on Friday night with three friends and I offered to cook dinner. Ok so it wasn't gourmet, but everyone liked it. I served Peperoni pizza, white cheddar macaroni and cheese, and steamed brocoli just to add something healthy to the meal!

Quick Dinner for Kids

2009-02-19T19:27:00.001-08:00

I was running to and from with kids all day and needed to get food on the table in ten minutes. I heated some chicken nuggets and served them with some salad and sliced apple. It was better than fast food and just as quick.

Chili Dogs and Fries

2009-02-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

This was easy, but it's one of my favorites! The kids love hotdogs, but I wanted to dress it up a bit. I added chili, onions, and cheese. I also made fries, but I seasoned one plate and left the others plain for the more sensitive palates in the family. The kids really love to "dress" their own food and it allows everyone to be as adventerous at they want.

Cookies with the kids

2009-02-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

I don't cook with the kids enough, but today reminded me how fun it is! The cookies came out really good too!

Alfredo Tortelini and salad

2009-02-19T19:10:00.000-08:00

My husband was working late, but I still wanted to put out a nice dinner. I had some refridgerated tortelini and alfredo sauce that I quickly heated and served with salad. The kids liked it and I felt better than when I just throw a boxed mac and cheese on the table.

Philly Cheesesteaks

2009-02-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

The picture does not do this justice! It was great. I was able to thinly slice one steak for the whole family. I cut up onion and cooked it in a tablespoon of oil and then removed. I then cooked the steak. I made the sandwiches by layering the steak, onion, and then a super easy cheese sauce on rolls that were quickly heated in the oven. The sauce was two cups of cheese whiz and a tablespoon of milk heated until smooth on the stove. I served it with fries. All together it took twenty minutes to put it on the table and everyone loved it!

Leftover Chicken

2009-02-19T18:56:00.001-08:00

With my leftover chicken I made the kids chicken quesadillas with avocado and applesauce. For the adults I used taco seasoning on the chicken and prepared chicken enchilladas...yummy!

Roast Chicken

2009-02-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

Pea Pod delivered a larger chicken than expected so I made a pseudo Thanksgiving dinner. I was able to save the rest of the Chicken for another meal this week and use the bones to make some stock.