Preschool Snack - Part 2

After pretzels and apples on Monday, and S'mores Trail Mix on Wednesday, we decided to make dirt dessert pudding cups for preschool snack on Friday. This was another easy one to make and Linds and Luke helped throughout the entire process. The end result was delicious and after we set aside enough for her class, there were three left. I thought this was perfect since the boy doesn't really do desserts (especially one this juvenile!)...but lo and behold, when I pulled them out last night for dessert, his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "oh, YES, I love dirt dessert!" Needless to say, I shared half of my pudding cup with my grateful husband :) Lucky for us, too, there were four sent home from school today - so we each got our own tonight.

We garnished ours with a single gummy worm on top (mostly because I managed to eat the rest of the gummy worms over the course of the week we had them in the house and didn't have any extras to mix in with the batter - totally the baby's fault?!). The pudding cups taste much better after sitting overnight in the fridge, but can always be eaten pretty much immediately after making, too.

Dirt Dessert
Ingredients
1 (3.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 (8 oz) tub whipped topping
15 Oreo cookies finely crushed
Gummy worms

Directions

1. Beat pudding mix and milk in a large bowl with wire whisk for 2 minutes.
2. Let stand 5 minutes.
3. Mix in whipped topping and 1/2 cup of cookie crumbs.
4. Spoon into ten 6 or 7 oz cups and top with remaining crumbs.
5. Refrigerate for an hour and top with gummy worms before serving.

Our doubled batch for her class:

Preschool Snack - Part 1

Lindsay was in charge of snacks for her preschool class this week and we decided to go a little creative with them. I always feel bad - since her birthday is right at Christmas, she usually gets to bring her birthday treat on the same day of the holiday party. Everyone's already filling up on cookies and fudge and all that other holiday goodness, that cake and cupcakes are an afterthought. The fact that "mom guilt" over the pending arrival of our third is settling in doesn't help either. I know when this little guy is born that dividing my attention three ways is going to be tough, so I'm trying to do extra special things with Linds and Luke now just to leave them with happy thoughts before my mind (and time) goes.

So, anyways, we decided to do some theme snacks and the letter they were learning this week was "P." On Monday we brought in individual bags of pretzels and apple slices - big hits with 5 year olds! And on Wednesday, we decided to make a trail mix snack that we've been excited to try - s'mores trail mix. Didn't quite fit in with the theme, but it was probably one of the tastiest treats I've snacked on that a 5 year old would enjoy, too. It was super easy to make - in fact, both of the kids made it for the most part. All they had to do was dump the bags/boxes of stuff into a big bowl and mix it up.

S'Mores Trail Mix
Ingredients
1 box of Golden Grahams
1 bag of miniature marshmallows
1 bag of chocolate chips (I used the Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips - better than Hershey's and I'm a Hershey native!)
1 cup of peanuts (optional - we couldn't add them because of school rules)

Directions

1. Combine ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Try not to eat the entire thing yourself before serving ;-)

Rigatoni w/ Sausage & Peas

So, this is definitely NOT a healthy option! If you're looking for something that isn't laden with calories, skip this. It's one dish that I don't make often simply because of the fact that it uses 1/4 cup of straight up butter and 1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream...but there are peas in it, so it has a glimmer of nutrition buried deep down.

The boy and I love this dish, Linds likes the noodles and peas, and even Luke is coming around - although my little "miva" (man-diva) got a bite that had a little sausage and proceeded to stand at the trash can for a couple minutes spitting it out and whining that it was "NOT NUMMY!" Someday these kids will come around to the awesomeness that is sausage?!?

Rigatoni w/ Sausage & Peas
Ingredients
1 16-ounce box rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground sausage
2 cups frozen green peas
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat oil and sauté garlic over medium heat. Add sausage and brown.
2. Once brown, add frozen peas and simmer for 5 minutes.

3.  In the meantime, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. 
4. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. 

5. Slowly add heavy cream and butter to sausage skillet; bring to a slight boil. 
6. Cook for 5 minutes. 
7. Toss with cooked pasta and top with Parmesan cheese. 

The whole process should take just about half an hour. The estimated calories per serving is 611 (and this is an 8-serving dish). You can probably make some substitutions to get that number down (anything from cutting back on the amount of sausage to substituting ingredients in the sauce). The end result, however, is tasty...so try it on a splurge night (if you are food obsessed like me and count calories/fat/etc.!)

Corn Chowder & Bread

Finally made it to the grocery store! About damn time, huh? I always know when it's time to shop because I get cranky when there's no food...and then stressed because I have this marathon list to tackle...and it just gets ugly. In the whole attempt to have a full, nutritious meal, I opted to do corn chowder and whole wheat beer bread. Everything turned out pretty well - it wasn't necessarily the most delicious thing ever, but it tasted good and was super easy to make. Linds helped me with the bread and keeping me company while I chopped the veggies for the soup, so it was a nice bonding experience for us :)

One thing to remember about the chowder...the soup needs at least 15 or 20 minutes to simmer at the end to thicken up. I always forget about this and when it's warmed through I think I screwed up because it's all runny and thin. After 20 minutes, however, the consistency is MUCH better! Between a bowl for the boy, a bowl for myself and a smaller bowl for both kids, the soup was gone - I'd say it's barely 4 servings (although just a little over 200 calories per serving!).

Corn Chowder
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons finely diced celery
2 tablespoons finely diced onion
2 tablespoons finely diced green pepper
1 package frozen whole kernel corn (10 oz.)
1 cup peeled, diced, 1/2" raw potatoes (I use frozen hashbrowns)
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups low-fat (1%) or skim milk
Cheese to sprinkle on top

Directions

1.  Heat oil in medium saucepan. 
2. Add celery, onion, and green pepper and saute for 2 minutes. 
3. Add corn, potatoes, water, salt, pepper, and paprika. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium; and cook, covered, about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 
4. Place 1/2 cup milk in a jar with tight fitting lid. Add flour and shake vigorously. Add gradually to cooked vegetables and add remaining milk. 
5. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Serve garnished with shredded cheddar.

Whole Wheat Beer Bread
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer (I used Stella)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Pour in beer, stir until a stiff batter is formed. It may be necessary to mix dough with your hands. Scrape dough into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.

Zucchini Bread

Our CSA has been phenomenal lately and we've been getting all sorts of amazing veggies! Over the past few weeks we've accumulated enough zucchini to feed a small army. With our latest batch, I decided to make a batch of bread just to get a little variety in (the kiddos are sick of it grilled up as a side). I love this recipe even though it's far from healthy (I mean, c'mon - 1 cup of vegetable oil?!? yikes!), but I can taste the difference when things are substituted, so what the heck? We'll forget the calorie count this time and just make it tasty. Linds helped out and we got two loaves out of a single recipe...and I have enough zucchini shredded and frozen for another two loaves when these run out.

Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (we had one HUGE, extra-large zucchini that was plenty...otherwise, it would be 2 medium)

Directions

1. Grease 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. 
4. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
5. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 
6. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool. 

Oriental Steak & Veggie Stir-fry

It's rare I come across a recipe that everyone will eat and enjoy equally well. Everyone in our family has unique taste buds, and I often struggle finding stuff that satisfies all of 'em. Usually it's the boy and me stuffing our faces while Linds and Luke refuse to eat...but today was a different story. Now, I knew the boy and I would be fine, but that Luke would for sure not eat this, so I heated the little man up some mac and cheese (I keep reminding myself that Linds was picky until she turned 3 or 4, so just give him some time). Linds I wasn't too sure about - she can be hit or miss with beef dishes or rice dishes.

Normally I would have skewered the beef and veggies and grilled it all up, but the dark skies and 90+ degree heat were too unappealing, so I just stir-fried it up on the stove. To my amazement, Linds finished her ENTIRE bowl. I was beyond shocked...even when she likes a meal, she rarely finishes it. She scarfed down zucchini and squash with an overzealous appetite, eagerly ate our garden's peppers (and chattered endlessly about how cool it was to eat food that we grew ourselves), and declared the red onion her new favorite vegetable. She even ate a few bites of the beef and polished off the rice. Honestly, it was like it was some alien child sitting in her seat - I was speechless. You know, it's one thing when the boy thanks me for dinner and said it tasted good, but when my once-picky daughter inhales her portion and waxes philosophical about all the components of a meal - well, that just makes me feel like I'm doing my job right.

I'll post the marinade recipe below, but the rest of it is to your liking. I tossed the veggies we had on hand in a little olive oil and soy sauce and fried those up in one pan, cooked our rice in the rice cooker, and then cooked the beef in the marinade stove top in another pan. Let everyone do their own mix and match and, voila!, dinner.

Oriental Beef Marinade
Ingredients
1 lb sirloin steak, cubed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion dry soup mix

Directions

1. Mix soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, olive oil and soup mix in a Ziploc bag.
2. Add beef and let marinate at least 8 hours.

Pork BBQ & Potato Salad

I knew my afternoon was going to be a hectic one. We have a wonderful couple who comes in and cleans our house every other week (upon my insistence once I started working again...the boy wasn't keen at first and has quickly changed his mind!), and they come in at 3:00. It's a tough time of day - still nap time for the kiddos and not much do to late afternoon that doesn't interfere with dinner. Plus, it eats up my prep/cook time, so I need quick, easy and CLEAN meals to make for dinner (I don't want to mess up the house that quickly!).

I was home all day yesterday and bored by 3ish, so I decided to put together stuff for pork BBQ to crockpot all day, and to use the onions, eggs and potatoes we got from the farm for a potato salad before they go bad. It was the PERFECT day to have dinner ready - not a particularly bad day, but as a friend put it, one of those days where you get so many papercuts that it leads to one big injury. Not only was it nice to have dinner ready to go as soon as I got home from errands tonight, it tasted so flippin delicious!

And the best part: it was a hit amongst the ENTIRE family! Linds ate two full sandwiches and a big scoop of the potato salad, the boy chowed down when got home from work, and Luke...my kid who really only eats hot dogs, pizza, pb&js and chicken nuggets - well he ate half a sandwich. I was shocked to say the least! The prep for this meal took an hour or two, but I doubled the pork because I had a 6 lb roast and potato salad is always going to take forever. The recipe below is for a 3 or 4 lb roast. The potato salad doesn't have many ingredients either, but is still very tasty - almost like a loaded baked potato! YUM :)

Pork BBQ
Ingredients
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 (3 or 4 pound) pork shoulder roast
1 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
8 hamburger buns

Directions

1. Pour the vegetable oil into the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker; pour in the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. Stir in the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, garlic, and thyme. 
2. Cover and cook on low (10-12 hours) or high (5-6 hours) until the roast shreds easily with a fork.
3. Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and stir the meat into the juices. Serve on hamburger buns. 

Red-Skin Potato Salad
Ingredients
2 pounds clean, scrubbed new red potatoes
6 eggs
1 pound bacon
scallions, finely chopped
2 cups mayonnaise
handful of cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and set in the refrigerator to cool.
2. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
3. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
4. Chop the cooled potatoes, leaving skin on. Add to a large bowl, along with the eggs, bacon, and onion. Stir in mayonnaise. Chill overnight.

January 10 - Chicken Pot Pie

I just made one of these with my friend, Katie, and after making it with her, I decided I had to have one of my own! It turned out just the way I expected it and not only did the boy and I enjoy it, but so did Linds - even with all the veggies :) I was so, so happy - we all need more veggies in our diet. Luke boycotted dinner...again...I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, huh?!

I bought regular frozen pie crusts and when I mixed everything together, there was WAY too much filling. I mixed the veggies/chicken and sauce, then divided in two and froze the other half. Now I have another pot pie ready to go (as soon as I buy more crusts!).

Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
3/4 cup frozen green peas
3/4 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup sliced celery
3 medium potatoes
1 bullion cube
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked deep-dish pie crusts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, potatoes and celery. Add bullion cube and water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust (making a dome on top), seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

January 5 - Honey Cashew Chicken

I was looking over some old blog posts and came across the night I made cashew honey chicken. It was a huge hit before, so I figured it would be a sure hit. The boy and I still liked it as much (although this time he liked the beans and not the cashews - totally opposite of before). Linds ate a little, although this was the night before she got sick, so she didn't scarf it down like she did before. Luke? Well, Luke's been boycotting dinners again. ::SIGH:: My favorite part? It's super low-cal (only 190/serving with 4 total servings in the batch - not including the rice). Here's the recipe!


Cashew Honey Chicken
Ingredients
1 package PERDUE® SHORT CUTS® Carved Chicken Breast, Honey Roasted, 6 oz.
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 box (9 ounces) frozen cut green beans, thawed
1/3 cup cashews

Directions

1. In small bowl, whisk together broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch and ginger. 
2. In large nonstick skillet, stirring frequently, bring broth mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Add chicken and green beans and heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with cashews and serve, if desired, over hot rice.

January 3 - Garlic Cheese Chicken Roll-ups

I came across this recipe on allrecipes.com and with only 5 ingredients it surely looked like a keeper! Well, the boy thought it was pretty good, I enjoyed it, but Luke? Definitely not. Lindsay? She gagged on it so badly she had to spit hers in the trashcan. Needless to say we won't be making this again anytime soon (or if we do, it will be on a night when the kids are eating something else!).

Garlic Chicken Cheese Roll-ups
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup dried bread crumbs, seasoned
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (7 ounce) package garlic cheese spread (I used Rondele's light spread)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Pound chicken breasts until thinned out. 
3. In a shallow dish or bowl mix together bread crumbs and cheese. Dip one side of each breast into melted butter or margarine, then into crumb/cheese mixture. 
4. Place a dollop of cheese spread at one end of each chicken breast, on the side of the breast not dipped in the mixture. Roll up each breast and secure with toothpicks.
5. Place rollups in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish and drizzle any remaining butter or margarine over all. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through and juices run clear.

Pecan Pie

We had the boy's extended family Christmas party tonight at his uncle's house and had so much fun! We usually get together once or twice a year (Thanksgiving and Christmas) for a big family event, and since we were with my fam on Thanksgiving this year, we were due for a gathering. It's always fun catching up with everyone and seeing what everyone's up to...although sometimes it can be depressing when you see how much the kids have grown up?!? Linds was particularly social today, playing with some of the boy's cousins' kids, and when I finally figured out who the one girl was, I was floored. This kid went from being 3 years old to 10 overnight! I really swore it was yesterday she was this little girl that was Lindsay's age and now she's this grown "tween." I never thought I'd be 28 and saying I feel old, but when I see these kids and how they've grown over the past 10 years, it *really* makes me feel ancient.

But, back to the whole point of the post, we were asked to bring dessert. I'm over Christmas cookies (the exchange and subsequent selection of 18 different cookies did me in), and we just had cake for Lindsay's birthday, so I figured I'd do a pie. My fabulous friend, Kristi Hall, makes a kick ass pecan pie, so I stole her recipe and made that. It turned out really well from what people said...I didn't even take a piece for myself (again, so not in the mood for sweets at this point!). I forgot to take a picture, so you're stuck with just the recipe :P

Pecan Pie
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh pecans
Pie crust (I just used the graham cracker one - it's easiest)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and vanilla until blended.
3. Pour into pie crust and top with pecans.
4. Bake 50-55 minutes.

December 11 - Party Meatballs

On Saturday we had Lindsay's fourth birthday party! It was 10 days early, but knowing how crazy everyone's schedules are in December, we wanted to make sure as many of our friends and families would be available. It was an amazingly fun bash - over 50 people made it :) Linds loved having everyone there to celebrate with her (even if she didn't talk to most of you!), and I was in my glory - eating, drinking, and spending time with those who are nearest and dearest to me. Plus, throwing a party is "my thing" - I'll spend weeks planning it all the way down to the gritty details.

Upon Lindsay's request, this year's party theme was a "tea party." We had teapots and saucers, although only made one pot (which no one drank)...not surprisingly, the "ice tea with a kick" (i.e. vodka and peach schnapps) went quickly?!? As far as food, we had meatballs, macaroni and cheese, Chick-Fil-A nuggets, fruits, veggies, cheese, meat, and other little snacky sides. I usually overcook like crazy, but aside from a few dozen meatballs, everything was devoured. I love when I don't have a ton of stuff spoiling in my fridge!

I had many requests for the meatball recipe, so here it is! (I made about 160 balls, so I had to scale my recipe up - very easy to do!)


Meatballs
Ingredients
40 meatballs
1 cup of ketchup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 medium onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Directions

1. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, onion and garlic powder.
2. Cover meatballs with sauce. 
3. Cook in crockpot for 4 or 5 hours on low.

In a funk

I feel like I'm in a cooking funk. Lately, I just feel wholly uninspired to create a nice big meal, sit down as a family and enjoy it like I usually do. I have no idea what it is - maybe it was the end of daylight savings time which makes it dark before 5? Or perhaps it's the fact that Luke's hitting that picky stage where he either refuses to eat it altogether, or he chews it up and then spits it out (which has subsequently given Linds the idea that she can refuse the food, too)? Or it could be because the boy hasn't come home from work until 7:00 every night for the past two or three weeks? This means the kids eat at 5:30 and I snack throughout the afternoon so I can wait until 7:30 to have dinner with him (and let me tell you - that hasn't been kind to my whole "getting in shape/losing the last 5 lbs of pregnancy weight" endeavor - grrrrrr). Who knows? It could be sheer laziness, too! All I know is that we're living off of take-out, prepared foods (chicken nuggets, those Barber's stuffed chicken breasts, Kraft mac-n-cheese, pastas, etc.), and PB&Js (well, AB&Js for Luke!). Hopefully this funk ends soon because I do miss eating good, homemade food...I guess I just want someone else to make it for me?!?

October 17 - Rosemary Ranch Chicken

The whole art of the big Sunday dinner seems to be a foregone conclusion for so many families I know. Busy weeks lead into busy weekends and taking the time to put together a big meal by the time Sunday hits is last on the list of important things to do. I know I've been guilty of this lately! I've come to realize, however, that if we take the time to sit down (with the television OFF) and enjoy some food together, the kids tend to be generally happier and easier to put to bed. With this in mind, I decided to put some effort into tonight's dinner (rather than slapping together some pasta and jarred sauce like I had been thinking) and make a nice Sunday dinner.

I gave Linds a couple choices and let her pick - rosemary ranch chicken, white rice (with some of the chicken marinade over top), and braised carrots. Once 5:00 hit, she insisted on helping and I couldn't have been more excited to have her in the kitchen with me! Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love to cook on my own...but having someone there to keep me company and measure ingredients with made it all the more enjoyable.

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white sugar
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once preheated, bake the chicken covered in the marinade for approximately 25 minutes or until juices run clear

Braised Carrots
Ingredients
1 lb bag of baby carrots
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in large saucepan.
2. Simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until water/broth evaporates. 

 
.

September Munchin Mamas!

Thursday is September's Munchin' Mamas meeting - woot, woot! I loooove these get-togethers because I always leave with a full belly, tons of delicious leftovers, and recipes to add to my collection. This month's theme is "30-minute meals" since school has started and we all need as much time as we can get outside of the kitchen. I'm making one of my favorite quick meals - mixed-up enchiladas! It's so easy to make and tastes sooooo delicious. Make sure to serve it up over rice.

Mixed-up Enchiladas
Ingredients
1 - 2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 small onion
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1 can enchilada sauce
1 small can chopped green chilies
1 can cream of mushroom soup
10 corn tortillas, crushed
1 - 2 cups cheddar cheese
Rice

Directions

1. Brown ground beef. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.
2. When complete, add green chilies, enchilada sauce and cream of mushroom soup. Mix well.
3. Add corn tortillas, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Cover with cheese and let melt.
5. Serve after a few minutes over rice.

I also whipped up a quick dessert of Rice Krispie treats because I had some of the cereal to use up. I told Linds we were making them and she asked if we could make them a special color. Last time I made them we did green ones (remember this post?), but today she requested pink. So without further ado - our pink Rice Krispies treats!

Rice Krispies Treats
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
10 oz. bag mini-marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies
12 drops red food coloring
4 drops blue food coloring

Directions

1. Melt butter on low in large saucepan.
2. Once melted, pour in marshmallows; add food coloring once marshmallows are creamy.
3. Mix in Rice Krispies.
4. Spread into a greased 9 x 13 pan/baking dish. Use wax paper to flatten top.
5. Let cool for about an hour.

June 18-20 - Weekend Eats

We had yet another jam-packed weekend! It started on Friday with an evening with Critter (my friend, Sarah's son). Since I was on my own with three kids over dinnertime (just until the boy got home), I ordered some Domino's and figured the cooking wouldn't get done anyways.

On Saturday, Linds had her dance recital in the morning - she did such a fantastic job! I am so proud! After the recital, my parents, the boy's parents, and the four of us all went to the Winner's Circle for lunch. I got a gigantic burger and fries, and my god, did it taste good. Here's a photo of the four of us after the recital:

And of course I have to show off Lindsay by herself!

We just snacked for dinner since we ate a later lunch, so no cooking Saturday either.

For Father's Day, we did absolutely nothing! I kept after the boy and he honestly just wanted to have a lazy day at home with no frills or fancy stuff. I decided to make a stromboli for dinner since the boy enjoys that and I don't frequently repeat my dishes - LOL. I've posted it before, but here's the recipe again - simple and delicious!

Stromboli
Ingredients
1 can Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough
Ham
Salami
Sandwich pepperoni
Heidi Ann swiss cheese
Dijon mustard
Cheddar cheese
Marinara sauce (for dipping)

Directions

1. Unroll the pizza dough and lay flat.
2. Layer meats and cheeses alternately, adding mustard in between a layer.
3. Roll length-wise, pinching the seam and ends closed.
4. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
5. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

June 2 - more Best. Steaks. Ever.

Before I went grocery shopping last week, I was SO hungry for a big slab of steak - I kept thinking about the Best. Steak. Ever. recipe and decided we MUST make it stat. I picked out a 1.66 lb. porterhouse from Wegmans and figured we could all split that with some leftover. Little did I know, there wouldn't be an ounce of meat left!

This was my first time grilling a steak, so I was a bit nervous. We also had asparagus (marinated in the sauce) and mashed potatoes (I substituted my servings of potatoes for grilled marinated broccoli...the ten-year high school reunion is coming up - gotta get to work on losing the remaining baby weight!). I burned the asparagus and broccoli a little bit...not *that* bad, but still a little crisp, but the steak - oh, wow, the steak. It turned out PERFECTLY! I was quite excited that my first steak was such a huge success.

So here's the recipe again...if you haven't tried it, you absolutely must! And make sure that whichever veggies you're serving with it are marinated in the sauce, too...it's absolutely fabulous. Let me know if you make it and what you think :)

Best. Marinade. Ever.
Ingredients
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon concentrated lemon juice (or 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice)
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag. Knead bag to mix ingredients.
2. Place steaks inside bag and marinate for up to 8 hours.

Here's how the boy's and the kiddos' plates turned out (and yes, Luke ate a nice large chunk of the steak and Linds licked her plate clean, not leaving any meat for mom or dad to pick off).

And here's my plate, sans potatoes, with the addition of broccoli.

June 1 - Fajitas

The kids and I took advantage of the Dutch Wonderland season passes my parents bought us today and took a trip out to Lancaster. It was just the three of us who went and we had a blast! It's not always easy juggling both of them in an excitement-filled venue like an amusement park, but neither threw a fit, both stayed close the whole time...I couldn't have asked for a better day.

We left the park around 4:00, so I wanted to plan on something easy for dinner. I've been in the mood for fajitas, and I knew that only required cutting up an onion and pepper, and sautéing them up with a package of Purdue chicken shortcuts. I split it into two pans - one unmarinated, and the other mixed in with Wegman's fajita seasoning (YUM!) and served them in Chi Chi's whole wheat tortillas. I also made a pot of rice, some refried beans, and guacamole to go into the tortillas, and then topped them with some cilantro (and cheese for the boy).

They tasted fantastic! Scott ate two huge ones and kept going on and on about how delicious they were, and Lindsay ate an entire one on her own! Luke is another story, but he had a huge lunch, so I should have seen the throwing of the food coming. I love the fact that dinner took a whopping 20 minutes to make and that everyone devoured it. A definite success!

Luke vs. Corn on the Cob

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I got a new camera - wahoo! We desperately needed an upgrade, and with vacation in three days, we figured it was high time. We bought a Sony Cybershot W-350. I've been photo-crazy all day, taking pictures of anything and everything, and managed to capture this absolute preciousness! Maybe I'm partial, but I kind of think he's the cutest little guy in the universe.

And, of course, I have to toss a few of Linds in!

May 13 - First Corn on the Cob of the Season

I was planning on doing Valerie's chicken today but realized I had two chicken breasts left...enough for the boy and the kiddos with the way Luke and Linds have been eating lately. When I was at Wegmans buying some burgers and their amaaaaazing baked potato salad (it is SO delicious!), I came across a halibut fillet with pesto, sun dried tomatoes and a little mozzarella cheese. It looked like it would taste heavenly and I needed a protein for my meal...the fact that it was $4 was even better! I also saw they had corn on the cob out, so I bought six ears, figuring that would be enough for us. Next time, I need to buy at least 10!

Now, of course, I cut up the chicken for Luke and Lindsay, assuming that's what they would eat. Linds started picking at it (she was eager for the corn), but Luke just tossed his overboard. I know he likes this chicken, but I figured maybe if I gave him a bite of the fish and pesto and tomatoes that he would be so grossed out by the alternative that he'd scarf down the chicken. NOPE! The kid ate 2/3 of my fillet. Every time I took a bite he shrieked and banged on his tray table.

So, my meal (and Luke's I guess) was a little halibut with pesto, sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, paired with corn on the cob and white rice (with a little of the Val's chicken sauce on it for flavor). The boy and Linds ate the chicken instead of the fish. I took a few photos and I'm going to post them all...I got a new camera today, so I went a little picture happy.