I found this recipe for Whole Wheat and Honey Pizza Dough and decided right then and there I needed to try it. Wee-one, Hubs and I love pizza so why not, right?! I found the recipe on www.allrecipes.com and noticed it was rated 4 1/2 star. I usually only try recipes from there if they are 4 1/2 star and above (5 being the highest). I figured this one had to be pretty good. And what was even better was the fact that it was EASY. It only has 6 ingredients and I don't need to monkey with it a whole lot (kneading it, letting it rise, punching it down, etc.)
I decided to just make a plain ol' cheese pizza with this crust. Wee-one is kinda picky when it comes to pizza toppings so less is more at our house. The last time I made homemade pizza he was not a fan so I wasn't so sure how this recipe was going to go over.
Well all is all it was pretty good. Wee-one ate the crust and probably ate the equivalent of 1/2 a piece (adult sized piece). Hubs and I enjoyed it. It's a very heavy crust so it's VERY filling. Of course I'm sure the pizza would have benefited from more toppings but gotta make what the Wee-one will eat :)! Oh the things we do for our children...LOL! I also made green beans with our pizza. Of course Wee-one wouldn't touch those and come to think of it Hubs didn't eat his either...ha! I ate mine though :)!
Here is the recipe for the crust in case you wan to try it.
Whole Wheat and Honey Pizza Dough
1 (.25 oz.) pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. warm water
2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. wheat germ
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. honey
Preheat over to 350. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl combine flout, wheat germ and salt. Make a well in the middle and add honey and yeast mixture. Stir well to combine. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for a few minutes.
Roll on a floured pizza pan and poke a few holes in it with a fork. Bake in preheated over for 5 to 10 minutes, or until desired crispness is achieved.
After I baked mine for 8 minutes I took it out, put my pizza sauce and cheese on it and popped it back in the oven for about 20 more minutes. Put on any toppings you and your family like. Again this pizza dough is very filling but OH SO GOOD!
Recipe courtesy of www.allrecipes.com
I also made some treats for Wee-one to take to daycare today. They were just simple rice krispie treats, tinted orange and shaped into a "pumpkin" shape. I used tootsie rolls as the "stems" and made pumpkin faces on the treats with black gel. They turned out cute. I'll have to post a picture of them later this weekend. The kids all LOVED them, including Wee-one. Hey he's got my sweet-tooth...what can I say. Hubs and I also got to sample the pumpkins and yes they were delicious.
Trying out another new recipe tonight. Hope it's a hit. It's got turkey and rice in it so I'm hoping Wee-one enjoys it. We shall see. I'll post the results tomorrow afternoon. Happy Friday everyone!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Let's Talk: CHRISTMAS CARDS (Shutterfly)
I've been doing A LOT of thinking lately about how to top my Christmas cards from last year. So that involves A LOT of "research". Yes it's a dirty job but each day (well almost each day) I sit at my computer and go through literally 100's of card designs. I think I finally found the one...THE CARD TO OUTDO ALL MY CHRISTMAS CARDS FROM THE PAST. I am in LOVE with the Joy Sage Story Christmas 5x7 Folded card on http://www.shutterfly.com/ .
What a BEAUTIFUL card! It's not the traditional card I would go for but like I said I'm looking for something to outdo my card from last year and the year before, and the year before that :)! The colors of this card match the photo I want to use so perfectly. I think this card was made for my families photo...LOL! The design is simple yet elegant. It's not flashy which is important to me since my family and I are NOT flashy people. In fact my outfit from our family photo matches the colors on this card...ha! Hey that's kind of important that we "match" the card I choose. I found this card in the http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards section on Shutterfly. Last year's Christmas card was ok. I did a traditional photocard with 3 pictures of Wee-one on there. It was cute but again I always am striving for something different. I have always wanted to do a 5x7 folded photo card BUT the price can get kind of out of hand. Let's face it...I don't know enough people to order the amount I need to justify spending all that dough.
I also noticed Shutterfly has holiday story cards that you can design yourself. Check them out at http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-story-cards. They are truly amazing and might be something I would consider doing next year :)! Oh geez...I spilled the beans on what I "might" do next year. Time will tell. They are super cute and you can even put your favorite photos on them. What a CONCEPT :)!!!
Know what's even better then Shutterfly's amazing cards??! Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards!! Go check them out...HEAD ON OVER THERE RIGHT NOW...you won't be sorry. I promise. Talk about CUTE and AMAZING cards. Something for everyone...seriously! Let me know if you find something you can't live without :)!! And most of all have fun looking at the variety that http://www.shutterfly.com/ has to offer.
What a BEAUTIFUL card! It's not the traditional card I would go for but like I said I'm looking for something to outdo my card from last year and the year before, and the year before that :)! The colors of this card match the photo I want to use so perfectly. I think this card was made for my families photo...LOL! The design is simple yet elegant. It's not flashy which is important to me since my family and I are NOT flashy people. In fact my outfit from our family photo matches the colors on this card...ha! Hey that's kind of important that we "match" the card I choose. I found this card in the http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards section on Shutterfly. Last year's Christmas card was ok. I did a traditional photocard with 3 pictures of Wee-one on there. It was cute but again I always am striving for something different. I have always wanted to do a 5x7 folded photo card BUT the price can get kind of out of hand. Let's face it...I don't know enough people to order the amount I need to justify spending all that dough.
I also noticed Shutterfly has holiday story cards that you can design yourself. Check them out at http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-story-cards. They are truly amazing and might be something I would consider doing next year :)! Oh geez...I spilled the beans on what I "might" do next year. Time will tell. They are super cute and you can even put your favorite photos on them. What a CONCEPT :)!!!
Know what's even better then Shutterfly's amazing cards??! Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards!! Go check them out...HEAD ON OVER THERE RIGHT NOW...you won't be sorry. I promise. Talk about CUTE and AMAZING cards. Something for everyone...seriously! Let me know if you find something you can't live without :)!! And most of all have fun looking at the variety that http://www.shutterfly.com/ has to offer.
Coffee Cake for Supper...What a Concept :)!
Last night we had Mixed Berry Buckle (Coffee cake) for supper. I've made this before but just did Blueberries and not mixed berry. I wasn't sure how Wee-one would eat it because the first time I made it he wasn't so sure about it. However the last few times I've made it, he likes it. Well last night to say that he liked it would be a total understatement :)!
He had a pretty large piece to begin with and a scrambled egg. He polished off the Buckle and asked for more. While I was reheating that, he finished up his egg too. He was eating it all by the handfuls again. Apparently using the fork or spoon takes to much time and he can't get into his mouth the amount he wants...ha :)! It's funny to watch him put fistfuls of food into his mouth. I got him more Buckle and no sooner sat down when Wee-one asked for more egg. Well there was none left so I had to make another scrambled egg for him (not a big deal). He snarfed that right down too. I was totally AMAZED at how well he ate last night!!
I figured that if he doesn't eat a snack after getting up from his nap he eats better at supper. However he is super crabby until he gets food...so some nights I do give him a snack just to make him happy. I get crabby when I'm hungry too. I have a feeling it's caused by low blood sugar...that's my story and I'm stickin' to it :)! So for now we are not having snacks before supper..hopefully we can keep that up.
Wee-one didn't want to go to bed again last night. He cried and cried when I left his room. So I went back in there to see if he wanted to pick out a book to read before going to sleep. I got him up outta his crib and he walked over to Hubs and said "I'm not sleeping Daddy"...kinda like "Ha...you all fell for it and now I'm up and ready to play". Well sorry little guy...we did prayers and kisses again and it was off to bed. Wee-one needs to know he doesn't call the shots. Of course he bawled and cried (his fake cry that takes a lot of effort) and finally he went to sleep after about 10 minutes. I hate doing the Crying it Out thing but some nights it just needs to be done. Hopefully tonight will go better.
I think I'm going to start posting in the afternoons instead of in the late evenings. Wee-one is so unpredictable at bedtime these days so naptime in the afternoon works better. So keep following along...I'll update in the daytime now :)!
Here is the recipe for the Original Blueberry Buckle. Feel free to use any kind of fruit your family might enjoy. I did the mixed berries because that's what I had in the freezer.
Blueberry Buckle
2 c. all purpose flour (I used wheat flour)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tsp. Wheat germ (optional...I like to use it)
1/2 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. butter
Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and 1/2 in. up sides of a 9x9x2 or 8x8x2 in. baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the 2 c. flour, the baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the 3/4 c. sugar. Beat on medium to high speed until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to beaten mixture, beating until smooth after each addition.
Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with blueberries. In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 c. flour, the 1/2 c. sugar and the cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle onto blueberries. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes (or longer..in my case is 1hr. 15 min.) or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 9 servings.
Tonight I'm trying my hand at making homemade Honey Wheat pizza crust. We are just having a plain ol' cheese pizza because that's what Wee-one likes but I'm looking forward to trying out this crust recipe. I'll post the recipe and the results tomorrow. Have a great day!!
He had a pretty large piece to begin with and a scrambled egg. He polished off the Buckle and asked for more. While I was reheating that, he finished up his egg too. He was eating it all by the handfuls again. Apparently using the fork or spoon takes to much time and he can't get into his mouth the amount he wants...ha :)! It's funny to watch him put fistfuls of food into his mouth. I got him more Buckle and no sooner sat down when Wee-one asked for more egg. Well there was none left so I had to make another scrambled egg for him (not a big deal). He snarfed that right down too. I was totally AMAZED at how well he ate last night!!
I figured that if he doesn't eat a snack after getting up from his nap he eats better at supper. However he is super crabby until he gets food...so some nights I do give him a snack just to make him happy. I get crabby when I'm hungry too. I have a feeling it's caused by low blood sugar...that's my story and I'm stickin' to it :)! So for now we are not having snacks before supper..hopefully we can keep that up.
Wee-one didn't want to go to bed again last night. He cried and cried when I left his room. So I went back in there to see if he wanted to pick out a book to read before going to sleep. I got him up outta his crib and he walked over to Hubs and said "I'm not sleeping Daddy"...kinda like "Ha...you all fell for it and now I'm up and ready to play". Well sorry little guy...we did prayers and kisses again and it was off to bed. Wee-one needs to know he doesn't call the shots. Of course he bawled and cried (his fake cry that takes a lot of effort) and finally he went to sleep after about 10 minutes. I hate doing the Crying it Out thing but some nights it just needs to be done. Hopefully tonight will go better.
I think I'm going to start posting in the afternoons instead of in the late evenings. Wee-one is so unpredictable at bedtime these days so naptime in the afternoon works better. So keep following along...I'll update in the daytime now :)!
Here is the recipe for the Original Blueberry Buckle. Feel free to use any kind of fruit your family might enjoy. I did the mixed berries because that's what I had in the freezer.
Blueberry Buckle
2 c. all purpose flour (I used wheat flour)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tsp. Wheat germ (optional...I like to use it)
1/2 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. butter
Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and 1/2 in. up sides of a 9x9x2 or 8x8x2 in. baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the 2 c. flour, the baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the 3/4 c. sugar. Beat on medium to high speed until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to beaten mixture, beating until smooth after each addition.
Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with blueberries. In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 c. flour, the 1/2 c. sugar and the cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle onto blueberries. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes (or longer..in my case is 1hr. 15 min.) or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 9 servings.
Tonight I'm trying my hand at making homemade Honey Wheat pizza crust. We are just having a plain ol' cheese pizza because that's what Wee-one likes but I'm looking forward to trying out this crust recipe. I'll post the recipe and the results tomorrow. Have a great day!!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Gotta Love the TOTS (well Tator Tot Hotdish that is)
Wee-one definitely takes after me...he loves him some tator tots. I'm all about the tots too. Seriously while I make Tator Tot hotdish it isn't uncommon for me to sneak a few frozen ones from the bag and eat them. Gross...well maybe to some people..but I like them that way. Ask my Mom...I use to do that all the time when I was younger too. Maybe that's why Wee-one likes frozen muffins? I haven't tried giving him a frozen tot yet and probably won't because of the choking hazard thing and all. But yes we are a family of tator tot lovin' individuals :).
Ok I got side-tracked...sorry :)! It was Tator Tot Hotdish night tonight. Wasn't quite sure how it was going to go over considering Wee-one really has a love/hate relationship with ground beef. But being the persistent mommy I am, I keep making it for him in hopes that someday he'll shock me. Well tonight must have been the night to shock the momma. Wee-one was eating his Tator Tot hotdish by the handfuls! It was slow going at first. He was just eating the tots and kept asking for more but then just outta the blue he grabbed a handful of the hamburger part of the casserole and stuffed it in his mouth. I thought for sure he'd chew it a bit and realize what he just did and spit it right back out but he ATE IT! He SWALLOWED it! And WENT BACK IN FOR ANOTHER HANDFUL! I rewarded him with a cup of vanilla pudding :)! And after the pudding was gone he ate a few more bites of his casserole. Yup I would call tonight's meal a success!! I'm not saying that Wee-one is going to become a ground beef lover now but hey it's a start. I bet if I made him Tator Tot hotdish tomorrow night he wouldn't eat it..LOL!
My Tator Tot Hotdish recipe is the easiest recipe there is. I have it written down but you know what I've been making it for years and have it memorized. I write down my recipes so someday Wee-one (and any other future child I may or may not have) will have them to enjoy later on. I only do that with recipes we enjoyed. You won't find any recipes in my recipe box that I haven't tried at least once :).
Here is the recipe:
Tator Tot Hotdish
1 lb. ground beef (tonight I did 2lbs.) (depends on if you want leftovers or not)
1/2 c. onion, chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can water
1 can green beans, drained
Tator tots
Shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9x9 baking dish (or 9x13 if using 2lbs. hamburger). Brown ground beef and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Drain. Put ground beef back in skillet. Dump in soup, water, and green beans (you can add a few tots here too if you want). Heat through. Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Put tator tots on top of cheese. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until tator tots are golden brown and hotdish is bubbly.
I served this with bread and butter. I've also been known to make Popovers (which go really good with this recipe too). And for a bonus tonight I made Apple Crisp...which Hubs and I enjoyed after Wee-one went to bed. Hey he can have some tomorrow..there's plenty :)! I'll post that recipe tomorrow night. Not sure if I'll be doing the breakfast for supper thing tomorrow night or not since my fridge is bustin' with leftovers again. We'll see.....better get off to bed. Good night!
Ok I got side-tracked...sorry :)! It was Tator Tot Hotdish night tonight. Wasn't quite sure how it was going to go over considering Wee-one really has a love/hate relationship with ground beef. But being the persistent mommy I am, I keep making it for him in hopes that someday he'll shock me. Well tonight must have been the night to shock the momma. Wee-one was eating his Tator Tot hotdish by the handfuls! It was slow going at first. He was just eating the tots and kept asking for more but then just outta the blue he grabbed a handful of the hamburger part of the casserole and stuffed it in his mouth. I thought for sure he'd chew it a bit and realize what he just did and spit it right back out but he ATE IT! He SWALLOWED it! And WENT BACK IN FOR ANOTHER HANDFUL! I rewarded him with a cup of vanilla pudding :)! And after the pudding was gone he ate a few more bites of his casserole. Yup I would call tonight's meal a success!! I'm not saying that Wee-one is going to become a ground beef lover now but hey it's a start. I bet if I made him Tator Tot hotdish tomorrow night he wouldn't eat it..LOL!
My Tator Tot Hotdish recipe is the easiest recipe there is. I have it written down but you know what I've been making it for years and have it memorized. I write down my recipes so someday Wee-one (and any other future child I may or may not have) will have them to enjoy later on. I only do that with recipes we enjoyed. You won't find any recipes in my recipe box that I haven't tried at least once :).
Here is the recipe:
Tator Tot Hotdish
1 lb. ground beef (tonight I did 2lbs.) (depends on if you want leftovers or not)
1/2 c. onion, chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can water
1 can green beans, drained
Tator tots
Shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9x9 baking dish (or 9x13 if using 2lbs. hamburger). Brown ground beef and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Drain. Put ground beef back in skillet. Dump in soup, water, and green beans (you can add a few tots here too if you want). Heat through. Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Put tator tots on top of cheese. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until tator tots are golden brown and hotdish is bubbly.
I served this with bread and butter. I've also been known to make Popovers (which go really good with this recipe too). And for a bonus tonight I made Apple Crisp...which Hubs and I enjoyed after Wee-one went to bed. Hey he can have some tomorrow..there's plenty :)! I'll post that recipe tomorrow night. Not sure if I'll be doing the breakfast for supper thing tomorrow night or not since my fridge is bustin' with leftovers again. We'll see.....better get off to bed. Good night!
Sorry....
So sorry for not posting the results of the Parmesan Potato Soup last night. Wee-one decided that he didn't want to go to bed at 9:00 and instead was up until 9:45. I didn't feel much like posting last night after battling him to go to bed..ha! I must have jinxed myself saying we had the sleeping thing figured out...LOL! Wee-one did redeem himself and sleep all night after the initial fighting to stay up so I guess that was a plus :)!
Ok so the Parmesan Potato Soup was good. Wee-one only took two bites but Hubs and I enjoyed it. I learned though that turkey bacon is the pits...ha! I had a coupon for it and thought I'd try it. I don't recommend it! I think I'll stick to regular ol' greasy bacon next time. Wee-one did eat his Grilled Cheese and had snacked on a few grapes and a slice of cheese about an hour before supper. I figured he was eating grapes so who was I to stop him! It's funny how hit and miss everything is with Wee-one. Like I said it keeps life interesting that's for sure.
I would recommend trying this soup...it's a good, hearty soup and I would even think you could "hide" some choice vegetables in here with a little bit of effort (example: shredded carrot, maybe some peas). Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are a good companion for this soup too.
Parmesan Potato Soup (Taste of Home Recipe)
4 med. baking potatoes (abt. 2 lbs.)
3/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
4 1/2 c. chicken broth
6 c. milk (I only used 4)
3/4 to 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
10 bacon strips, cooked and chopped
Pierce potatoes with a fork -microwave until tender. Cool, peel and cube (I peeled them before cooking); Set aside.
In a large Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes.
Add potatoes; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add milk and cheese; heat through. Stir in bacon. Yield: 10-12 servings (lots of leftovers)
Tonight we'll be having Tator Tot Hotdish. That is usually a miss with Wee-one but then again you never know. I'm serving Bread and Butter with it since the vegetable (green beans) is already in the casserole. I'll post tonight (if Wee-one goes to bed on time...he he :)!!) I know Hubs and I both love Tator Tot Hotdish...Wee-one does love tots so maybe, just maybe he'll eat it right up tonight. Hey I can hope can't I?! More to come.....
Ok so the Parmesan Potato Soup was good. Wee-one only took two bites but Hubs and I enjoyed it. I learned though that turkey bacon is the pits...ha! I had a coupon for it and thought I'd try it. I don't recommend it! I think I'll stick to regular ol' greasy bacon next time. Wee-one did eat his Grilled Cheese and had snacked on a few grapes and a slice of cheese about an hour before supper. I figured he was eating grapes so who was I to stop him! It's funny how hit and miss everything is with Wee-one. Like I said it keeps life interesting that's for sure.
I would recommend trying this soup...it's a good, hearty soup and I would even think you could "hide" some choice vegetables in here with a little bit of effort (example: shredded carrot, maybe some peas). Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are a good companion for this soup too.
Parmesan Potato Soup (Taste of Home Recipe)
4 med. baking potatoes (abt. 2 lbs.)
3/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
4 1/2 c. chicken broth
6 c. milk (I only used 4)
3/4 to 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
10 bacon strips, cooked and chopped
Pierce potatoes with a fork -microwave until tender. Cool, peel and cube (I peeled them before cooking); Set aside.
In a large Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes.
Add potatoes; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add milk and cheese; heat through. Stir in bacon. Yield: 10-12 servings (lots of leftovers)
Tonight we'll be having Tator Tot Hotdish. That is usually a miss with Wee-one but then again you never know. I'm serving Bread and Butter with it since the vegetable (green beans) is already in the casserole. I'll post tonight (if Wee-one goes to bed on time...he he :)!!) I know Hubs and I both love Tator Tot Hotdish...Wee-one does love tots so maybe, just maybe he'll eat it right up tonight. Hey I can hope can't I?! More to come.....
Monday, October 25, 2010
Menu for October 25-October 31
I know...I slacked off and didn't post on Saturday like I intended to. I changed my menu again on Saturday and we had leftovers for supper instead of the Parmesan Potato Soup. Our fridge was bursting with TONS and TONS of leftovers that I just didn't want to see go to waste. Of course that left me in a pinch on Sunday for supper...ha! Sunday is usually "leftover night" so I was in a bit of a pickle. Hubs suggested we have Chicken and potato wedges from a local establishment and I wasn't going to argue :)!
Tonight is going to be Parmesan Potato Soup night instead :)! I had a VERY limited budget this week since there are 5 weeks in this month our "budget" got a little messed up. I had $35.00 in the grocery money leftover from the past few weeks so that's what I had to work with. Thankfully we have a lot of stuff in the freezer and stuff that I canned. That helps out so much at times like these. I'm so happy I took all that time to put up a bunch of our garden stuff. So I went shopping today with a very small list and $35.00. And guess what...I still had money left...$7.00 to be exact :)! I'm good like that :)!!
Here is the menu for this week. Again keep in mind I'm working with very limited funds...ha!
Monday:
*Parmesan Potato Soup
*Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Tuesday:
*Tator Tot Hotdish
*Bread and Butter
Wednesday:
*Breakfast for supper (Probably Mixed Berry Buckle or Pumpkin Waffles..not sure yet)
*Eggs
*Fruit (unless we have the Buckle for supper)
Thursday:
*Homemade Cheese Pizza (trying a new recipe for Honey Wheat Pizza dough..should be interesting)
Friday:
*Curried Turkey and Rice Casserole (also a new recipe)
*Peas
Saturday:
*Goulash
*Bread and Butter (or maybe homemade crescents or bread if I'm really motivated)
*Corn
Sunday:
*Leftovers
So there you have it...my menu for this week. I'll post my Parmesan Potato Soup recipe tonight and whether or not Wee-one enjoyed it. He's been eating like a CHAMP lately so hopefully tonight is not the exception :)! His sleeping has been better too...YIPPEEE!!!! Stay tune for tonight!!!
Tonight is going to be Parmesan Potato Soup night instead :)! I had a VERY limited budget this week since there are 5 weeks in this month our "budget" got a little messed up. I had $35.00 in the grocery money leftover from the past few weeks so that's what I had to work with. Thankfully we have a lot of stuff in the freezer and stuff that I canned. That helps out so much at times like these. I'm so happy I took all that time to put up a bunch of our garden stuff. So I went shopping today with a very small list and $35.00. And guess what...I still had money left...$7.00 to be exact :)! I'm good like that :)!!
Here is the menu for this week. Again keep in mind I'm working with very limited funds...ha!
Monday:
*Parmesan Potato Soup
*Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Tuesday:
*Tator Tot Hotdish
*Bread and Butter
Wednesday:
*Breakfast for supper (Probably Mixed Berry Buckle or Pumpkin Waffles..not sure yet)
*Eggs
*Fruit (unless we have the Buckle for supper)
Thursday:
*Homemade Cheese Pizza (trying a new recipe for Honey Wheat Pizza dough..should be interesting)
Friday:
*Curried Turkey and Rice Casserole (also a new recipe)
*Peas
Saturday:
*Goulash
*Bread and Butter (or maybe homemade crescents or bread if I'm really motivated)
*Corn
Sunday:
*Leftovers
So there you have it...my menu for this week. I'll post my Parmesan Potato Soup recipe tonight and whether or not Wee-one enjoyed it. He's been eating like a CHAMP lately so hopefully tonight is not the exception :)! His sleeping has been better too...YIPPEEE!!!! Stay tune for tonight!!!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Soups On
Well the soup was on earlier tonight...at supper :)! I used my crock-pot. I LOVE my crock-pot. In fact I have 3 crock-pots but usually only use one at a time. Of course they are all different sizes and one is special and lets me actually program it. Yes I think I might have a crock-pot addiction...could be worse I guess :)!
I made Chicken and Wild Rice Soup today at around 1:00ish. I did actually remember to cook the chicken yesterday and cut it up so I didn't have to worry about that. Wish I would have thought about cutting up the celery and carrots..oh well. That didn't take long at all and I didn't even cut myself while chopping...BONUS! The recipe I made for tonight was so easy. Seriously, chop a few things, open a few cans and boxes, add some chicken and water, plug in the crock-pot and call it supper! Nothing better then a quick and easy meal that everyone will eat.
Wee-one LOVES this soup. I was a little worried because I have two Chicken and Wild Rice soup recipes floating around my kitchen. I forgot that this crock-pot one isn't the "creamy" kinda soup that Wee-one favors. I was a little concerned. I made sure his soup had lots of rice, chicken and veggies and very very little broth. He did just fine with it. I think he might have thought it was a hotdish or something. He ate it right up :)! I added some peas to this recipe just for a little extra "veggie" boost and Wee-one ate those too. I made crescent rolls tonight (just the store bought kind in the tube...I'm not motivated enough to make homemade..especially on a weeknight). Wee-one ate 2 1/2 crescent rolls along with his soup. He loves his bread..what can I say. Hubs and I liked tonight's meal too and there are PLENTY of leftover for me to enjoy the next few days. Gotta love leftovers!
Here is the recipe I used tonight. Feel free to add veggies and modify it to your families liking:
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Crock-pot recipe):
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup, condensed
2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
1 c. carrots, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
2 pkgs. (4 oz. each) long grain & wild rice mix, with seasoning packet
5 c. chicken broth
5 c. water
Combine all ingredients in a greased 4 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 4-6 hours or until rice is done. Do not overcook. Makes 6-8 servings.
I've been looking through some of my slow-cooker cookbooks trying to find more easy recipes like this. I love recipes with "normal" easy to find ingredients that everyone in my family will enjoy. I hope to in the very near future dedicate a whole week of just using my slow-cookers for all my supper meals. It's just so much easier some days to have supper cooking for you all day instead of having to throw something together at 5:00 :)!
Well I think that's all for tonight. Feeling kinda sleepy and my typing is getting horrible. Off to bed I go....I think. I probably won't be posting until Saturday night since tomorrow night I'm not cooking. It's "date night" tomorrow night....YIPPEE! We'll let someone else do the cooking and Wee-one gets cheese pizza for supper :)! Good night everyone. I'll be back on Saturday with another soup recipe!
I made Chicken and Wild Rice Soup today at around 1:00ish. I did actually remember to cook the chicken yesterday and cut it up so I didn't have to worry about that. Wish I would have thought about cutting up the celery and carrots..oh well. That didn't take long at all and I didn't even cut myself while chopping...BONUS! The recipe I made for tonight was so easy. Seriously, chop a few things, open a few cans and boxes, add some chicken and water, plug in the crock-pot and call it supper! Nothing better then a quick and easy meal that everyone will eat.
Wee-one LOVES this soup. I was a little worried because I have two Chicken and Wild Rice soup recipes floating around my kitchen. I forgot that this crock-pot one isn't the "creamy" kinda soup that Wee-one favors. I was a little concerned. I made sure his soup had lots of rice, chicken and veggies and very very little broth. He did just fine with it. I think he might have thought it was a hotdish or something. He ate it right up :)! I added some peas to this recipe just for a little extra "veggie" boost and Wee-one ate those too. I made crescent rolls tonight (just the store bought kind in the tube...I'm not motivated enough to make homemade..especially on a weeknight). Wee-one ate 2 1/2 crescent rolls along with his soup. He loves his bread..what can I say. Hubs and I liked tonight's meal too and there are PLENTY of leftover for me to enjoy the next few days. Gotta love leftovers!
Here is the recipe I used tonight. Feel free to add veggies and modify it to your families liking:
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Crock-pot recipe):
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup, condensed
2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
1 c. carrots, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
2 pkgs. (4 oz. each) long grain & wild rice mix, with seasoning packet
5 c. chicken broth
5 c. water
Combine all ingredients in a greased 4 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 4-6 hours or until rice is done. Do not overcook. Makes 6-8 servings.
I've been looking through some of my slow-cooker cookbooks trying to find more easy recipes like this. I love recipes with "normal" easy to find ingredients that everyone in my family will enjoy. I hope to in the very near future dedicate a whole week of just using my slow-cookers for all my supper meals. It's just so much easier some days to have supper cooking for you all day instead of having to throw something together at 5:00 :)!
Well I think that's all for tonight. Feeling kinda sleepy and my typing is getting horrible. Off to bed I go....I think. I probably won't be posting until Saturday night since tomorrow night I'm not cooking. It's "date night" tomorrow night....YIPPEE! We'll let someone else do the cooking and Wee-one gets cheese pizza for supper :)! Good night everyone. I'll be back on Saturday with another soup recipe!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Gotta LOVE Pancakes
Breakfast for supper always seems to be a hit around here. Tonight was no exception :)! I made a batch of Cinnamon Pumpkin Pancakes. Let me just say they smell so good when they are cooking and they taste even better! Perfect pancake to eat on a wonderful Fall day. We've had these many many times and each time Wee-one eats them right up. He use to just eat them plain but has now discovered syrup is a wonderful thing. He literally sucks and slurps the syrup off the pancake before it can all soak in. I'm happy to report that the sugary syrup does not make him bounce off the walls (well anymore then he already does...ha).
I've been roasting pumpkins the past few days so for an extra treat we had FRESH pureed pumpkin in our pancakes tonight. DELICIOUS! Canned pumpkin works get too..you get the same effect but there is just something about using something you have grown in your own garden that makes it "extra special". Ok so I'm a corn-ball...ha! Now on to the recipe....
Cinnamon Pumpkin Pancakes:
2 c. flour (I use half regular flour and half whole wheat flour)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. Wheat germ (optional...an add on by me for a little extra healthy boost)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. pumpkin
1 lg. egg
2 Tbsp. oil (or I use 2 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce to but the fat)
Syrup
In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, wheat germ, salt and spices. In a small bowl, combine the milk, pumpkin, egg, and oil (or applesauce). Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture just until well blended. The batter should be slightly lumpy.
Lightly oil the griddle or skillet, heat over medium high heat. Spoon about 1/4 c. batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles burst on top and bottom is light brown. Turn and cook the other side for about 2 minutes until browned. Serve pancakes with syrup.
I like to use my 1/4 c. measuring cup to make round pancakes. Using that helps me get my pancakes to actually look round and I'm able to control the size of the pancake. Wee-one likes to have wee sized pancakes :)! I have not noticed any difference in using oil or unsweetened applesauce. It's a great way to make them healthier. As for the wheat germ I pretty much put that in any of the baked goods I'm making now (even chocolate chip cookies...ha). No one is any the wiser and there is no difference in taste..which is even better :)!
I usually serve venison sausage with these pancakes (which Wee-one goes crazy for) but we are out. I just served plain old eggs with some cheese on them. Of course they were a hit. I think anything with cheese is a hit...well except green beans...according to Wee-one (see yesterdays post). We also had grapes but guess what...Wee-one wouldn't touch them. Absolutely refused to even look at them...ha. And to think just a week ago or so he was eating them. Again never a dull moment at our house.
I'm using my slow-cooker tomorrow. I love cooking with my slow-cooker and may actually sometime in the near future use my slow-cooker for every meal for a week (at supper time). I need to maybe invest in some of those slow-cooker liners though before I attempt that. I don't want to be scrubbing my slow-cooker every single night...sometimes they need a good soak after a hard day cooking...LOL! I'll post that recipe tomorrow night after Wee-one goes to bed. Good night everyone.
I've been roasting pumpkins the past few days so for an extra treat we had FRESH pureed pumpkin in our pancakes tonight. DELICIOUS! Canned pumpkin works get too..you get the same effect but there is just something about using something you have grown in your own garden that makes it "extra special". Ok so I'm a corn-ball...ha! Now on to the recipe....
Cinnamon Pumpkin Pancakes:
2 c. flour (I use half regular flour and half whole wheat flour)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. Wheat germ (optional...an add on by me for a little extra healthy boost)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. pumpkin
1 lg. egg
2 Tbsp. oil (or I use 2 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce to but the fat)
Syrup
In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, wheat germ, salt and spices. In a small bowl, combine the milk, pumpkin, egg, and oil (or applesauce). Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture just until well blended. The batter should be slightly lumpy.
Lightly oil the griddle or skillet, heat over medium high heat. Spoon about 1/4 c. batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles burst on top and bottom is light brown. Turn and cook the other side for about 2 minutes until browned. Serve pancakes with syrup.
I like to use my 1/4 c. measuring cup to make round pancakes. Using that helps me get my pancakes to actually look round and I'm able to control the size of the pancake. Wee-one likes to have wee sized pancakes :)! I have not noticed any difference in using oil or unsweetened applesauce. It's a great way to make them healthier. As for the wheat germ I pretty much put that in any of the baked goods I'm making now (even chocolate chip cookies...ha). No one is any the wiser and there is no difference in taste..which is even better :)!
I usually serve venison sausage with these pancakes (which Wee-one goes crazy for) but we are out. I just served plain old eggs with some cheese on them. Of course they were a hit. I think anything with cheese is a hit...well except green beans...according to Wee-one (see yesterdays post). We also had grapes but guess what...Wee-one wouldn't touch them. Absolutely refused to even look at them...ha. And to think just a week ago or so he was eating them. Again never a dull moment at our house.
I'm using my slow-cooker tomorrow. I love cooking with my slow-cooker and may actually sometime in the near future use my slow-cooker for every meal for a week (at supper time). I need to maybe invest in some of those slow-cooker liners though before I attempt that. I don't want to be scrubbing my slow-cooker every single night...sometimes they need a good soak after a hard day cooking...LOL! I'll post that recipe tomorrow night after Wee-one goes to bed. Good night everyone.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Spaghetti by the HANDFULS!
Spaghetti is SO NOT a finger food but you know what if Wee-one wants to eat it with his hands, so be it :)! He's eating it, isn't he?! He was trying to "twist" it around the fork like Hubs and I do but just hasn't quite mastered that yet (geez I'm 32 years old and haven't mastered that yet...well for the most part). Wee-one ate sauce tonight too. SAUCE people! And spaghetti, LOTS AND LOTS of spaghetti. I think I refilled his plate 3 times. Of course some of it was in his lap but most made it into his mouth. Spaghetti night was a success! Of course the cheesy green beans went untouched (by Wee-one anyway). He ALMOST ate one when he accidentally picked one up with his fork but he realized it before he popped it into his mouth..silly boy!
Not sure why he's been eating so good lately but I think it's awesome! I noticed his last 2 year molar FINALLY popped through so maybe that has something to do with his eating lately. Or maybe he's growing again. I have noticed some of his pants are kinda on the short side lately. Now if we could just figure out the sleeping part..we'd be set.
I guess I can't complain too much about Wee-ones sleeping. He has really settled into our bedtime routine. We finally had to implement a really set bedtime after we realized "flying by the seat of our pants" at bedtime and letting him go to bed anywhere between 8:30 and 9:30 was so NOT ok. I read a book that told me that strict bedtime routines are a must for some kids. I always swore left, right, up, down and sideways that my child wouldn't be one of "those" kids on such a strict routine. Well guess what...bedtime routine is just that...it's routine. The same thing night after night and at the same time. It's worked wonders. However Wee-ones been having nightmares and some nights he wakes up a few times wanting to just be held for a few minutes. Fine by me..I'll take all the cuddles I can get. I'm thankful he usually goes back to bed pretty quick. Some early mornings he's up for the day at 4:30 or 5:30. Not sure why that is...I don't pretend to have all the answers...LOL :)! We never know what the next day is going to bring. I guess that's what keeps life exciting, right?! :)
Being a parent is such a great adventure. Don't get me wrong..I have my "pulling out my hair moments" but all in all Wee-one is just a GREAT child and Hubs and I are extremely blessed. Tomorrow night is breakfast for supper at our house. I'm making Pumpkin Pancakes. I'll post the recipe for those tomorrow. I figured no one needs a recipe for Spaghetti and Meat Sauce...it's all pretty easy (and on the package of noodles and cans/jars of sauce)...HA :)!! Good night!
Not sure why he's been eating so good lately but I think it's awesome! I noticed his last 2 year molar FINALLY popped through so maybe that has something to do with his eating lately. Or maybe he's growing again. I have noticed some of his pants are kinda on the short side lately. Now if we could just figure out the sleeping part..we'd be set.
I guess I can't complain too much about Wee-ones sleeping. He has really settled into our bedtime routine. We finally had to implement a really set bedtime after we realized "flying by the seat of our pants" at bedtime and letting him go to bed anywhere between 8:30 and 9:30 was so NOT ok. I read a book that told me that strict bedtime routines are a must for some kids. I always swore left, right, up, down and sideways that my child wouldn't be one of "those" kids on such a strict routine. Well guess what...bedtime routine is just that...it's routine. The same thing night after night and at the same time. It's worked wonders. However Wee-ones been having nightmares and some nights he wakes up a few times wanting to just be held for a few minutes. Fine by me..I'll take all the cuddles I can get. I'm thankful he usually goes back to bed pretty quick. Some early mornings he's up for the day at 4:30 or 5:30. Not sure why that is...I don't pretend to have all the answers...LOL :)! We never know what the next day is going to bring. I guess that's what keeps life exciting, right?! :)
Being a parent is such a great adventure. Don't get me wrong..I have my "pulling out my hair moments" but all in all Wee-one is just a GREAT child and Hubs and I are extremely blessed. Tomorrow night is breakfast for supper at our house. I'm making Pumpkin Pancakes. I'll post the recipe for those tomorrow. I figured no one needs a recipe for Spaghetti and Meat Sauce...it's all pretty easy (and on the package of noodles and cans/jars of sauce)...HA :)!! Good night!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Turkey Lattice Pie = ONE HAPPY MOMMA!!
Tonight's supper was a COMPLETE HIT! And that might be the understatement of the year after watching Wee-one snarf down 3 helpings of Turkey Lattice Pie! Seriously he kept asking for more and was shoveling it in like there was no tomorrow! It was amazing...I think I'm still in shock :)! Wee-one also ate half a baked apple (that was tonight's fruit side dish). Again SUCCESS! He was telling the daycare lady today how he "doesn't like apples". Well if you put butter, brown sugar and cinnamon on them and cook them until they are mushy, he'll eat them :)! I bet if I made them tomorrow though he wouldn't touch them...I'm just sayin'... LOL :)! Oh and Hubs and I liked this supper too. It wasn't hard to make and had all sorts of "good" stuff in it.
Here's the recipe in case you wanna try it sometime (which I highly suggest):
Turkey Lattice Pie
3 tubes (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
4 c. cubed, cooked turkey
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese (I used cheddar)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 1/3 c. milk
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard (I used dried ground mustard because I didn't have Dijon)
1 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
Unroll two tubes of crescent roll dough; separate into rectangles. Place rectangles in an ungreased 15 in. x 10 in. x 1 in. baking pan. Press onto the bottom and 1/4 in. up the sides of the pan to form a crust, sealing seams and perforations. Bake at 375 for 5-7 minutes or until light golden brown.
Combine the turkey, cheese, broccoli, soup, milk, mustard, onion, salt and pepper; mix well. Spoon over crust.
Unroll remaining dough; divide into rectangles. Seal perforations. Cut each rectangle into four 1 in. stripes. Using stripes, make a lattice design on top of turkey mixture. Brush with egg. Bake 17-22 minutes longer or until top crust is golden brown and filling is hot. Yield: 12-16 servings.
Courtesy of Taste of Home Contest Winning Annual Recipes 2005
Oh and my lattice pattern was nothing to write home about...ha! It wasn't as "beautiful" as the one in the cookbook but it worked and quite frankly Wee-one and Hubs could have cared less what the top of the "Pie" looked like. Again I encourage you to make this one..it will not disappoint!
Well off to do a few things before I head to bed. Tomorrow night is Spaghetti night...YIPPEE!! I like nights like tomorrow where you don't have to do much to get a good supper on the table. Plus I have some pumpkins to roast so not having to prepare a new recipe is the way to go :)! Good night everyone!
Here's the recipe in case you wanna try it sometime (which I highly suggest):
Turkey Lattice Pie
3 tubes (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
4 c. cubed, cooked turkey
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese (I used cheddar)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 1/3 c. milk
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard (I used dried ground mustard because I didn't have Dijon)
1 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
Unroll two tubes of crescent roll dough; separate into rectangles. Place rectangles in an ungreased 15 in. x 10 in. x 1 in. baking pan. Press onto the bottom and 1/4 in. up the sides of the pan to form a crust, sealing seams and perforations. Bake at 375 for 5-7 minutes or until light golden brown.
Combine the turkey, cheese, broccoli, soup, milk, mustard, onion, salt and pepper; mix well. Spoon over crust.
Unroll remaining dough; divide into rectangles. Seal perforations. Cut each rectangle into four 1 in. stripes. Using stripes, make a lattice design on top of turkey mixture. Brush with egg. Bake 17-22 minutes longer or until top crust is golden brown and filling is hot. Yield: 12-16 servings.
Courtesy of Taste of Home Contest Winning Annual Recipes 2005
Oh and my lattice pattern was nothing to write home about...ha! It wasn't as "beautiful" as the one in the cookbook but it worked and quite frankly Wee-one and Hubs could have cared less what the top of the "Pie" looked like. Again I encourage you to make this one..it will not disappoint!
Well off to do a few things before I head to bed. Tomorrow night is Spaghetti night...YIPPEE!! I like nights like tomorrow where you don't have to do much to get a good supper on the table. Plus I have some pumpkins to roast so not having to prepare a new recipe is the way to go :)! Good night everyone!
Menu for October 18-October 24
I'm BACK! :) Did you miss me?! It was kind of weird not posting nightly after doing it for so long..ha! So now it's time to get back into the "swing of things" so to speak.
Last night at around 9 p.m. I finally did my menu for this week. I know...nothing like waiting for the last minute. I went grocery shopping today and did spend $14.00 more then my allotted $75.00 BUT I had money left over from last week so it all evened out..YIPPEEE :)!!!
So what's on the menu this week you might ask? I decided not to do anymore Sneaky Chef recipes for now. I really enjoyed being "sneaky" but to be honest with you being sneaky just took WAY TOO MUCH TIME! I figured I was having success with Wee-one eating vegetables in soups and casseroles and those were super easy. I'm not saying I won't ever go back to doing the Sneaky Chef thing but for right now it's just more practical for me to make us casseroles and soups :)! I did pick up a few pointers along with way so I'll probably get creative from time to time just to give my recipes a healthy boost. I was doing that before in most of my baking so doing that in soups and casseroles probably won't take that much effort.
Here is what we're having this week:
Monday:
Turkey Lattice Pie
Fruit
Tuesday:
Spaghetti
Homemade spaghetti sauce
Green Beans
Garlic Toast
Wednesday:
Pumpkin Waffles/Pancakes (haven't decided which one yet..ha)
Eggs
Thursday:
Chicken & Wild Rice Soup (slow-cooker recipes and SO EASY)
Zucchini Bread
Friday:
Hubs and I are going out for our anniversary (a few weeks early but hey we have a baby sitter..ha)
Saturday:
Parmesan Potato Soup
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Sunday:
Leftovers
Tonight I'll post the recipe for the Turkey Lattice Pie and whether or not Wee-one enjoyed it. It isn't a hard recipe and uses some convenience items to make it easy. Stay tuned each night for an update on how Wee-one liked the supper and for my recipes. You know I LOVE TO SHARE :)!
Last night at around 9 p.m. I finally did my menu for this week. I know...nothing like waiting for the last minute. I went grocery shopping today and did spend $14.00 more then my allotted $75.00 BUT I had money left over from last week so it all evened out..YIPPEEE :)!!!
So what's on the menu this week you might ask? I decided not to do anymore Sneaky Chef recipes for now. I really enjoyed being "sneaky" but to be honest with you being sneaky just took WAY TOO MUCH TIME! I figured I was having success with Wee-one eating vegetables in soups and casseroles and those were super easy. I'm not saying I won't ever go back to doing the Sneaky Chef thing but for right now it's just more practical for me to make us casseroles and soups :)! I did pick up a few pointers along with way so I'll probably get creative from time to time just to give my recipes a healthy boost. I was doing that before in most of my baking so doing that in soups and casseroles probably won't take that much effort.
Here is what we're having this week:
Monday:
Turkey Lattice Pie
Fruit
Tuesday:
Spaghetti
Homemade spaghetti sauce
Green Beans
Garlic Toast
Wednesday:
Pumpkin Waffles/Pancakes (haven't decided which one yet..ha)
Eggs
Thursday:
Chicken & Wild Rice Soup (slow-cooker recipes and SO EASY)
Zucchini Bread
Friday:
Hubs and I are going out for our anniversary (a few weeks early but hey we have a baby sitter..ha)
Saturday:
Parmesan Potato Soup
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Sunday:
Leftovers
Tonight I'll post the recipe for the Turkey Lattice Pie and whether or not Wee-one enjoyed it. It isn't a hard recipe and uses some convenience items to make it easy. Stay tuned each night for an update on how Wee-one liked the supper and for my recipes. You know I LOVE TO SHARE :)!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Mac 'n Cheese Muffins...Say it ain't so....
Yes you can pretty much make anything into a muffin or so I have learned :)! Tonight's supper consisted of what I said in the title...MAC 'n CHEESE MUFFINS! I saw these and knew I HAD to make them since Wee-one seems to enjoy a muffin...every morning...for weeks on end (when we have some stashed in the freeze that is or I should say when Mommy is on the ball...)! The concept of muffins for supper...muffins made out of Mac 'n Cheese, well that just sounded like a little slice of heaven :)!
The prep time on these Mac 'n Cheese muffins wasn't too bad actually. Since I didn't make any macaroni noodles ahead of time or have any leftover I had to boil some but geez that's a piece of cake! Of course I had my Orange puree made already and the rest was stuff from my fridge. I was out of cooking spray (I know the HORROR) so I had to individually grease all the paper muffin liners but even that didn't take that long.
All in all I would say the Mac 'n Cheese Muffins were a HIT! Wee-one ate about half of one which is pretty good for him. He kept telling me and Hubs that this is what he had a daycare. I know they had it yesterday and I know it wasn't in the form of a muffin..only Mommy does strange stuff like that :)! I had to "cut" up the muffin for Wee-one though. I think it threw him off that his Mac 'n Cheese was all stuck together and somewhat resembled what he usually eats for breakfast. I thought he would joyfully pick it up and eat it like the sweet muffins he enjoys but he wasn't havin' any of that nonsense. So like I said, I cut it up and watched him eat it :)! We also had hotdogs and peas. Wee-one was stuffing handfuls of hot dogs in his mouth (don't worry they are cut up really, really, really good because I'm paranoid like that). I'm pretty sure he ate about half a hotdog too. The peas...yeah right...wouldn't even touch them let alone look at them! He doesn't know that he had just eaten carrots and sweet potato's in his muffin...SNEAKY :)!
I've rambled enough and you probably want to check out the recipe. So here it is in all it's glory!
Lunch Box Muffins-Mac 'n Cheese Flavor (or Mac 'n Cheese Muffins as I like to call them)
4 lg. eggs
1 c. Orange Puree (see post from Monday for puree recipe)
2 c. cooked macaroni
2 c. shredded low-fat cheese (Colby or Cheddar)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with paper liners. Lightly spray liners with oil.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and Orange puree. Mix in the macaroni and 1 1/2 c. of the cheese. Divide the mixture evenly among 8 muffin cups. Top each with about 1 Tbsp. of shredded cheese and back for 20 to 22 minutes, until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe by The Sneaky Chef Missy Chase Lapine
I'm not 100% sure on the size of muffin tin she used but when I made this recipe I got 12 muffins instead of 8. Just wanted to warn you in case you make it and have a TON of leftover. I used the traditional sized muffin tin but I'm thinking maybe a jumbo one would have worked too.
Tomorrow night I'm NOT making supper...this Momma is getting a break and going shopping with her BFF! And of course we're going out for supper too. Hubs and Wee-one will be enjoying a frozen Cheese pizza :)! And Sunday I won't post. Geez I know 2 whole days without me posting...What are you going to do??? Just kidding :)!!! I'll be back on Monday.
Oh and Wee-ones behavior is MUCH improved. We figured out that him only taking a 2 hour nap in the afternoon is a BAD thing. He was taking 3 hour naps up until this past Monday and for some reason waking up crying after 2 hours. Well the past few days he's been sleeping his 3 full hours again and is not as trying as he was being the other day when I posted. However with the 3 hour naps comes the "trying to get up at 4:30 a.m. for the day routine"...so I guess if that continues we'll have to try to figure out what to do. I probably could get a lot more done if I was up at 4:30 a.m. everyday but I get tired just thinking about that. WAY TOO EARLY for me thank you very much!
Well since I don't think I really went back to sleep after Wee-one tried to get up at 4:30 this morning, I'm going to call it a night. Gotta rest up for shopping tomorrow ;)! Good night and have a GREAT weekend!
The prep time on these Mac 'n Cheese muffins wasn't too bad actually. Since I didn't make any macaroni noodles ahead of time or have any leftover I had to boil some but geez that's a piece of cake! Of course I had my Orange puree made already and the rest was stuff from my fridge. I was out of cooking spray (I know the HORROR) so I had to individually grease all the paper muffin liners but even that didn't take that long.
All in all I would say the Mac 'n Cheese Muffins were a HIT! Wee-one ate about half of one which is pretty good for him. He kept telling me and Hubs that this is what he had a daycare. I know they had it yesterday and I know it wasn't in the form of a muffin..only Mommy does strange stuff like that :)! I had to "cut" up the muffin for Wee-one though. I think it threw him off that his Mac 'n Cheese was all stuck together and somewhat resembled what he usually eats for breakfast. I thought he would joyfully pick it up and eat it like the sweet muffins he enjoys but he wasn't havin' any of that nonsense. So like I said, I cut it up and watched him eat it :)! We also had hotdogs and peas. Wee-one was stuffing handfuls of hot dogs in his mouth (don't worry they are cut up really, really, really good because I'm paranoid like that). I'm pretty sure he ate about half a hotdog too. The peas...yeah right...wouldn't even touch them let alone look at them! He doesn't know that he had just eaten carrots and sweet potato's in his muffin...SNEAKY :)!
I've rambled enough and you probably want to check out the recipe. So here it is in all it's glory!
Lunch Box Muffins-Mac 'n Cheese Flavor (or Mac 'n Cheese Muffins as I like to call them)
4 lg. eggs
1 c. Orange Puree (see post from Monday for puree recipe)
2 c. cooked macaroni
2 c. shredded low-fat cheese (Colby or Cheddar)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with paper liners. Lightly spray liners with oil.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and Orange puree. Mix in the macaroni and 1 1/2 c. of the cheese. Divide the mixture evenly among 8 muffin cups. Top each with about 1 Tbsp. of shredded cheese and back for 20 to 22 minutes, until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe by The Sneaky Chef Missy Chase Lapine
I'm not 100% sure on the size of muffin tin she used but when I made this recipe I got 12 muffins instead of 8. Just wanted to warn you in case you make it and have a TON of leftover. I used the traditional sized muffin tin but I'm thinking maybe a jumbo one would have worked too.
Tomorrow night I'm NOT making supper...this Momma is getting a break and going shopping with her BFF! And of course we're going out for supper too. Hubs and Wee-one will be enjoying a frozen Cheese pizza :)! And Sunday I won't post. Geez I know 2 whole days without me posting...What are you going to do??? Just kidding :)!!! I'll be back on Monday.
Oh and Wee-ones behavior is MUCH improved. We figured out that him only taking a 2 hour nap in the afternoon is a BAD thing. He was taking 3 hour naps up until this past Monday and for some reason waking up crying after 2 hours. Well the past few days he's been sleeping his 3 full hours again and is not as trying as he was being the other day when I posted. However with the 3 hour naps comes the "trying to get up at 4:30 a.m. for the day routine"...so I guess if that continues we'll have to try to figure out what to do. I probably could get a lot more done if I was up at 4:30 a.m. everyday but I get tired just thinking about that. WAY TOO EARLY for me thank you very much!
Well since I don't think I really went back to sleep after Wee-one tried to get up at 4:30 this morning, I'm going to call it a night. Gotta rest up for shopping tomorrow ;)! Good night and have a GREAT weekend!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Changin' Up the Menu for Tonight
Sometimes this happens...sometimes I need to modify my menu for the week. Due to the fact that Wee-one had Mac 'n cheese and hotdogs for lunch today at Daycare I have decided not to serve what was on my menu for tonight. I think I would be pushing my luck trying Mac 'n Cheese and hotdogs for 2 meals in one day :)! And then again Wee-one might enjoy it...you never know.
So since my fridge is BUSTING with leftovers, I proclaim tonight to be...CLEAN OUT THE FRIDGE NIGHT! So we'll be having some chili, some chicken and dumpling soup, some meatloaf and maybe a grilled cheese or two. This will also give me time to make my muffins. I got pumpkin roasting in the oven right now so I can make some Pumpkin muffins and hope to whip up some Blueberry muffins later today too. Then Wee-one can have his muffin fix again every morning for breakfast :)!
Tomorrow night I'll resume with the Tijuana Lasagna or I might do the Mac 'n Cheese recipe that was for tonight tomorrow night. I haven't decided yet. It depends on what Wee-one has for lunch at Daycare tomorrow too!
The past few days have been very trying with Wee-one. He's been hysterical numerous times a day when he doesn't get his way. If it's not his idea to do something then you better be prepared for a battle of the wills. He has been hitting and kicking too but apparently feels guilty about it at Daycare because he constantly talks about it. I just wish he would remember that he always feels bad when he does stuff like that. He was in hysterics this morning because he wanted to play and not get dressed. So from now on we'll be getting dressed BEFORE breakfast instead of after. If he wants to play while we eat our breakfast and he's done with his, that is fine. Hubs and I figure if we can eliminate just a few of the tantrums during the day we'll all be much better off :)! I guess they don't call them "Terrible 2's" for nothin'! I'm learning patience and I'm also learning that locking myself in the bathroom for 5 minutes is a great way to remain calm...LOL :)!!!
So this is my post for the day. Come back tomorrow night for my dinner results :)! Have a great afternoon!
So since my fridge is BUSTING with leftovers, I proclaim tonight to be...CLEAN OUT THE FRIDGE NIGHT! So we'll be having some chili, some chicken and dumpling soup, some meatloaf and maybe a grilled cheese or two. This will also give me time to make my muffins. I got pumpkin roasting in the oven right now so I can make some Pumpkin muffins and hope to whip up some Blueberry muffins later today too. Then Wee-one can have his muffin fix again every morning for breakfast :)!
Tomorrow night I'll resume with the Tijuana Lasagna or I might do the Mac 'n Cheese recipe that was for tonight tomorrow night. I haven't decided yet. It depends on what Wee-one has for lunch at Daycare tomorrow too!
The past few days have been very trying with Wee-one. He's been hysterical numerous times a day when he doesn't get his way. If it's not his idea to do something then you better be prepared for a battle of the wills. He has been hitting and kicking too but apparently feels guilty about it at Daycare because he constantly talks about it. I just wish he would remember that he always feels bad when he does stuff like that. He was in hysterics this morning because he wanted to play and not get dressed. So from now on we'll be getting dressed BEFORE breakfast instead of after. If he wants to play while we eat our breakfast and he's done with his, that is fine. Hubs and I figure if we can eliminate just a few of the tantrums during the day we'll all be much better off :)! I guess they don't call them "Terrible 2's" for nothin'! I'm learning patience and I'm also learning that locking myself in the bathroom for 5 minutes is a great way to remain calm...LOL :)!!!
So this is my post for the day. Come back tomorrow night for my dinner results :)! Have a great afternoon!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tonight's Supper
Well tonight's supper was a hit with Hubs and I...Wee-one not so much. I must admit that he did have a Kashi Breakfast Bar at around 4:30ish so maybe that had something to do with his not eating a good supper. Oh and the fact that he DID NOT and I repeat, DID NOT want to sit down at the dinner table tonight. Apparently playing with tractors is far more fun then, lets say...EATING :)! So yeah tonight I'm feeling a bit defeated and ready to throw in the towel and serve hot dogs and tator tots for supper every night starting tomorrow. I'm just being honest. But I'm not that kinda Mom. I'm just as stubborn as Wee-one (and apparently that's who he got this lovely trait from) so I'm not giving up. I'll keep on making healthy meals and maybe, just maybe he'll start eating them :)! Gotta be positive you know!
So tonight was breakfast for supper night at our house. I made a Sneaky Chef recipe called French Toast Rollers. I figured this would be a hit with Wee-one because he LOVES French Toast. Maybe it was the presentation or the reasons I listed above but he just wasn't interested. I think he took two bites of the French Toast Roller and he was done. Didn't eat his pork sausage or applesauce either. Of course when Hubs had a piece of Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake after supper, Wee-one was asking for some of that. We just told him that only people that eat their supper get cake. Thankfully he didn't throw a fit...he excepted it and went to play tractors again. However later at snack time he asked for some pudding and GASP...we are OUT OF PUDDING! He almost had a meltdown but Hubs told him to go to the grocery store and buy some. So Wee-one hopped on his Little Tikes toy tractor and proceeded to "go grocery shopping to buy some pudding". MELTDOWN AVERTED :)! WAY TO GO HUBS!!!
Ok so back to our supper tonight...sorry I get side-tracked sometimes...LOL :)! The French Toast Rollers were kind of a pain to make. I'm just telling it like it is people. I like easy to prepare things that only take a few minutes. This recipe was kind of tedious. First you had to mix up the egg wash to dip the rollers in, then make the "spreads" that go on the bread, flatten out all the bread with a rolling pin, spread the filling on the bread, roll them up, make sure they are sealed, dip them and cook them well on all sides. See what I mean...LOTS AND LOTS of steps. They were good though but I think I'll stick with our regular French Toast recipe from now on (even though that one doesn't contain the hidden veggies that the French Toast Rollers did).
Here is the recipe in case you want to try it yourself:
French Toast Rollers
2 lg. eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/4 tsp. each cinnamon and salt
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. Orange Puree (see recipe in previous post)
4 slices whole wheat bread
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Optional fillings:
1 Tbsp. peanut butter + 1 Tbsp. Orange Puree (or Strawberry puree..ask me for recipe if you want to do this one) or other fruit spread
1 mashed banana + 1 Tbsp. Orange Puree
1 Tbsp. cream cheese + Fruit spread
In a large shallow baking dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, honey and Orange puree. Set aside. Use a rolling pin to roll out each slice of bread on a cutting board until flattened. In a mixing bowl, mix the optional fillings. Spread about 2 Tbsp. of the filling mixture on each flattened slice of bread, keeping about 1/4 inch away from the edges. Roll up each slice of bread, pressing to seal the edges.
Dip each log roll in the egg mixture until saturated on all sides, then cook in a well greased skillet over moderate heat, turning to brown each side. Remove from heat and lightly dust with powdered sugar before serving. Serves 4
Recipe from The Sneaky Chef to the Rescue by Missy Chase Lapine
I also served syrup with these which added a bit more sweetness :). Again this was a hit with me and Hubs. Reminded us of Stuffed French Toast only in "stick" form. I made the peanut butter filling and used some Strawberry puree I had left over. I think Strawberry jam would have been good too. I also did the banana with the Strawberry puree. Feel free to experiment with the fillings. I think any type of fruit spread would be delicious. Hubs and I agreed that the peanut butter filling was the best though!
Tomorrow night I'm making another Sneaky Chef recipe. I told you I wasn't giving up...ha! It's a Mac 'n Cheese recipe so we'll see how that goes. I'm also making Hot dogs and some sort of veggie or fruit...not sure on that one yet. I'm hoping one of these recipes will make Wee-one go nuts and eat every last bite (hey a Mom can dream can't she?)! I also better restock my muffin supply in the freezer as it appears that Wee-one is not muffined out anymore. Better roast my pumpkins tomorrow and make some Pumpkin Muffins :)! Busy, busy, busy I tell ya'! I wouldn't have it any other way! So keep following along on my daily adventures. Good night!
So tonight was breakfast for supper night at our house. I made a Sneaky Chef recipe called French Toast Rollers. I figured this would be a hit with Wee-one because he LOVES French Toast. Maybe it was the presentation or the reasons I listed above but he just wasn't interested. I think he took two bites of the French Toast Roller and he was done. Didn't eat his pork sausage or applesauce either. Of course when Hubs had a piece of Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake after supper, Wee-one was asking for some of that. We just told him that only people that eat their supper get cake. Thankfully he didn't throw a fit...he excepted it and went to play tractors again. However later at snack time he asked for some pudding and GASP...we are OUT OF PUDDING! He almost had a meltdown but Hubs told him to go to the grocery store and buy some. So Wee-one hopped on his Little Tikes toy tractor and proceeded to "go grocery shopping to buy some pudding". MELTDOWN AVERTED :)! WAY TO GO HUBS!!!
Ok so back to our supper tonight...sorry I get side-tracked sometimes...LOL :)! The French Toast Rollers were kind of a pain to make. I'm just telling it like it is people. I like easy to prepare things that only take a few minutes. This recipe was kind of tedious. First you had to mix up the egg wash to dip the rollers in, then make the "spreads" that go on the bread, flatten out all the bread with a rolling pin, spread the filling on the bread, roll them up, make sure they are sealed, dip them and cook them well on all sides. See what I mean...LOTS AND LOTS of steps. They were good though but I think I'll stick with our regular French Toast recipe from now on (even though that one doesn't contain the hidden veggies that the French Toast Rollers did).
Here is the recipe in case you want to try it yourself:
French Toast Rollers
2 lg. eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/4 tsp. each cinnamon and salt
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. Orange Puree (see recipe in previous post)
4 slices whole wheat bread
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Optional fillings:
1 Tbsp. peanut butter + 1 Tbsp. Orange Puree (or Strawberry puree..ask me for recipe if you want to do this one) or other fruit spread
1 mashed banana + 1 Tbsp. Orange Puree
1 Tbsp. cream cheese + Fruit spread
In a large shallow baking dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, honey and Orange puree. Set aside. Use a rolling pin to roll out each slice of bread on a cutting board until flattened. In a mixing bowl, mix the optional fillings. Spread about 2 Tbsp. of the filling mixture on each flattened slice of bread, keeping about 1/4 inch away from the edges. Roll up each slice of bread, pressing to seal the edges.
Dip each log roll in the egg mixture until saturated on all sides, then cook in a well greased skillet over moderate heat, turning to brown each side. Remove from heat and lightly dust with powdered sugar before serving. Serves 4
Recipe from The Sneaky Chef to the Rescue by Missy Chase Lapine
I also served syrup with these which added a bit more sweetness :). Again this was a hit with me and Hubs. Reminded us of Stuffed French Toast only in "stick" form. I made the peanut butter filling and used some Strawberry puree I had left over. I think Strawberry jam would have been good too. I also did the banana with the Strawberry puree. Feel free to experiment with the fillings. I think any type of fruit spread would be delicious. Hubs and I agreed that the peanut butter filling was the best though!
Tomorrow night I'm making another Sneaky Chef recipe. I told you I wasn't giving up...ha! It's a Mac 'n Cheese recipe so we'll see how that goes. I'm also making Hot dogs and some sort of veggie or fruit...not sure on that one yet. I'm hoping one of these recipes will make Wee-one go nuts and eat every last bite (hey a Mom can dream can't she?)! I also better restock my muffin supply in the freezer as it appears that Wee-one is not muffined out anymore. Better roast my pumpkins tomorrow and make some Pumpkin Muffins :)! Busy, busy, busy I tell ya'! I wouldn't have it any other way! So keep following along on my daily adventures. Good night!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Best Fall/Winter Meal ever (well in my opinion)
Tonight was Chili and Grilled Cheese night at our house. Wee-one does not like Chili (tried numerous times to offer it to him but have finally given up...ha) so I made him a can of Campbell's Chunky Chicken and Dumpling Soup. I figure it has chicken and vegetables (green beans, peas, carrots and celery) all cleverly disguised in a creamy soup base and there's dumplings...SCORE :)! Wee-one slurps that soup up like there is no tomorrow, however tonight he decided to take a few bites and then he was DONE! Grilled cheese is usually another win, win with Wee-one. I think he would live off Grilled Cheese if I'd let him! Yeah and of course tonight he only ate one little triangle of it (I cut it into four triangles). Hubs and I enjoyed our Chili and our grilled cheese sandwich's. Mighty tasty!
I'm come to the conclusion that if Wee-one eats well for lunch at daycare he doesn't eat so good at supper. Well sometimes anyway. Again I've stopped trying to figure him out...LOL! He had a bologna and cheese sandwich and corn chips at Daycare today and ate all of it from what I heard. I suppose giving him a pudding cup and some chocolate chips at 4:30 today while I was making supper might have had something to do with him not eating so well either. You think I would have learned by now....geez! Sometimes you gotta do things like that so you can get supper made...ok so now my secret is out :)! I also let Wee-one try the Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake I made tonight too. I figured why not...it's not like I do that everynight. Nothing wrong with a little dessert now and again :)! Yup...I am officially not going to win any Mother of the Year rewards but I bet I scored a few points with Wee-one (even though he called me a Dumb, Dumb at bedtime). Again I'm just going to chalk the whole Dumb, Dumb thing up to the fact that he didn't want to go to bed tonight and leave it at that :)! I try not to take things personal...but sometimes it's kinda hard. Like yesterday when he was mad for me laying him down for a nap he told me he didn't love me. Broke my heart but I know he doesn't know the impact of his words and really what they mean. He was just saying it...at least I don't think he knows what they mean. I know he'll say that a lot in the next few years. I gotta grow a thicker skin....
Sorry for the rant there folks. Here is my homemade Chili recipe :). I have adapted this some so I can use my canned stewed tomato's that I so lovingly preserved this summer. I have listed what the recipe originally calls for if you don't have canned stewed tomato's. It still tastes just as good...trust me. I made this Chili recipe all last Fall/Winter the way the original directions read because I didn't put up any tomato's. So here it is:
Homemade Chili:
1 lb. ground beef
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 sm. green pepper, chopped
salt and pepper
2 cans of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups of tomato juice (I use a quart of my stewed tomatoes)
Chili powder
Brown ground beef, onion and green pepper in a skillet. Add salt and pepper (to your liking...I use a lot). Drain and rinse ground beef mixture. Put into a large saucepan. Add drained kidney beans and 3 cups of tomato juice. Sprinkle on chili powder (the original recipe called for 2 Tbsp. I just sprinkle it on until I think there is enough on there..ha). Stir all together. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer.
Tastes really good with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Also if you have any left over spaghetti sauce you can dump that in there. I have done that before too with excellent results. I have also been known to use some whole tomato's in my chili too. I froze a whole bunch of whole tomato's from my garden and run them under hot water to skin them. Then I throw them into the pot (whole) and let the heat of the Chili defrost them. Chili is pretty versatile so you can pretty much tweak any recipe to fit your families tastes :)! Enjoy experimenting with your recipes. I have the most fun when I just mess around with a recipe...it's like a science experiment sometimes but it sure is fun :)!
I won't give the recipe on how to make Grilled Cheeses because that is pretty easy to do and I figure everyone and their Uncle knows how to make a Grilled Cheese (if you don't feel free to let me know and I'll help you out :)!!)
Tomorrow night is going to be another Sneaky Chef recipe. We usually have Breakfast for Supper on Wednesday nights at our house so tomorrow night will be breakfast. I'm excited to try the French Toast Rollers and hope Wee-one is excited by them too. We shall see...again every day is different around here. Never a dull moment that's for sure.
So that's it for tonight. Stay tuned for more delicious recipes :)! Good night.
I'm come to the conclusion that if Wee-one eats well for lunch at daycare he doesn't eat so good at supper. Well sometimes anyway. Again I've stopped trying to figure him out...LOL! He had a bologna and cheese sandwich and corn chips at Daycare today and ate all of it from what I heard. I suppose giving him a pudding cup and some chocolate chips at 4:30 today while I was making supper might have had something to do with him not eating so well either. You think I would have learned by now....geez! Sometimes you gotta do things like that so you can get supper made...ok so now my secret is out :)! I also let Wee-one try the Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake I made tonight too. I figured why not...it's not like I do that everynight. Nothing wrong with a little dessert now and again :)! Yup...I am officially not going to win any Mother of the Year rewards but I bet I scored a few points with Wee-one (even though he called me a Dumb, Dumb at bedtime). Again I'm just going to chalk the whole Dumb, Dumb thing up to the fact that he didn't want to go to bed tonight and leave it at that :)! I try not to take things personal...but sometimes it's kinda hard. Like yesterday when he was mad for me laying him down for a nap he told me he didn't love me. Broke my heart but I know he doesn't know the impact of his words and really what they mean. He was just saying it...at least I don't think he knows what they mean. I know he'll say that a lot in the next few years. I gotta grow a thicker skin....
Sorry for the rant there folks. Here is my homemade Chili recipe :). I have adapted this some so I can use my canned stewed tomato's that I so lovingly preserved this summer. I have listed what the recipe originally calls for if you don't have canned stewed tomato's. It still tastes just as good...trust me. I made this Chili recipe all last Fall/Winter the way the original directions read because I didn't put up any tomato's. So here it is:
Homemade Chili:
1 lb. ground beef
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 sm. green pepper, chopped
salt and pepper
2 cans of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups of tomato juice (I use a quart of my stewed tomatoes)
Chili powder
Brown ground beef, onion and green pepper in a skillet. Add salt and pepper (to your liking...I use a lot). Drain and rinse ground beef mixture. Put into a large saucepan. Add drained kidney beans and 3 cups of tomato juice. Sprinkle on chili powder (the original recipe called for 2 Tbsp. I just sprinkle it on until I think there is enough on there..ha). Stir all together. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer.
Tastes really good with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Also if you have any left over spaghetti sauce you can dump that in there. I have done that before too with excellent results. I have also been known to use some whole tomato's in my chili too. I froze a whole bunch of whole tomato's from my garden and run them under hot water to skin them. Then I throw them into the pot (whole) and let the heat of the Chili defrost them. Chili is pretty versatile so you can pretty much tweak any recipe to fit your families tastes :)! Enjoy experimenting with your recipes. I have the most fun when I just mess around with a recipe...it's like a science experiment sometimes but it sure is fun :)!
I won't give the recipe on how to make Grilled Cheeses because that is pretty easy to do and I figure everyone and their Uncle knows how to make a Grilled Cheese (if you don't feel free to let me know and I'll help you out :)!!)
Tomorrow night is going to be another Sneaky Chef recipe. We usually have Breakfast for Supper on Wednesday nights at our house so tomorrow night will be breakfast. I'm excited to try the French Toast Rollers and hope Wee-one is excited by them too. We shall see...again every day is different around here. Never a dull moment that's for sure.
So that's it for tonight. Stay tuned for more delicious recipes :)! Good night.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Crunchy Chicken Tenders=SUCCESS
Thank you Sneaky Chef!!! Tonight's supper of Crunchy Chicken Tenders was a SUCCESS! In fact Wee-one was eating the breading instead of the chicken (well at first anyway). We also had potato wedges and peas. Now Wee-one usually loves potato wedges..tonight...NOT SO MUCH. I just can't believe how much he fluctuates in liking something :). Of course maybe he had his fill of potato's at daycare today when he ate Beef Stew. Yes he ate Beef Stew...I know I'm just as shocked as you are...LOL! Of course he would never eat that at home. I'm convinced our daycare lady has some sort of magic power or something :)! She's the best :)!
Ok so back to supper tonight. I whipped up the purees for this weeks menu this morning. I had the day off from work so bright and early this morning I was boiling sweet potatoes and carrots together. I've learned that making the purees ahead of time sure saves a lot of time and aggravation. The Sneaky Chef even encourages that. What can I say...I usually like to try it my way first and see how it goes. Yup she knows what she's talking about. MAKE THE PUREES AHEAD OF TIME :)!! The purees are all very simple. This mornings puree was called "Orange Puree" and its one of the most often used purees in her cookbook. It's used in A LOT of her recipes. I based my menu for the week on one puree. That makes it easier then making 3 of the purees for one meal each and freezing just a tiny bit that's left over.
Here's the recipe for the Orange Puree:
1 medium sweet potato/yam, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. water
Place the sweet potatoes and carrots in a medium sized pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until carrots are very tender. Careful-if the carrots aren't tender enough, they may leave telltale nuggets of vegetables in recipes, which will reveal their presence.
Drain the carrots and sweet potatoes and put them in the food processor (or blender) with 2 Tbsp. water. Puree on high until smooth-no pieces of vegetables showing. Stop occasionally to push the contents to the bottom. If necessary, use another tablespoon water to smooth out the puree, but the less water the better.
This recipe makes about 2 cups of puree; double it if you want to store more. Orange puree will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or you can freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic container.
I also had to make the "Better Breading" for the Crunchy Chicken Tenders. I didn't do this until right before I started making the tenders because this breading recipe is SUPER easy. Here's the Better Breading Recipe:
Better Breading:
1 c. almonds, slivered and blanched (optional)...I didn't use these Hubs HATES most nuts in food
1 c. bread crumbs, preferably whole wheat
1 c. wheat germ, unsweetened
1 tsp. salt
Pulse the almonds in a food processor. Don't let the food processor run continually or you'll end up with nut butter. Pour the ground almonds into a plastic bag and then add the bread crumbs, wheat germ, and salt. Seal and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
Again super easy to make and it tastes SUPER on the Crunchy Chicken Tenders. Ok I've teased you long enough. Here is the recipe for the Tenders. Again we all REALLY enjoyed these....can't even tell there is "healthy" stuff in them :)!
Crunchy Chicken Tenders:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenders (or boneless, skinless breasts, cut into strips)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. flour, ideally whole wheat
2 large eggs
1/4 to 1/2 c. Orange Puree (I used a 1/2 c.)
2 c. Better Breading (see recipe above)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Season chicken tenders with salt. Place flour in a shallow dish or on a plate. Beat eggs with Orange Puree in a shallow bowl and place next to the flour. In a third shallow dish or on a paper plate, combine the Better Breading with the Parmesan cheese.
Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, shaking off excess, then the egg mixture, and then the Better Breading mixture. Press the breading evenly onto both sides of the chicken. Put on waxed or parchment paper and store in the refrigerator for cooking tomorrow or proceed to cook immediately.
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Place breaded tenders on a cookie sheet lightly coated with oil and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn chicken tenders over once with tongs, then return to over for another 10 to 12 minutes until cooked through.
All these recipes are courtesy of The Sneaky Chef to the Rescue by Missy Chase Lapine.
These chicken tenders do take a little time to prepare but THEY ARE SO WORTH IT!! Trust me...you won't mind the extra bit of prep time as you watch your toddler/child/husband, etc. snarf these down. Ok so my toddler didn't exactly "snarf" them down but you know what, he didn't turn up his nose at them and he tried them. I was just happy he tried them. And he did eat probably the equivalent of one chicken tender (which is pretty good for him).
Here is a bonus recipe for ya'...my potato wedge recipe. I pretty much just wing these each time I make them. They never disappoint :)!
Oven Baked Potato Wedges:
2 Tbsp. oil
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed really good
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
Preheat over to 425. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. In a gallon size bag or large bowl mix together the oil, garlic powder and pepper. Wash potato's, cut into wedges. You can decide on how thick you like them. Put the potatoes in the bag/bowl with the oil mixture. Seal bag and shake until potatoes are evenly coated (if using a bowl, just stir together until evenly coated).
Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Flip the potatoes and bake another 20 to 25 minutes.
Overall this meal was DELICIOUS! I will be making all of these recipes again.
Well time to sign off for the night. Wee-one has decided the past two mornings that 4:45 a.m. is a wonderful time to wake up..ha! Hopefully tomorrow morning he'll sleep until at least 6:30 a.m. Time will tell. If you have any questions about the recipes, please let me know. More to come tomorrow...until then...Good night!
Ok so back to supper tonight. I whipped up the purees for this weeks menu this morning. I had the day off from work so bright and early this morning I was boiling sweet potatoes and carrots together. I've learned that making the purees ahead of time sure saves a lot of time and aggravation. The Sneaky Chef even encourages that. What can I say...I usually like to try it my way first and see how it goes. Yup she knows what she's talking about. MAKE THE PUREES AHEAD OF TIME :)!! The purees are all very simple. This mornings puree was called "Orange Puree" and its one of the most often used purees in her cookbook. It's used in A LOT of her recipes. I based my menu for the week on one puree. That makes it easier then making 3 of the purees for one meal each and freezing just a tiny bit that's left over.
Here's the recipe for the Orange Puree:
1 medium sweet potato/yam, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. water
Place the sweet potatoes and carrots in a medium sized pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until carrots are very tender. Careful-if the carrots aren't tender enough, they may leave telltale nuggets of vegetables in recipes, which will reveal their presence.
Drain the carrots and sweet potatoes and put them in the food processor (or blender) with 2 Tbsp. water. Puree on high until smooth-no pieces of vegetables showing. Stop occasionally to push the contents to the bottom. If necessary, use another tablespoon water to smooth out the puree, but the less water the better.
This recipe makes about 2 cups of puree; double it if you want to store more. Orange puree will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or you can freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic container.
I also had to make the "Better Breading" for the Crunchy Chicken Tenders. I didn't do this until right before I started making the tenders because this breading recipe is SUPER easy. Here's the Better Breading Recipe:
Better Breading:
1 c. almonds, slivered and blanched (optional)...I didn't use these Hubs HATES most nuts in food
1 c. bread crumbs, preferably whole wheat
1 c. wheat germ, unsweetened
1 tsp. salt
Pulse the almonds in a food processor. Don't let the food processor run continually or you'll end up with nut butter. Pour the ground almonds into a plastic bag and then add the bread crumbs, wheat germ, and salt. Seal and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
Again super easy to make and it tastes SUPER on the Crunchy Chicken Tenders. Ok I've teased you long enough. Here is the recipe for the Tenders. Again we all REALLY enjoyed these....can't even tell there is "healthy" stuff in them :)!
Crunchy Chicken Tenders:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenders (or boneless, skinless breasts, cut into strips)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. flour, ideally whole wheat
2 large eggs
1/4 to 1/2 c. Orange Puree (I used a 1/2 c.)
2 c. Better Breading (see recipe above)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Season chicken tenders with salt. Place flour in a shallow dish or on a plate. Beat eggs with Orange Puree in a shallow bowl and place next to the flour. In a third shallow dish or on a paper plate, combine the Better Breading with the Parmesan cheese.
Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, shaking off excess, then the egg mixture, and then the Better Breading mixture. Press the breading evenly onto both sides of the chicken. Put on waxed or parchment paper and store in the refrigerator for cooking tomorrow or proceed to cook immediately.
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Place breaded tenders on a cookie sheet lightly coated with oil and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn chicken tenders over once with tongs, then return to over for another 10 to 12 minutes until cooked through.
All these recipes are courtesy of The Sneaky Chef to the Rescue by Missy Chase Lapine.
These chicken tenders do take a little time to prepare but THEY ARE SO WORTH IT!! Trust me...you won't mind the extra bit of prep time as you watch your toddler/child/husband, etc. snarf these down. Ok so my toddler didn't exactly "snarf" them down but you know what, he didn't turn up his nose at them and he tried them. I was just happy he tried them. And he did eat probably the equivalent of one chicken tender (which is pretty good for him).
Here is a bonus recipe for ya'...my potato wedge recipe. I pretty much just wing these each time I make them. They never disappoint :)!
Oven Baked Potato Wedges:
2 Tbsp. oil
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed really good
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
Preheat over to 425. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. In a gallon size bag or large bowl mix together the oil, garlic powder and pepper. Wash potato's, cut into wedges. You can decide on how thick you like them. Put the potatoes in the bag/bowl with the oil mixture. Seal bag and shake until potatoes are evenly coated (if using a bowl, just stir together until evenly coated).
Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Flip the potatoes and bake another 20 to 25 minutes.
Overall this meal was DELICIOUS! I will be making all of these recipes again.
Well time to sign off for the night. Wee-one has decided the past two mornings that 4:45 a.m. is a wonderful time to wake up..ha! Hopefully tomorrow morning he'll sleep until at least 6:30 a.m. Time will tell. If you have any questions about the recipes, please let me know. More to come tomorrow...until then...Good night!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Menu for Next Week
I'll start with how supper went last night and go from there :). We had Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with homemade biscuits. Wee-one has loved wild rice since we introduced it a few months ago so I figured he'd love this soup (I've made it before and he gobbled it right up). Well last night was "one of those nights" where something he's eaten and enjoyed before went untouched. Ok I take that back, he took a few bites but was done shortly there after. He did enjoy his biscuit though. We had leftover soup for lunch today and of course, Wee-one LOVED it today. In fact he couldn't get enough soup...ha! No day is every dull around here :)! I'm happy he decided he like it again. So I would count this as a HIT :)!
Tonight's supper is Crock pot Meatloaf, baked potato and some sort of vegetable. I know Wee-one probably won't eat the meatloaf. He has never been a big ground beef eater. I do know the baked potato with ranch dressing will probably be his main meal tonight :). The kid LOVES potatoes. I think he loves ranch because I practically drank the stuff while pregnant with him...ha! Not sure what the vegetable is going to be yet but he probably won't eat that either. Of course he may surprise me and eat everything but the potato...who knows :)!
I went grocery shopping bright and early this a.m. Armed with my list and my $75.00 I headed out at around 8:30 a.m. I stuck to my list like glue. That is really the key in making a grocery budget work. Before we had our grocery budget I would buy TONS of extra which really racked up the bill. Nowadays if it's not on the list...I don't buy it! I had $1.29 to spare after buying everything on my list today. YIPPEEE for me :)!!!!
So here's the menu for next week. I'll post the recipes as I make them next week. Oh and I probably won't be posting on Sundays. Too much going on but I'll be back Monday afternoon for your reading enjoyment...ha!
Menu for October 11-October 17:
Monday:
*Crunchy Chicken Tenders (Sneaky Chef recipe)
*Potato Wedges (my recipe)
*Peas
Tuesday:
*Chili (for me and Hubs...Campbell's Chicken & Dumpling Soup for Wee-one)
*Grilled Cheese
Wednesday:
*French Toast Rollers (Sneaky Chef recipe)
*Breakfast Sausage links
*Applesauce/Fruit
Thursday:
*Lunch Box Muffin Mac 'n Cheese (Sneaky Chef recipe)
*Hot Dogs
*Fruit/applesauce
Friday:
*Tijuana Lasagna (Sneaky Chef recipe)
*Garlic Toast
*Green Beans
Saturday:
*Lunch: Left overs
*Supper: Frozen Pizza (I'm shopping and eating out with a friend so this is what Hubs & Wee-one are having :)!!)
Sunday:
*Lunch: We eat at the in-laws every Sunday for lunch
*Supper: Leftovers or Spaghetti w/ sauce and garlic toast
Have a great weekend! If you have any questions about the menu let me know. Again I'll be posting the recipes next week as I make them :)!
Tonight's supper is Crock pot Meatloaf, baked potato and some sort of vegetable. I know Wee-one probably won't eat the meatloaf. He has never been a big ground beef eater. I do know the baked potato with ranch dressing will probably be his main meal tonight :). The kid LOVES potatoes. I think he loves ranch because I practically drank the stuff while pregnant with him...ha! Not sure what the vegetable is going to be yet but he probably won't eat that either. Of course he may surprise me and eat everything but the potato...who knows :)!
I went grocery shopping bright and early this a.m. Armed with my list and my $75.00 I headed out at around 8:30 a.m. I stuck to my list like glue. That is really the key in making a grocery budget work. Before we had our grocery budget I would buy TONS of extra which really racked up the bill. Nowadays if it's not on the list...I don't buy it! I had $1.29 to spare after buying everything on my list today. YIPPEEE for me :)!!!!
So here's the menu for next week. I'll post the recipes as I make them next week. Oh and I probably won't be posting on Sundays. Too much going on but I'll be back Monday afternoon for your reading enjoyment...ha!
Menu for October 11-October 17:
Monday:
*Crunchy Chicken Tenders (Sneaky Chef recipe)
*Potato Wedges (my recipe)
*Peas
Tuesday:
*Chili (for me and Hubs...Campbell's Chicken & Dumpling Soup for Wee-one)
*Grilled Cheese
Wednesday:
*French Toast Rollers (Sneaky Chef recipe)
*Breakfast Sausage links
*Applesauce/Fruit
Thursday:
*Lunch Box Muffin Mac 'n Cheese (Sneaky Chef recipe)
*Hot Dogs
*Fruit/applesauce
Friday:
*Tijuana Lasagna (Sneaky Chef recipe)
*Garlic Toast
*Green Beans
Saturday:
*Lunch: Left overs
*Supper: Frozen Pizza (I'm shopping and eating out with a friend so this is what Hubs & Wee-one are having :)!!)
Sunday:
*Lunch: We eat at the in-laws every Sunday for lunch
*Supper: Leftovers or Spaghetti w/ sauce and garlic toast
Have a great weekend! If you have any questions about the menu let me know. Again I'll be posting the recipes next week as I make them :)!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Even Though It's 85 Degrees Today....
We are having Chicken and Wild Rice Soup for supper tonight despite the fact that it's "summer-like" out there today (as you can tell from my title). Whoa it's a toasty one. I want to be busting out all our fun fall clothes but instead we're still stuck in summer. Looks like next week will bring the changes in the weather that I like to see (60's is PERFECT). And hopefully the Asian Beatles and Boxelder Bugs that have been gracing us with their presence will POOF! be gone :)! We can only hope....
So anyway sorry about the bug talk (YUCKY bugs)...back to what I'm makin' tonight. I have found the BEST biscuit recipe EVER and I plan to share it with you. You don't have to be a biscuit making pro to make these biscuits either. In fact, Wee-one LOVES to help me make these and quite frankly he's a good little helper :)! I'll post the Chicken and Wild Rice Soup recipe I'll be using tonight too. Feel free to modify the veggies you use in the soup. This recipe is very flexible and would taste good with any combo of veggies. I like to add as many vegetables as I can get away with so I know Wee-one is getting all the vitamins he needs...ha! I'm sneaky like that :)!!
Here are tonights recipes:
Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
4 c. chicken broth
2 1/4 c. water
2 c. cooked chicken, cut up into bite sized pieces
1 (6oz. pkg.) Long Grain and Wild Rice w/ seasoning pkt.
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
2 c. milk
1 pkg. frozen mixed veggies (or whatever you might have such as onions, carrots, celery, peas, etc.)
If using onions, carrots and/or celery saute in butter until veggies are somewhat tender. Over medium heat, combine broth, water and chicken. Bring to a boil; Stir in rice, reserving seasoning pkt. Cover and remove from heat.
In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in seasoning pkt. until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by the Tablespoon to form a roux. Whisk in milk, a little at a time until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened (5 minutes or so).
Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through (10 to 15 minutes).
Adapted from a recipe I found on www.allrecipes.com
Really Big Biscuits
4 c. all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. butter
2 c. milk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Using a box grater (or whatever grater you might have), shred cold butter into mixture and stir to distribute it evenly through dry mixture. Add milk gradually, stirring just until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 15 times. Pat or roll dough out to a 1 inch thickness. Cut biscuits using a large glass dipped in flour or a cookie cutter. Keep patting remnants of dough together and cutting biscuits until all dough is used.*
Brush excess flour off biscuits and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until edges begin to brown, 13 to 15 minutes.
*To get biscuits into the oven faster you can simply plop rough clumps of dough onto the baking sheet essentially making them drop biscuits. They are not as pretty as cut out biscuits but sometimes you need to take a short cut or two :)
Recipe from Family Feasts for $75.00 a Week by Mary Ostyn
I'm hoping Wee-one decides he likes supper tonight :)! After supper I'm sure Hubs and Wee-one will enjoy sometime outside while I relax for a bit :)! Tomorrow I'll post the results of tonight's supper along with my menu for next week.
So anyway sorry about the bug talk (YUCKY bugs)...back to what I'm makin' tonight. I have found the BEST biscuit recipe EVER and I plan to share it with you. You don't have to be a biscuit making pro to make these biscuits either. In fact, Wee-one LOVES to help me make these and quite frankly he's a good little helper :)! I'll post the Chicken and Wild Rice Soup recipe I'll be using tonight too. Feel free to modify the veggies you use in the soup. This recipe is very flexible and would taste good with any combo of veggies. I like to add as many vegetables as I can get away with so I know Wee-one is getting all the vitamins he needs...ha! I'm sneaky like that :)!!
Here are tonights recipes:
Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
4 c. chicken broth
2 1/4 c. water
2 c. cooked chicken, cut up into bite sized pieces
1 (6oz. pkg.) Long Grain and Wild Rice w/ seasoning pkt.
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
2 c. milk
1 pkg. frozen mixed veggies (or whatever you might have such as onions, carrots, celery, peas, etc.)
If using onions, carrots and/or celery saute in butter until veggies are somewhat tender. Over medium heat, combine broth, water and chicken. Bring to a boil; Stir in rice, reserving seasoning pkt. Cover and remove from heat.
In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in seasoning pkt. until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by the Tablespoon to form a roux. Whisk in milk, a little at a time until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened (5 minutes or so).
Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through (10 to 15 minutes).
Adapted from a recipe I found on www.allrecipes.com
Really Big Biscuits
4 c. all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. butter
2 c. milk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Using a box grater (or whatever grater you might have), shred cold butter into mixture and stir to distribute it evenly through dry mixture. Add milk gradually, stirring just until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 15 times. Pat or roll dough out to a 1 inch thickness. Cut biscuits using a large glass dipped in flour or a cookie cutter. Keep patting remnants of dough together and cutting biscuits until all dough is used.*
Brush excess flour off biscuits and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until edges begin to brown, 13 to 15 minutes.
*To get biscuits into the oven faster you can simply plop rough clumps of dough onto the baking sheet essentially making them drop biscuits. They are not as pretty as cut out biscuits but sometimes you need to take a short cut or two :)
Recipe from Family Feasts for $75.00 a Week by Mary Ostyn
I'm hoping Wee-one decides he likes supper tonight :)! After supper I'm sure Hubs and Wee-one will enjoy sometime outside while I relax for a bit :)! Tomorrow I'll post the results of tonight's supper along with my menu for next week.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Two outta Three ain't Bad....
So as you can see from the title tonight's "sneaky" meal was a bust. The Hubs and I enjoyed the Treasure Stuffed Shells but the wee-one wasn't so sure. We did manage to get him to take two bites of it after Hubs told him it was "Yummy"...then wee-one had to check it out for himself. Like I said at least we got him to take a few bites. I guess that's a start :)!
I know a lot of it has to do with appearance of the meal. Well how in the world can a toddler eat a stuffed shell?! He is good with his fork but hasn't quite mastered the ability to cut things up. So needless to say I end up cutting his food up and we have learned he doesn't respond well to that. I suppose I could have let his stuffed shell cool off a bit more and then let him use his hands but I didn't go that route. Maybe next time. I will be making these again. It's just a matter of figuring out how to present it to wee-one and having him like the looks of it enough to at least taste it.
I also served garlic toast and cooked baby carrots. Again I made the mistake of cutting up the carrots so of course those were a no-go. You think I would have learned by now...ha :)! He took a few bites of garlic toast and then wanted a left over Doughnut Muffin from last night. So yes we caved and he had that for supper :)! I must have made his night though because wee-one said to me "Thank you for supper Mommy". Melted my heart because Hubs didn't even have to prompt him tonight. LOVE IT :)!!
Tomorrow night we are having Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and biscuits. Of course when I planned my menu's I had no idea that it was going to be 85 degrees. Yes in October that is almost unheard of! I asked Hubs if he would mind having soup on such a hot day and he said it wouldn't bother him any. I'm pretty sure wee-one isn't going to care either :). So that's my plan and I'm stickin' too it :)! I've made this a few times and it's always been a hit. Again with a toddler a meal he liked last week (or even yesterday for that matter) could be totally rejected the next time. I'm prepared for that...it's happened a time or two (or three or four) :)!
Wee-one had a break through of sorts tonight in another "tricky" area of toddler-hood. He asked (oh yes he did) to go poop on the potty. He even said please! We were shocked to say the least because after thinking the potty was the greatest thing ever at 18 months, he totally abandoned it and refused (and I mean refused...cried, screamed, you name it) to sit on the potty. So tonight when he proclaimed he had to poop and started running around the living room doing the poop dance (yes he has a poop dance and boy is he going to hate reading this when he's 18...ha) I mentioned the potty and wee-one was all for it. He sat on the potty, goofed around for a bit, told me he was done a few times and then got down to business. The reward for doing his job...3 pieces of Candy Corn :)! Yup, that's my boy :)!! We'll see if this continues...no pressure because I think that backfires. We'll all know when he's ready.
I'll post some recipes tomorrow and I'm also going to start posting my upcoming weekly menu's, recipes, and grocery lists. Lots of exciting stuff to come...so stay tuned :)!
I know a lot of it has to do with appearance of the meal. Well how in the world can a toddler eat a stuffed shell?! He is good with his fork but hasn't quite mastered the ability to cut things up. So needless to say I end up cutting his food up and we have learned he doesn't respond well to that. I suppose I could have let his stuffed shell cool off a bit more and then let him use his hands but I didn't go that route. Maybe next time. I will be making these again. It's just a matter of figuring out how to present it to wee-one and having him like the looks of it enough to at least taste it.
I also served garlic toast and cooked baby carrots. Again I made the mistake of cutting up the carrots so of course those were a no-go. You think I would have learned by now...ha :)! He took a few bites of garlic toast and then wanted a left over Doughnut Muffin from last night. So yes we caved and he had that for supper :)! I must have made his night though because wee-one said to me "Thank you for supper Mommy". Melted my heart because Hubs didn't even have to prompt him tonight. LOVE IT :)!!
Tomorrow night we are having Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and biscuits. Of course when I planned my menu's I had no idea that it was going to be 85 degrees. Yes in October that is almost unheard of! I asked Hubs if he would mind having soup on such a hot day and he said it wouldn't bother him any. I'm pretty sure wee-one isn't going to care either :). So that's my plan and I'm stickin' too it :)! I've made this a few times and it's always been a hit. Again with a toddler a meal he liked last week (or even yesterday for that matter) could be totally rejected the next time. I'm prepared for that...it's happened a time or two (or three or four) :)!
Wee-one had a break through of sorts tonight in another "tricky" area of toddler-hood. He asked (oh yes he did) to go poop on the potty. He even said please! We were shocked to say the least because after thinking the potty was the greatest thing ever at 18 months, he totally abandoned it and refused (and I mean refused...cried, screamed, you name it) to sit on the potty. So tonight when he proclaimed he had to poop and started running around the living room doing the poop dance (yes he has a poop dance and boy is he going to hate reading this when he's 18...ha) I mentioned the potty and wee-one was all for it. He sat on the potty, goofed around for a bit, told me he was done a few times and then got down to business. The reward for doing his job...3 pieces of Candy Corn :)! Yup, that's my boy :)!! We'll see if this continues...no pressure because I think that backfires. We'll all know when he's ready.
I'll post some recipes tomorrow and I'm also going to start posting my upcoming weekly menu's, recipes, and grocery lists. Lots of exciting stuff to come...so stay tuned :)!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Breakfast for Supper Always ROCKS :)!!
It was "Breakfast for Supper" night at our house tonight. Always a favorite of me, hubs and the wee-one. Usually I make Pumpkin Pancakes (so delicious) but I'm out of pumpkin and mine in the garden aren't quite ready yet. So I made "Doughnut Muffins".
My toddler LOVES muffins....it's pretty much the only way I can get him to eat any sort of fruit. Yes I'm sneaky like that..ha! However he's gotten sick of the ol' banana muffins and chocolate chip zucchini muffins. So tonight we had something a little different. Something I knew he'd "probably" like. And yes tonight's supper was another WINNER!! :)
Wow two nights in a row of my toddler eating what I made him. I also served hash browns, scrambled eggs, and peaches. He loves eggs and hash browns and kept saying "More, big pile" and pointing at our plates as we shoveled our eggs in. He had a big pile on his plate already and must have figured hubs and I didn't need our eggs..ha. Sorry buddy! He did finally realize that he had a "big pile" on his plate and happily started eating after a bit of drama. I also managed to get him to eat a bite of a peach slice. Yes just a bite but hey it's a start...and I'll take what I can get :)!
Tomorrow night I will be making a recipe from "The Sneaky Chef" cookbook. I hope we can make it three nights in a row that wee-one eats his supper.
Here's the recipe for Doughnut Muffins. I made some "healthy" modifications which you will see behind the true ingredients. These are delightful and delicious and TODDLER APPROVED :)!
Doughnut Muffins
1 1/2 c. flour (I used whole wheat flour)
2 tsp. wheat germ (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (I used 1/2 tsp.)
1/3 c. oil
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
Directions:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, combine next 4. Add liquid mixture to dry mixture; Stir. Bake in a well greased muffin tin at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Take muffins out immediately and while still hot, dip in 1/4 c. melted butter, and then in cinnamon sugar combination (1/2 c. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon). Serve warm.
Makes: 9 muffins
Well it's time for this mommy to hit the hay. I'll be back to let you know if day three was as successful as the last two :)! Good Night!
My toddler LOVES muffins....it's pretty much the only way I can get him to eat any sort of fruit. Yes I'm sneaky like that..ha! However he's gotten sick of the ol' banana muffins and chocolate chip zucchini muffins. So tonight we had something a little different. Something I knew he'd "probably" like. And yes tonight's supper was another WINNER!! :)
Wow two nights in a row of my toddler eating what I made him. I also served hash browns, scrambled eggs, and peaches. He loves eggs and hash browns and kept saying "More, big pile" and pointing at our plates as we shoveled our eggs in. He had a big pile on his plate already and must have figured hubs and I didn't need our eggs..ha. Sorry buddy! He did finally realize that he had a "big pile" on his plate and happily started eating after a bit of drama. I also managed to get him to eat a bite of a peach slice. Yes just a bite but hey it's a start...and I'll take what I can get :)!
Tomorrow night I will be making a recipe from "The Sneaky Chef" cookbook. I hope we can make it three nights in a row that wee-one eats his supper.
Here's the recipe for Doughnut Muffins. I made some "healthy" modifications which you will see behind the true ingredients. These are delightful and delicious and TODDLER APPROVED :)!
Doughnut Muffins
1 1/2 c. flour (I used whole wheat flour)
2 tsp. wheat germ (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (I used 1/2 tsp.)
1/3 c. oil
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
Directions:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, combine next 4. Add liquid mixture to dry mixture; Stir. Bake in a well greased muffin tin at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Take muffins out immediately and while still hot, dip in 1/4 c. melted butter, and then in cinnamon sugar combination (1/2 c. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon). Serve warm.
Makes: 9 muffins
Well it's time for this mommy to hit the hay. I'll be back to let you know if day three was as successful as the last two :)! Good Night!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
What was for supper tonight?!
I usually struggle with what to make for supper. I mean I have tons and tons of ideas and would LOVE to try a new recipe every night but seriously who has the time (and money) to do that?! I plan my meals a week in advance so I know what to get at the grocery store. I have a $75.00 weekly grocery budget...and that's it...no more then that. When the money is gone, it's gone. I get the sale flier in the mail and it's meal planning time.
Sure some weeks I get creative and attempt to try new things. Other weeks it's the old stand by recipes that I've been making for years. However now with a toddler, I have to get creative and can't rely on the old stand bys because well frankly he doesn't like them! I know, who doesn't like Tator-tot Hotdish, right?! My little guy...that's who. He use to like it, not sure why he doesn't like it now. I've stopped trying to figure all that out :)! Ok so back to "getting creative". I pick one cookbook and try one or two new recipes a week based on the sale flier from the grocery store and what I have in my cupboards and freezer. So far that's worked out pretty good but some weeks are a challenge due to the fact that the sale flier from the store pretty much sucks...LOL! It's hard to live in a town with only one grocery store...I'm kinda stuck. But again, I make it work!
Tonight was an "old standby" night at our house. We had Spaghetti with homemade spaghetti sauce. I browned up some ground venison (flavored the he** out of it so it didn't taste gamy) and threw that together with my homemade sauce (so GOOD)! I also made garlic toast and peas. My toddler loved helping me butter the toast...in fact he had a blast. And while he was "helping" me, he was snacking on GRAPES...can you believe it...HE ATE GRAPES!!!
So does wee-one eat Spaghetti you might be asking. Why yes he does! We usually try just plain spaghetti noodles with some cheese but tonight he asked (yes he did) for sauce! He ate it right up. Then he proceeded to eat some of his garlic toast. I've never seen a piece of bread/toast turned down by my little guy (yup, he's my child that's for sure). So all in all tonight's meal was a success. I love nights where he actually eats and it's not a battle. Now getting him to take his vitamins after supper...that was a battle but I digress. We'll take one step at a time :)!
I don't know what got into him tonight after his bath but he was full of it. He was singing, dancing, running back in fourth. It was a hoot. He's a wild man that's for sure and such a pure joy. Some of his new favorite things right now include: Singing and dancing. They do sing-alongs at daycare (oh to be a fly on the wall there...wouldn't that be precious to watch). And one of his favorite sayings is "How did that happen?" and he uses it the right way. Each day is an amazing adventure and I'm loving every single second of it (even the tantrums..for the most part).
Tomorrow night is Breakfast for Supper so I think my wee-one will be eating good again tomorrow. But then again in this age of toddler-hood...I could be so very wrong :)! Until tomorrow....
Sure some weeks I get creative and attempt to try new things. Other weeks it's the old stand by recipes that I've been making for years. However now with a toddler, I have to get creative and can't rely on the old stand bys because well frankly he doesn't like them! I know, who doesn't like Tator-tot Hotdish, right?! My little guy...that's who. He use to like it, not sure why he doesn't like it now. I've stopped trying to figure all that out :)! Ok so back to "getting creative". I pick one cookbook and try one or two new recipes a week based on the sale flier from the grocery store and what I have in my cupboards and freezer. So far that's worked out pretty good but some weeks are a challenge due to the fact that the sale flier from the store pretty much sucks...LOL! It's hard to live in a town with only one grocery store...I'm kinda stuck. But again, I make it work!
Tonight was an "old standby" night at our house. We had Spaghetti with homemade spaghetti sauce. I browned up some ground venison (flavored the he** out of it so it didn't taste gamy) and threw that together with my homemade sauce (so GOOD)! I also made garlic toast and peas. My toddler loved helping me butter the toast...in fact he had a blast. And while he was "helping" me, he was snacking on GRAPES...can you believe it...HE ATE GRAPES!!!
So does wee-one eat Spaghetti you might be asking. Why yes he does! We usually try just plain spaghetti noodles with some cheese but tonight he asked (yes he did) for sauce! He ate it right up. Then he proceeded to eat some of his garlic toast. I've never seen a piece of bread/toast turned down by my little guy (yup, he's my child that's for sure). So all in all tonight's meal was a success. I love nights where he actually eats and it's not a battle. Now getting him to take his vitamins after supper...that was a battle but I digress. We'll take one step at a time :)!
I don't know what got into him tonight after his bath but he was full of it. He was singing, dancing, running back in fourth. It was a hoot. He's a wild man that's for sure and such a pure joy. Some of his new favorite things right now include: Singing and dancing. They do sing-alongs at daycare (oh to be a fly on the wall there...wouldn't that be precious to watch). And one of his favorite sayings is "How did that happen?" and he uses it the right way. Each day is an amazing adventure and I'm loving every single second of it (even the tantrums..for the most part).
Tomorrow night is Breakfast for Supper so I think my wee-one will be eating good again tomorrow. But then again in this age of toddler-hood...I could be so very wrong :)! Until tomorrow....
Welcome
Welcome to my new blog :)! Last night I had a revelation that I needed to start a new blog chronicling my journey as a first time mom with a toddler, who may or may not be picky...just depends on the day :)! I want this blog to be informative, funny and helpful to those that are going or have gone through the "picky" phase of toddler-hood.
I want to post daily, which might be quite the feat for me. I hope to document toddler funnies, toddler approved recipes and whatever else I feel like talking about for the day. So won't you join me as my toddler and I experience our daily lives....
Later tonight (after wee one goes to bed) I'll post about our day, what we had for supper, if it was toddler approved and maybe a toddler funny or two. He says the darnest things sometimes :)!
Welcome to Picky Toddler and the First Time Mom...
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