Tag: Cooking

Menu Plan Monday ~ 30 August

Happy Monday, everyone!

This week will be an interesting one for us. SuperMan is going on a new work schedule and won’t be home until after 7 each night (boo!) which means that the girls and I will be on our own for supper most nights. This will be a challenge for me. What to cook that the girls will enjoy/eat and will still be appetizing for SuperMan when he gets home…

Here’s what I have planned for the week:mpm-1

  • Twice-baked potatoes with a salad
  • Chicken Parmesan
    This will be a new one to try on the kids. I don’t know if they will like it or not.
  • Steaks cooked on the grill with fresh veggies and buttered potatoes
    This is usually a SuperMan-cooked dinner. It will be interesting to see how I do cooking steaks.
  • Pizza Braid
    I saw this recipe last week when I was perusing other Menu Plan Monday posts. Have to try it.
  • Sloppy Joes with homemade french fries & fresh fruit
    Kid-friendly & fast – good for one of those nights we have dance classes.
  • Chicken Pomodoro
    I have had this on my list for two weeks and haven’t made it yet. Maybe this week?

 

What are you cooking this week?

Join us over at orgjunkie.com and share your menu plan!

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Menu Plan Monday ~ 23 Aug

mealplanmonday_v2 Got lots going on this week.

So glad I have planned out my menus. We have dance classes on Monday/Wednesday and Friday this week, plus curriculum night/PTO on Wednesday night and a knitting session for me on Thursday evening.

Without the plan, I think we would devolve into eating a lot of junk and fast food. This way, I know my family is getting healthy food and I can control fat, protein, and portion sizes.  Not to mention we have great leftovers for lunches.

As you can see we’re back into the chicken routine.  I’ve been finding chicken thighs on sale at the grocery and substituting them for the breasts in menus where I can. They are juicier than breasts and easier for my tummy to digest. The rest of the family doesn't seem to mind, either.

Here’s what I have planned for the week:

I’ve included links to all the recipes since so many of you have asked me for them.  Most are mine, a few other folks’.  All are posted on AllRecipes.com so it should be easy for you to access and print.

Join us over at Menu Plan Monday on orgjunkie’s blog – you can get some great ideas for your own dinners and share what you’ve got planned as well!  There are some great recipes over there – I was picking up a few ideas myself this morning that may show up in my own menus in the next few weeks.

 

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Quick and Easy Dessert

I wanted to share a super-quick and super-yummy dessert idea with you.

My friend Cindy is quickly becoming famous amongst our newest circle of friends for her amazing recipes – all of which are so simple and easy to make that it is amazing how good they are. Something that easy can’t be that good!

But, Cindy is the master of quick, easy and yummy recipes. I think it is because she is a mom to three big, strapping boys and has had to be very creative with her food budget and cooking to feed those growing boys. (and they are BIG boys… football, weight-lifters, etc.)

Cindy prepared this for us for dessert one night when she hosted dinner at her house. It was gobbled up quickly and we were all begging for more – and the recipe!

I haven’t tried to make this sugar-free or WLS friendly, but I think I am going to try this weekend. Maybe substitute the “real” ingredients for sugar-free varieties. I will let you know how it turns out. 

This version, though, is to die for.

Oreo Cookie Ice Cream

  • 1 (large) tub of Cool Whip whipped topping
  • 1 1/2 gallon container of vanilla ice cream (slightly melted)
  • 1 package Oreo cookies

  1. Crush Oreos in a food processor (or put them in a ziplock bag and let your kids whack them with a mallet to crush them)
  2. In a LARGE bowl, mix the crushed Oreos, ice cream, and cool whip.
  3. Freeze 4-5 hours
  4. Serve

Print the recipe

This is a great treat to share with friends – and if you do there won’t be any left!

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Yummy for Your Tummy

I tried a new recipe today – another crock pot recipe. I’ve told you I am big (*huge*) fan of the crock pot. I mean, seriously, why wouldn’t you be when it takes a cheap cut of meat and makes something scrumptious out of it with little to no effort on your part? 

And this was definite scrumptiousness.  SuperMan said it reminded him of something his mom would’ve cooked. High praise, let me tell you, and something I have never  heard with regards to my cooking in almost 20 years of marriage.

So, this one is worth trying out.  Ok?

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I actually had both crock pots going tonight. I had the big one with a batch of tortilla soup that I had made earlier in the week and felt like it needed a little more “doctoring.” So, I added a can of enchilada sauce and put it back on to simmer for a while.  The little one had tonight’s dinner yumminess in it.

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The recipe comes from a Taste of Home Slow Cooker recipe book.  It’s called “Beef in Onion Gravy” but I think that sounds way too bland for how this tastes.

Here’s the recipe, and my modifications are noted as well. (because I hardly ever cook anything exactly like the recipe, unless I’m baking)

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I used the low fat variety)
2 Tbsp Lipton Onion Soup Mix (I used the whole pack)
2 Tbsp Beef Broth (I used about 1/4 cup)
1 Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
1 lb beef stew meat (I used 1 1/2 lbs)

  1. (I seasoned my meat using Houston House Seasoning and then browned it off in a skillet for about 10 minutes)
  2. In a 1 1/2 quart slow cooker, combine the soup, soup mix, tapioca, broth.  Let stand 15 min (I let stand while I browned the meat)
  3. Stir in the beef. (I also used about 1/4 cup water and deglazed the skillet and added that yumminess (the fond) to the crock pot)
  4. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hrs (I cooked on high for 4 1/2 hrs)
  5. (While it was cooking I thought the gravy mixture was too gelatinous so I added about 1/2 – 3/4 cup of water and mixed it in. )
  6. I cooked some egg noodles al dente and dumped them in the pot with the beef and gravy just before serving.

We served it with a salad. 

My 8 year old said, “Mom, when I first saw this I thought it looked gross. Then, I tasted it and it’s YUM!”  She proceeded to clean her plate.

So, kid-tested and hubby-approved.

I hope you give it a try and let me know how your family liked it!

What’s for dinner?

What’s for dinner at your house tonight?

I have been trying to come up with something creative, appetizing and quick/easy for us tonight. My attention has been a little distracted the past week with a little person who is under the weather (hence the less-frequent-than-normal posts, too.)Pizza poppers baked close up

I just stumbled across this recipe for Stuffed Pizza Bites on a blog I follow: Our Best Bites (have you heard of them? If not, you should check them out – they have a lot of yummy recipes.

I’ll post some pictures and let you know how the munchkins and SuperMan like it tonight.

Crock Pots are a Girl’s Best Friend

With the cold winter days upon us it is nice to have something hot and hearty for dinner. And it's especially nice when that hot and hearty something doesn't involve standing in the kitchen for an hour to cook it!

I am a big fan of the crock pot.  I love being one step ahead when that witching hour comes and the kids are cranky and hungry and I'm tired and we all just need a break.  I love the way it makes my house smell like "home."  I love how I feel like I'm providing healthy meals for my family and it's so easy to do. And economical.  Most of my crock pot meals are multi-night affairs… or night and a few lunches at a minimum.

Here's one of our all-time favorite crock pot recipes.  I hope you enjoy as much as we do. (Oh, and this makes a great gift meal for someone if they are sick or need a helping hand.)

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Fresh Vegetable Beef Stew
1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat
1 small green bell pepper chopped (I use 1/2 bag frozen)
3/4 cup green beans (fresh, or I use 1/2 bag frozen)
3/4 cup onion, chopped (I use 1/2 bag frozen)
3/4 cup carrots, sliced (I use frozen – see a pattern here?)
3/4 cup frozen corn
4-6 red potatoes, washed, cut into pieces (about 1 inch)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt / 1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp thyme (fresh) or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 1/2 cups beef broth (2 cans or 1 carton)
2 cans diced tomato w/ garlic
1 can tomato sauce

Add all ingredients in slow cooker – I usually put potatoes on the bottom, vegs in the middle, meat on top.
Cook
low 8-9 hrs or high 4-5 hrs

I also season my meat with my own homemade "House Seasoning" (recipe below) (Who says Paula Dean is the only one who can have her own house seasoning?)

Houston House Seasoning

1 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1/4 cup onion powder

Mix all thoroughly. For storage, reuse a large seasoning bottle (I reused my leftover garlic powder jar) or a Ziploc-type baggie.

I have a new addiction

I have never been a coffee drinker.  Never.  Not even in college. Didn’t like the bitterness it had.  I’ve always loved the way it smelled, though.  I often wished coffee tasted as good as it smelled, but for me it didn’t.

So, I was quite happy with my tea each morning, and being the outcast whenever we’d meet people at a coffee shop for a chat.IMGP1468_0001

“Nope, nothing for me, thank you.” I’d always say.

And then it happened.

It began all so innocently… a trip to Oregon (coffee drinking capital of the world, I think) with my mom.  My sister-in-law introduces Mom to a Starbucks Hazelnut Latte.  No, thank you, I said. I don’t drink coffee.

Mom insisted I take a sip. I said no. She offered again.  Finally, I succumbed.  And it was ok.  Not bitter, not scalding hot, but not something I really cared to taste again.

But something must’ve happened on that trip.  Maybe it was the passive exposure to all the coffee everyone else consumed.  Maybe that one little sip awakened tastebuds in my mouth that I never used before.  I don’t know.

What I do know is this.  I have become a coffee addict.  Slowly, surely, and in a good part thanks to Starbucks.

First it was the Hazelnut Lattes.  Now, I’ve branched out – Mocha something-or-others… and some awesome concoction the barista at the Macon Starbucks made for me.  It’s got toffee nut syrup, mocha syrup, espresso, and I don’t know what else. It’s probably eight million calories, so I only indulge in one occasionally, but it is good.  Kind of like drinking a turtle candy in your coffee. Yummy.

I have been rationing myself, due to the exhorbitant prices for my favorite Starbucks drinks.  Hard to justify $4 for a coffee drink when I supposedly don’t like coffee.sinfuldelight

And then I found Joffrey’s Coffee.  Oh. My. Goodness.

They have a flavor called “Sinful Delight.”  It’s description on the bag reads thusly: “Chocolate Butterscotch with Nut Overtones.”  I saw that in the Publix and thought, “Ok, that sounds really good.”  I bought it, thinking if I didn’t like it I would give it my mom.

Sorry, Mom, you’re not going to get this bag.  It is soooo good!

Now, I’m dreaming about coffee.  Sitting at my desk thinking about coffee. When the cravings come I can taste it before I even have a sip.  Mind you, I’m not into all that plain coffee junk.  Give me the good stuff.  The sweet, flavored coffees that I can doctor up with some half and half and pretend like I’ve got a high-dollar latte from ‘bucks.

And I have invested in a coffee press.  I was told I’d get better flavor from the beans that way. (Am I becoming a coffee snob?) I don’t know if that is true (the flavor part, and the snob part) but I do know I like the fact that I can brew only one or two cups in my cute little press.  And, no hulking coffee maker taking up space on my counter.IMGP1469_0001

I never, ever, in a million years thought I would like coffee.  Who knew? I guess I like coffee after all!

Every Baker has her (bad) day…

I have been craving a pound cake lately.  One in particular – my great-grandmother’s lemon pound cake.

Last night, I remarked to my husband that I couldn’t understand why my overwhelming desire to have a slice of pound cake hadn’t caused a cake to materialize on my kitchen counter.  He looked at me like I’d lost my mind and gently suggested maybe I should just make one. (duh)

So, that’s what I did this afternoon… at the same time I helped one kid with her homework, waited on the other princess perched on the couch “feeling wotten” and watching cartoons… and answered emails, IM’s and kept up with what was going on in the world of work.

I guess, then, that it should’ve come as no surprise when my cake was a little onery when it came out of the oven. I mean it’s not like it had my undivided attention while it was being created.  Heck, I’m not even sure it had much of my attention at all. I have made this recipe so many times I think I could make it in my sleep.

We were dashing out the door to go to Girl Scouts when I thought I’d better at least turn the cake out of it’s pan.  It didn’t release right away so I left it upside down on the cake plate and off we went.

Three hours later when we finally returned home…. the cake hadn’t budged.  In case you didn’t realize this already, this was a bad sign. Uh, oh.  Time to dig out the plastic spatula of doom and prise the cake from the pan.  (I really hate doing that because I’m always afraid I’m going to ruin the cake  – ruin? hah!)

I prodded.

I poked.

I shimmied.

(the cake)

I shook.

I pounded.

Nothing.

sigh.

I got a chopstick out and ran it around the insides of the pan.  Flipped the cake again.  I heard that soft “whump” you hear when the cake falls.  Okay. Now we’re gettin’ somewhere.

But the pan still felt heavy…

What the heck?

I turned the pan over.

ACK!

Half of my cake was still in the pan! OH. MY. GOODNESS!!!!

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I don’t think I can remember the last time this has happened.  FOREVER.  And that is saying something considering I probably bake 2-3 cakes a month at least.

My darling, sweet, loving husband asks, “Did you remember to spray the pan, honey?” smirk, smirk, chuckle, chuckle.  <grrrr>

IMGP1465“YES, I did.”  And I’m sure I did. I remember the can of spray oil giving out its last gasps as I greased the pan.

I have no clue what happened. Maybe I let it sit too long. Maybe not long enough. Maybe not enough oil.  Who knows?
But I do know one thing for sure.  I’m really, really, really glad that this wasn’t a cake I was making to give to someone.

It’s one ugly cake.  Seriously ugly.

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But, on the bright side?  It tastes awesome.

Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a try. Once you do, you will be spoiled for all other pound cakes.

Grandma Achord’s Lemon Pound Cake

3 cups white sugar                         1 cup sour cream

2 sticks butter                                  1/4 tsp baking soda

6 eggs                                                   3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla extract                       1 tsp lemon extract

1 tsp almond extract

Cream sugar and butter. Add sour cream and extracts.  Add eggs, one at a time. Add flour and baking soda slowly. Beat only long enough to get flour mixed in well.

Pour into greased tube or bundt pan and bake at 325 for 1 hour 20 min.

We usually don’t ever get around to it because we gobble up the cake so quickly, but Grandma always made a glaze by mixing a few teaspoons of lemon juice with some powdered sugar (about 2 cups) and drizzled it over the cake.

Portugese Sweet Bread

 

I made some bread this weekend.  I found a recipe for Portugese Sweet Bread. It sounded too good to resist.  

I had planned to show you pictures of it after it came out of the bread machine.

There was one small problem.

My family gobbled it up. (the nerve!)

Before photos could be taken.  (next time I will take the pictures first)

But, if you like making bread at home, I would highly suggest you give this recipe a try. It rivals some of the “high end” breads at the grocery store in flavor and texture.  And the best part is, you know exactly what is in it. No chemicals, no artificial flavors or preservatives.  My kids NEVER eat my homemade bread.  They devoured this one and told everyone we saw today how good “mommy’s bread” was.

So, take it from my kids. It’s worth trying out.

Recipe can be found on AllRecipes.com