Time to start blogging again.
I've been out there, cooking, cleaning etc...but I have found the biggest time suck/coolest thing EVER.
Pinterest. If you haven't joined yet...you're missing out! It's fantastically amazing and it has everything on there.
Recipes? check. crafts? check. Inspirational sayings? Check. Ridiculous pictures of Ryan Gosling biting his shirt? CHECK.
Anyway, I'm trying to start a healthier adventure. I'm joining Weight Watchers this coming week.
My goal is to lose 30 lbs by next summer and I'm not going to do it by continuing to eat whatever I come across, and lots of it. I'm hoping to learn portion control and better choices rather than just starving myself or starting some diet that is completely out of control that kills me the second I stop it.
I've started baking, which I thought I couldn't do...but I'm learning. I've made breads. I've made cakes...from scratch. I've made brownies. I've made cookies. (ok, they were more of a fail, but I tried).
And I've been introducing all 4 of us to new foods. Spenny usually won't try them, Emerson's usually down for anything and J's even starting to come around to some things...like Trader Joe's Gnocchi...it was sweet potato flavored and not only did he eat it, he went back for 2nds!
Before I leave, I'll share my dinner experience tonight. I had it all planned out...bbq chicken breasts, green beans (with applewood smoke bacon..YUM!) and some creamy garlic pasta. I start the bacon, mix my water and milk for the noodles and toss my chicken in the oven. About 4 minutes later, I hear this noise that sounded almost like uncooked spaghetti being poured onto the floor. I look for a kid or animal to holler at and realize they are all in the living room...I don't see anything on the floor...and realize the sound came from the oven.
Apparently the pan, which is designated as oven, dishwasher and freezer safe, was NOT actually oven safe...despite being room temp when I put it in the oven, it erupted into a bajillon little pieces and several larger ones. Needless to say, we had microwaved chicken nuggets for dinner with our pasta and green beans....
Have you ever had that happen to you?
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Dinner Potential fail
Tonight I tried making Lasagna Cupcakes.
Long story short, I decided they were too much work for the time I had and I made a regular lasagna for tomorrow night and I needed a quick idea.
We ended up having grilled ham, swiss and pineapple sandwiches. SO. YUMMY. We will definately be making these again.
Other than that, we've been pretty much on the same ol same ol dinner path. Lots of grilling, our favorite is the Mango Pineapple Chicken from Dahls, served with some roasted potatoes and a side salad. Tons of fresh fruit has been making an appearance in our house...the boys will eat more of it that anything else.
J's is now staying home with the boys 4 days a week, and we're open to suggestions on what to feed the kids for lunch...they seem to like just the regular kid food--nuggets, hot dogs, mac n cheese...and we'd like to have some new ideas, hopefully healthier ones :)
What's going on in your kitchen?
Long story short, I decided they were too much work for the time I had and I made a regular lasagna for tomorrow night and I needed a quick idea.
We ended up having grilled ham, swiss and pineapple sandwiches. SO. YUMMY. We will definately be making these again.
Other than that, we've been pretty much on the same ol same ol dinner path. Lots of grilling, our favorite is the Mango Pineapple Chicken from Dahls, served with some roasted potatoes and a side salad. Tons of fresh fruit has been making an appearance in our house...the boys will eat more of it that anything else.
J's is now staying home with the boys 4 days a week, and we're open to suggestions on what to feed the kids for lunch...they seem to like just the regular kid food--nuggets, hot dogs, mac n cheese...and we'd like to have some new ideas, hopefully healthier ones :)
What's going on in your kitchen?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Salisbury Steak
One of my favorite meals is Salisbury Steak...Simple, Easy and delicious. I usually make up a HUGE batch so I can freeze the patties (or meatballs) and then have quick meals for during the week when we are too busy to actually make it.
Basic Recipe:
1 lb of Ground Turkey
1 cup bread crumbs
Seasonings (I usually use Parsley and Chopped Onion)
Mix it in a bowl.
Shape it into patties.
Or Meatballs if you want...
Brown them in a skillet.
or bake them in the stove, if they are meatballs.
Either way, when they are done, mix a can of Cream of Mushroom soup with a can of 1/2 water and 1/2 milk.
Then serve :) When we eat the patties, we usually have mashed potatoes and peas. If we are serving them as Swedish Meatballs, I do the same thing, but serve over egg noodles. YUMMY!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Yeah Yeah...
I know, 6 weeks has gone by.
It's Tax Season.
That means lots of evenings alone with the little boys, which means a lot of quick meals, since they don't care for people food unless it's in the form of a nugget, dog or something equally processed. In fact, I'm m trying to get my youngest to eat Tator Tot Casserole (TTC) riiiight now. He's eating about one pea every 5 minutes and glaring at me the whole time since I'm on Doggy Patrol...not letting Lola eat what he's throwing down to her. Spenny gave up and ate Fruit Loops in Jello...yeah, he put them IN his jello...whatever, he ate! lol
Before I get too far...how do you make your TTC? I make mine with frozen mixed veggies, which I have boiled, hamburger (or ground pork), cream of mushroom soup, a splash of milk and a handful of shredded cheese. I heat it all together, dump it in a pan, put my already browned tots on top and bake until its...all casserole-y. Makes the total cook time a lot less than when I used to just dump everything and bake until hot.
Anyway.
Most important thing I wanted to post:
REUBEN PIZZA!
I love me some Reubens...especially the sauerkraut. I bought a Mama Mia or whatever honey wheat crust (the pre-made kind, that you find in the pizza aisle) and smothered it in Thousand Island Dressing. Then I tore up about a 1/4 lb or corned beef and spread it all over the top of the dressing. Next was TONS of sauerkraut followed by a ton of shredded swiss then tossed in the oven until it was all golden and bubbly. Totally delish. I must admit, I got the inspiration from Chips, here in Ankeny, but they smother theirs in chopped pickles. SICK. Totally delish and it was the perfect size for my friend Missy and I.
Last week Spenny and I found an easy dessert to whip up as well....so easy, my 3 year old did most of it!
It's Tax Season.
That means lots of evenings alone with the little boys, which means a lot of quick meals, since they don't care for people food unless it's in the form of a nugget, dog or something equally processed. In fact, I'm m trying to get my youngest to eat Tator Tot Casserole (TTC) riiiight now. He's eating about one pea every 5 minutes and glaring at me the whole time since I'm on Doggy Patrol...not letting Lola eat what he's throwing down to her. Spenny gave up and ate Fruit Loops in Jello...yeah, he put them IN his jello...whatever, he ate! lol
Before I get too far...how do you make your TTC? I make mine with frozen mixed veggies, which I have boiled, hamburger (or ground pork), cream of mushroom soup, a splash of milk and a handful of shredded cheese. I heat it all together, dump it in a pan, put my already browned tots on top and bake until its...all casserole-y. Makes the total cook time a lot less than when I used to just dump everything and bake until hot.
Anyway.
Most important thing I wanted to post:
REUBEN PIZZA!
I love me some Reubens...especially the sauerkraut. I bought a Mama Mia or whatever honey wheat crust (the pre-made kind, that you find in the pizza aisle) and smothered it in Thousand Island Dressing. Then I tore up about a 1/4 lb or corned beef and spread it all over the top of the dressing. Next was TONS of sauerkraut followed by a ton of shredded swiss then tossed in the oven until it was all golden and bubbly. Totally delish. I must admit, I got the inspiration from Chips, here in Ankeny, but they smother theirs in chopped pickles. SICK. Totally delish and it was the perfect size for my friend Missy and I.
Last week Spenny and I found an easy dessert to whip up as well....so easy, my 3 year old did most of it!
1/2 stick butter
1 c. milk
1 c. sugar
1 c. self-rising flour or Bisquick
1 can fruit pie filling (apple, cherry, peach, etc.)
1 c. milk
1 c. sugar
1 c. self-rising flour or Bisquick
1 can fruit pie filling (apple, cherry, peach, etc.)
Melt butter in medium Pyrex dish. Mix sugar, flour, and milk in separate bowl, then pour batter over butter. DO NOT STIR. Spoon filling over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until brown.
That's it! We used cherry pie filling and Bisquick. I took it out at 50 minutes, it probably could have used the extra 10 minutes, so I'll keep that in mind for next time. Spenny loved being able to mix the ingredients, and of course, dump it into the pan. He wasn't so sure about the cherries tho :)
I have another post I might get around to making, I tried a new process, but I'm not sure how it'll work, so stay tuned.
What's new in your kitchen? Any recommendations for quick, easy, child-friendly recipes to get me through the next 8 weeks until tax season is over?
That's it! We used cherry pie filling and Bisquick. I took it out at 50 minutes, it probably could have used the extra 10 minutes, so I'll keep that in mind for next time. Spenny loved being able to mix the ingredients, and of course, dump it into the pan. He wasn't so sure about the cherries tho :)
I have another post I might get around to making, I tried a new process, but I'm not sure how it'll work, so stay tuned.
What's new in your kitchen? Any recommendations for quick, easy, child-friendly recipes to get me through the next 8 weeks until tax season is over?
Monday, January 10, 2011
New Year, New Recipes.
I know, it's been a looong time. But, things have been busy in our household. First off, we bought our first home!! We spent a lot of time and effort in getting it move in ready (cleaning, paint, small repairs) and almost all of our energy went into that, which means that we've been eating a lot of frozen food, and throw together meals.
However, I just had to share my new obsession. One day I was reading IGE and she had this delicious bagel breakfast sandwich...sweet bagel with egg, bacon and cheese on it. I thought that looks good and sorta forgot about it. Last week, I went to Target to pick up some things and they had a loaf of Apple Fritter Bread in the bakery area. The first night, I made some toast out of it, and it was perfect, sweet and crunchy with some soft apple pieces. It was heavenly.
The next night (I usually don't eat breakfast at home) I decided that I wanted an egg. (Side note--A lot of you that know me will be like WHUUUUT! She does NOT eat eggs!! Ever!! But I've been eating them lately and decided they're not all that bad...most of the time. I still do not like them scrambled unless they have potatoes in them.) I made it sorta fried with a soft yolk on the inside and decided to toast some more Apple Fritter bread with it. I was like, why not? And tossed the egg on the bread and placed a slice of cheese on top.
It.
Was.
AMAZING.
The crunchy sweet of the bread mixed with the slightly melted cheese with the egg was perfect. It was so yummy. My only complaint was that egg was a little too runny for a sandwhich and I ended up with yolk all over.
Saturday I wanted to finish up the loaf of bread, so I made the sandwiches for J and I. This time, however, I scrambled up the eggs and made it more like you would for an omelette, then folded the cheese in the egg and also used slices of the Oscar Mayer Canadian Bacon. Also very good, and much easier to eat than the runnier one.
Overall, new favorite :)
We've got a couple new recipes to try this week, I'll try to keep you all updated :)
However, I just had to share my new obsession. One day I was reading IGE and she had this delicious bagel breakfast sandwich...sweet bagel with egg, bacon and cheese on it. I thought that looks good and sorta forgot about it. Last week, I went to Target to pick up some things and they had a loaf of Apple Fritter Bread in the bakery area. The first night, I made some toast out of it, and it was perfect, sweet and crunchy with some soft apple pieces. It was heavenly.
The next night (I usually don't eat breakfast at home) I decided that I wanted an egg. (Side note--A lot of you that know me will be like WHUUUUT! She does NOT eat eggs!! Ever!! But I've been eating them lately and decided they're not all that bad...most of the time. I still do not like them scrambled unless they have potatoes in them.) I made it sorta fried with a soft yolk on the inside and decided to toast some more Apple Fritter bread with it. I was like, why not? And tossed the egg on the bread and placed a slice of cheese on top.
It.
Was.
AMAZING.
The crunchy sweet of the bread mixed with the slightly melted cheese with the egg was perfect. It was so yummy. My only complaint was that egg was a little too runny for a sandwhich and I ended up with yolk all over.
Saturday I wanted to finish up the loaf of bread, so I made the sandwiches for J and I. This time, however, I scrambled up the eggs and made it more like you would for an omelette, then folded the cheese in the egg and also used slices of the Oscar Mayer Canadian Bacon. Also very good, and much easier to eat than the runnier one.
Overall, new favorite :)
We've got a couple new recipes to try this week, I'll try to keep you all updated :)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Mid-November Already?
Hello.
I know, I know. It's been a while. I've been busy. Not really an excuse, but it's true. Busy and lazy don't go well together.
A few things I've been wanting to put up here...
I made a chicken and noodle soup. J made the homemade noodles with Granny H's secret family recipe, we all have them, so I won't share this one (If you don't have one, call your Grandma/Mom/Aunt, I'm sure they'd be happy to share the tradition with you! If they won't, then I guess I could share ours...or you can buy the frozen noodles as well.
Since homemade noodles is a whole day affair, I decided to make the chicken one as well. I bought canned chicken broth (no sodium, msg blah blah blah) and put it in a pot then simmered a couple of boneless chicken breasts in it for several hours. At some point, once the chicken was all white, I would pull out the chunks and shred it, so it wasn't such a big piece of chicken. I added in some chopped celery and carrots, some thyme...(that's right, I bought some!), parsley, sage and a bay leaf and just continued to let it simmer. it smelled amazing, and tasted about the same.
Once the noodles were sufficiently dry and the chicken soup tasted like I thought it should, I fished out the bay leaf and most of the veggies (I wanted the flavor of the veggies in the broth but we didn't want to eat them in the soup) and brought it to a rolling boil, then dumped in the noodles and served them over mashed potatoes. I had a little bit too much broth for what we were wanting but it was delicious and definitely warmed the bellies. E ate them like crazy as well, and we had plenty for leftovers for our lunches the next day.
I also tried to make beef stroganoff recently. I browned a pound of ground beef, then mixed in a can of cream of mushroom soup. I also added in some garlic powder and parsely and then added in my boiled egg noodles (Not the homemade style, the "wide egg noodles" you purchase in the pasta aisle.) Once it was all mixed, I then added in about 1/2 cup of sour cream and mixed. It was just ok, I think next time I will up the garlic powder and add some whole mushrooms and maybe some onion.
The next thing I am most excited about cooking is our Thanksgiving dinner. I love making big family dinners and having people over for the meal, this year we will be hosting a friend or two for dinner and I plan on cooking Turkey, Stuffing, Rolls, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, some Cranberry sauce (ok that will be from a can) and of course, Green bean casserole and scalloped corn.
Do you have any staples that you eat for thanks giving every year?
I know, I know. It's been a while. I've been busy. Not really an excuse, but it's true. Busy and lazy don't go well together.
A few things I've been wanting to put up here...
I made a chicken and noodle soup. J made the homemade noodles with Granny H's secret family recipe, we all have them, so I won't share this one (If you don't have one, call your Grandma/Mom/Aunt, I'm sure they'd be happy to share the tradition with you! If they won't, then I guess I could share ours...or you can buy the frozen noodles as well.
Since homemade noodles is a whole day affair, I decided to make the chicken one as well. I bought canned chicken broth (no sodium, msg blah blah blah) and put it in a pot then simmered a couple of boneless chicken breasts in it for several hours. At some point, once the chicken was all white, I would pull out the chunks and shred it, so it wasn't such a big piece of chicken. I added in some chopped celery and carrots, some thyme...(that's right, I bought some!), parsley, sage and a bay leaf and just continued to let it simmer. it smelled amazing, and tasted about the same.
Once the noodles were sufficiently dry and the chicken soup tasted like I thought it should, I fished out the bay leaf and most of the veggies (I wanted the flavor of the veggies in the broth but we didn't want to eat them in the soup) and brought it to a rolling boil, then dumped in the noodles and served them over mashed potatoes. I had a little bit too much broth for what we were wanting but it was delicious and definitely warmed the bellies. E ate them like crazy as well, and we had plenty for leftovers for our lunches the next day.
I also tried to make beef stroganoff recently. I browned a pound of ground beef, then mixed in a can of cream of mushroom soup. I also added in some garlic powder and parsely and then added in my boiled egg noodles (Not the homemade style, the "wide egg noodles" you purchase in the pasta aisle.) Once it was all mixed, I then added in about 1/2 cup of sour cream and mixed. It was just ok, I think next time I will up the garlic powder and add some whole mushrooms and maybe some onion.
The next thing I am most excited about cooking is our Thanksgiving dinner. I love making big family dinners and having people over for the meal, this year we will be hosting a friend or two for dinner and I plan on cooking Turkey, Stuffing, Rolls, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, some Cranberry sauce (ok that will be from a can) and of course, Green bean casserole and scalloped corn.
Do you have any staples that you eat for thanks giving every year?
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
I'm always out of Thyme...
Fall is upon us, and two weekends ago it was cold and rainy...the kind of weather where you really just want to put on your sweats and eat chili in front of the fire. I was cleaning out a closet and found a stash of magazines that I had wanted to try recipes out of, so decided to add one to my grocery list.
Beef and Mushroom French Onion Soup
Original recipe from Hy-Vee's Seasons magazine from Fall 2009
1 Tablespon Olive Oil
12 oz Beef Stew Meat, cut in 1 in cubes
2 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
5 cups Beef Broth
1/2 cup Dry Red Wine
1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Bayleaf
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Bread and Swiss Cheese
Heat olive oil in a 4 qt Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is brown. Remove beef from Dutch oven, reserve drippings in pan and set aside beef.
Add butter to reserved drippings and heat over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, covered for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, covered, 5 more minutes or until onions are golden, stirring occasionally. Stir in beef, broth, wine, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, thyme and pepper. Bring to boiling, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Discard Bayleaf.
Meanwhile, pleace bread slices on baking sheet. Top with cheese. Broil 3 - 4 inches from heat for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is light brown and bubbly. Lade soup into bowls, top each serving with a bread slice.
Ok, The changes I made were:
I accidently used 4 cups vegetable broth and 1 cup beef, I didn't realize it until I was recycling the first container...whoops! I also never ever have any Thyme...I always think I do, buuut, I don't, so I skipped it as well as the bayleaf. Everything else I followed pretty closely. I don't know off the top of my head what type of wine I used (I'll try to remember to check in the morning!), but it was recommended to me by my dear friend Julia. The only other changes I made was I had bought a 16 oz package of stew meat, so I used the whole thing, and while I understand that it was French ONION soup, we don't like a whole lot of onions, so I used about 1/2 of a big onion. For the bread, we used Ciabatta rolls/buns that were sliced in half and I used slices of Swiss Cheese on top.
It was really, really good! In fact, I will be making it a lot this soup season. The only thing I think I'll change from my adaptations would be to use shredded swiss cheese instead of the sliced, Just because I like my bread to be cheesier. We did serve our bread on the side, rather than on top, and then dipped the chewy crispy bread in the soup...my mouth is watering just thinking about it!! Since it makes a decent sized pot and the boys won't eat it, we had the leftovers the next night and it was still really good.
That's the only real new recipe I've tried...I've been eating a lot of Overnight Oats, which is popular in several food blogs, however I'll choose the local Iowa Girl Eats to reference...since, well...she's local!
Other things we've done recently...Roasted veggies (Zucchini, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, new potatoes, baby carrots all chopped or sliced and tossed in olive oil and...well, roasted...here's a tip, toss in the potatoes, baby carrots and new potatoes a while before you toss in your other softer veggies that will roast faster) grilling and just quick meals here and there. I had a minor surgery last week, and ended up eating turkey sammiches (on Arnold's Sandwich thins with Miracle whip and a slice of sargento colby jack...yummy!) for 2 days...darn vicodin cravings! And I must also mention...HONEYCRISPS ARE BACK!!! Yes, the one time per year I not only buy apples, but I spend $3/lb on them!
What's new in your kitchen?
Beef and Mushroom French Onion Soup
Original recipe from Hy-Vee's Seasons magazine from Fall 2009
1 Tablespon Olive Oil
12 oz Beef Stew Meat, cut in 1 in cubes
2 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
5 cups Beef Broth
1/2 cup Dry Red Wine
1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Bayleaf
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Bread and Swiss Cheese
Heat olive oil in a 4 qt Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is brown. Remove beef from Dutch oven, reserve drippings in pan and set aside beef.
Add butter to reserved drippings and heat over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, covered for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, covered, 5 more minutes or until onions are golden, stirring occasionally. Stir in beef, broth, wine, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, thyme and pepper. Bring to boiling, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Discard Bayleaf.
Meanwhile, pleace bread slices on baking sheet. Top with cheese. Broil 3 - 4 inches from heat for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is light brown and bubbly. Lade soup into bowls, top each serving with a bread slice.
Ok, The changes I made were:
I accidently used 4 cups vegetable broth and 1 cup beef, I didn't realize it until I was recycling the first container...whoops! I also never ever have any Thyme...I always think I do, buuut, I don't, so I skipped it as well as the bayleaf. Everything else I followed pretty closely. I don't know off the top of my head what type of wine I used (I'll try to remember to check in the morning!), but it was recommended to me by my dear friend Julia. The only other changes I made was I had bought a 16 oz package of stew meat, so I used the whole thing, and while I understand that it was French ONION soup, we don't like a whole lot of onions, so I used about 1/2 of a big onion. For the bread, we used Ciabatta rolls/buns that were sliced in half and I used slices of Swiss Cheese on top.
It was really, really good! In fact, I will be making it a lot this soup season. The only thing I think I'll change from my adaptations would be to use shredded swiss cheese instead of the sliced, Just because I like my bread to be cheesier. We did serve our bread on the side, rather than on top, and then dipped the chewy crispy bread in the soup...my mouth is watering just thinking about it!! Since it makes a decent sized pot and the boys won't eat it, we had the leftovers the next night and it was still really good.
That's the only real new recipe I've tried...I've been eating a lot of Overnight Oats, which is popular in several food blogs, however I'll choose the local Iowa Girl Eats to reference...since, well...she's local!
Other things we've done recently...Roasted veggies (Zucchini, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, new potatoes, baby carrots all chopped or sliced and tossed in olive oil and...well, roasted...here's a tip, toss in the potatoes, baby carrots and new potatoes a while before you toss in your other softer veggies that will roast faster) grilling and just quick meals here and there. I had a minor surgery last week, and ended up eating turkey sammiches (on Arnold's Sandwich thins with Miracle whip and a slice of sargento colby jack...yummy!) for 2 days...darn vicodin cravings! And I must also mention...HONEYCRISPS ARE BACK!!! Yes, the one time per year I not only buy apples, but I spend $3/lb on them!
What's new in your kitchen?
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