What do you get when you take one home schooling mama and have her make lunch, make applesauce, occupy a toddler, help a 6th grader, and help her husband with his business all at the same time?
Give up?
One very undeniably, incomprehensible, completely, unequivocably, ruined beyond help sauce pan!
For some this might look normal, but let me reassure you this pan had not a tinge of black charcoal like substance on it when I began making the applesauce.
The pan on the left is the burned one, the pan on the right is my sparkly clean pan. They are not one in the same. I don’t think that any amount of scrubbing will get my pan clean.
Now … I want to apologize to those out there that have burned a pan while boiling water because I laughed and thought “Now that person can’t cook.” Well, today I joined the ranks of those who have burned a pan while boiling water and I can attest to the fact it is pretty easy when you have your mind on a slew of other things. Thank goodness I didn’t burn the second pan of boiling water that was going at the same time.
With some reluctance I went on to finish up the applesauce, but I wasn’t to sure of how the flavor of the apples would be affected by the charring of the pan. Let me say, I don’t want to make my applesauce like that again, but overall the flavor wasn’t too bad. In fact, my husband really liked it and said it had an outdoorsy flavor – huh? I made it in my kitchen not outside on an open fire (well maybe it was an open fire and I just didn’t know it.)
Thanks again for not laughing so loud that I could hear it, and I hope you never have to ruin a pan this way. However, if you have any suggestions on possibly salvaging this pan they would be greatly appreciated.
When my husband and I met many moons ago we had a few things in common, but one stood out … our love for any kind of Mexican food or Tex-Mex. And, I believe there has only been one time in our life where we didn’t have that in common … my 2nd pregnancy.
If you walk into our house and don’t find hot sauce or tortillas that is a strange day (or one where I haven’t got to the store, yet.) First off, both my husband and son love sauces that are hot, me not so much and secondly, you can put almost anything in a tortilla and make it yummy – I will talk about that later in my article about Kitchen Sink Quesadillas. I think if I practiced mastering Mexican cooking you would probably find tamales, enchiladas, carnitas, etc… in our fridge at all times, too.
Maybe that is what I will do this summer. If you have any good recipes you would like to share please let me know. We’d love to try them, review them, picture them and post them with a link back to you. Just a thought.
Now back to my tacos, we LOVE tacos – mainly because they are inexpensive to make and easy to put together, however, sometimes I get tired of plain old tacos, and chicken sounds good. Now, I will admit, this is probably the easiest dinner EVER, so enjoy making it and still having some quality family time.
Chicken Tacos yield 6 to 8 tacos
Gather everything you need for this dish before you begin cooking and put things away as you finish using them – makes for an even easier dinner time.
8 – 6 to 8 in. flour tortillas
1 lb chicken breast, boneless skinless, cubed or stripped
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 c. onions, thinly sliced
1 to 1 1/2 c. shredded lettuce
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 c. Mexican blend cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
1.) In a gallon bag or bowl, coat the chicken with taco seasoning until all pieces are covered.
2.) Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat until warm.
3.) Add the chicken and onions to the preheated skillet and cook for about 6 to 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
4.) While the chicken is cooking, warm up the tortillas. I steam them in my microwave with my tortilla warmer, or you could heat them in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.
5.) Once your chicken is completely cooked and your tortillas are warmed, assemble your tacos with your toppings of choice. We put a thin layer of sour cream on the tortilla and then top with the shredded lettuce, tomatoes and cheese.
6.) After your taco is topped, fold the tortilla into a burrito-like fashion or simply in half like a taco.
Regardless of how you fold your chicken taco I think you will completely enjoy the end product. I typically serve these tacos with green chili refried beans. (recipe below)
Green Chili Refried Beans
yield 4 servings
1 can refried beans
1/2 to 1 can chopped green chilies
1/4 c. salsa
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1.) Combine the refried beans, chilies, salsa and garlic powder together in a medium sauce pan.
Enjoy your Tex-Mex night, and remember if you have any good recipes you would like to share please do so. Click the little blue guy to add the link to your recipe, or feel free to post in comments.
“Mom! Mom! Can I have macaroni and cheese for dinner?”
“Sure, Dear..”
Whoa! Hold Your Horses! Can you picture yourself telling your kids that macaroni and cheese is their dinner? Well … I do! All of the time!
My family is a carb-addicted family, and we can’t help it. I love macaroni and cheese. I am not overly excited about the boxed kind, but I sure do love homemade mac and cheese. However, I do make an exception to using the boxed kind of mac and cheese and that is with my Cheesy Lasagna.
My Cheesy Lasagna is manna from Heaven for a kid! It is a form of lasagna, but not traditional at all. The only traditional part is there is pasta, ground beef, spaghetti sauce, and mozzarella cheese, but that is where tradition stops.
For Cheesy Lasagna you need prepared mac and cheese, cooked ground beef, homemade spaghetti sauce and lots of mozzarella cheese. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? If that sounds good to you continue reading and you will get the recipe.
Besides this being a super-easy, kid-friendly meal it is also very pleasant to the budget. You will notice that I like to make my own spaghetti sauce, but if you are in a hurry you can use a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce. I just can’t do it, once I found out how easy and cheap making my own was.
I hope you guys enjoy this fantastic recipe and check out my other recipes as well. This is recipe number 1 in my series Beef … It’s What’s For Dinner.
Cheesy Lasagna
As I always say… gather your ingredients before beginning. It makes the whole cooking process go a lot smoother.
1 pkg. boxed macaroni and cheese
1/4 c. milk
4 Tbl. butter
3 c. spaghetti sauce (recipe below)
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 c. mozzarella cheese
2 Tbl. Parmesan cheese
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Prepare Spaghetti Sauce (recipe and instruction below.)
2 cans Diced Tomatoes with Italian seasoning
1 can Tomato Paste
1 can Tomato Sauce
1 clove garlic
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/4 c. Marsala or White wine (I typically use cooking wine, as I do not keep wine in stock, but when I do have wine, I use it.)
2 Tbl. sugar
1.) Blend diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, garlic, basil and oregano in a blender until smooth.
2.) Add in wine.
3.) Put mixture in a crock pot and simmer for an hour.
4.) Add in sugar.
5.) Simmer until you need it.
This spaghetti sauce could be made in a sauce pan on the stove. You want to simmer it for at least 30 minutes to culminate the flavors. I like to simmer it longer so I can relish the smells that permeate my kitchen and house.
3.) Prepare mac and cheese using the directions on the box.
4.) While the pasta is cooking and the sauce is simmering, brown the ground beef, onions and garlic together until well browned. Drain off any additional fat.
5.) Now… time for assembly. Spoon 1/3 of the macaroni and cheese into a 8 x 8 baking dish, 1/2 of the browned meat, 1 c. of the spaghetti sauce, and 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese.
Repeat with another 1/3 of mac and cheese, the remaining ground beef, 1 c. spaghetti sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese.
Then finish off with the remaining mac and cheese, sauce and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6.) Bake lasagna in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until completely heated throughout.
Do you ever find yourself at the grocery store feeling completely unprepared, and then you end up blowing tons of money?
Well, there are many ways to alleviate some of that madness, and I want to share a few that I use in my business and daily life. But before I begin, grab a snack. Oh wait, you don’t have to do that now, but … do make sure you have had a snack before you go grocery shopping, and if you are taking the kids along make sure they have food in their bellies, too. Never, ever go to the store hungry!!! Okay, are you ready for some good ole fashion advice?
Top 10 Grocery Shopping Tips(that will save you $$)
1.) The first thing you can do for yourself is check your grocery store ads. Find out what meats and veggies are on sale at your favorite grocery store and plan your menu accordingly.
2.) After you know what is on sale, shop at home before you hit the store. So … you have a general idea of what is on sale at the store, now go through your own stockpile of foods and see if there are any lurking in your cabinets, freezer and refrigerator that can be used in your meals. Don’t be lazy and accidentally buy things you already have. Two things happen when you don’t check out what you already have 1) you waste money, and 2) you waste food.
3.) After doing a bit of preliminary research, make a plan. Have your menu planned out for the week. Get it as detailed as you possibly can. I go so far as putting down our breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners. After you have your menu planned, put together a super-detailed shopping list on which you identify sale items and which store they are at, and coupons you are using.
4.) When planning your weekly menu, plan a leftover day, otherwise you’ll end up throwing out food. If you can’t eat your leftovers think about freezing them for a meal later in the month.
5.) Don’t fall prey to coupon clutter. I totally believe in using coupons … with caution! By this I mean don’t buy something simply because you have a coupon for it and MIGHT use it. Ask yourself, “Is this something I would typically use? Does it enhance my cooking? Am I simply buying it because it looks good and I have a coupon?” When I went through my coupon cutting phase I saved a lot of money and I had a fully stocked pantry of things we didn’t usually eat and definitely could have lived without. Don’t get me wrong, I love coupons for spices, baking supplies, dairy products, convenience foods I do buy for my kids, toiletries, beauty products, paper products and pet food.
6.) I mentioned this above, but I really mean it. Eat before you go, don’t go hungry.
8.) When meat is on sale, buy it in bulk and freeze it. Once you do this, do not forget it is there. If you are shopping your house first before the store this shouldn’t be an issue.
9.) Shop the outside aisles of the store. What I mean by this is to try and stay to the outer aisles, which is where you find most of the fresh foods. The inside aisles are packed with processed, convenience foods which can be quite pricey. My favorite aisles/sections are the fresh produce, butcher block, deli, frozen veggie section (frozen vegetables are the next best outside of fresh), bread aisle, condiment aisle, spices and baking aisle, and the dairy section. Most shopping trips I can skip the other areas. I DO NOT walk up and down each aisle – first off it takes too long and secondly it is too costly.
10.) Don’t fall into the trap of convenience foods, they will cost you more money in the end. If you can make it yourself, do! It will be healthier and cheaper. If you do find yourself buying convenience foods, pay attention to the price per ounce or per pound. Brands vary in their pricing. I typically buy generic brands but I do compare them with other brands and sometimes they are NOT the best value. Be diligent!
I truly hope this helps you with your grocery shopping adventures. I am not a professional grocery shopper, although it has crossed my mind. I am just a mom on a budget and schedule, so every little thing matters.
I have never been a huge meatloaf fan, but I love these tasty tidbits. It is hard for me to make meatloaf simply because it seems so basic, and I really don’t do basic well. If it is too basic I sometimes balk at it, which drives my husband nuts. He likes simple foods and can’t understand why I must add this and add that to plain, good old, simple foods.
I hope you guys enjoy my latest installment in my Beef … It’s What’s For Dinner series. What I love about this meatloaf is all of the fresh ingredients. It is chocked full of flavor.
Mini Italian Meatloaves (serves 7, two meatloaves per serving)
As I always say, get your ingredients together so you aren’t running all of your kitchen when you get to the next step.
1 c. boiling water
1/2 sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1/2 c. ketchup
1 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3/4 c. onion, diced
3/4 c. fresh basil, chopped
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese
2 large eggs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. ground beef
cooking spray
ketchup for top
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray muffin tins with cooking spray
2.) Combine boiling water and tomatoes in a bowl. Let sit for 3o minutes. Drain tomatoes, and finely chop.
3.) Combine the ketchup, bread crumbs and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly together.
4.) Scoop meat mixture into muffin tins. You want them filled to the top. Drizzle ketchup over the tops.
5.) Bake for 15 minutes.
Note – You could also form this into a 9×5 inch loaf, but then you will need to cook for an hour.
We love to eat our meatloaves with roasted garlic scalloped potatoes and either brussels sprouts or roasted asparagus.
If you guys have been following my blog, then you know I started a series on Ground Beef … It’s What’s For Dinner about the unlimited possibilities for ground beef. Taco Cups are my latest installation to this series.
Why taco cups? Very simple, I have a messy toddler and I was trying to figure a creative way for her to enjoy tacos in a toddler-friendly way. Taco Cups are easy to make and easy to eat. Like a taco, you can add whatever toppings to your taco cups you would like.
Taco Cups
Gather your ingredients before you begin.
Taco Meat:
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 onion
2 pkgs taco seasoning
1 1/3 c. water
garlic powder (optional)
fajita seasoning (optional)
1 to 2 cans refried beans
Corn Cups: 1 c. yellow corn meal
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 c. milk
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 can of diced green chilies
1 /2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings: (really whatever you would use on a taco) sour cream
salsa
shredded lettuce
tomatoes
olives
Step One – Make the Taco Meat
This step is easy-peasy! Follow the instructions on the back of a package of taco seasoning. However, you could choose to do it my way, which in all honesty, there are no instructions, I just add seasoning until I get what I want.
1.) Brown 2 lbs of ground beef with 1 diced onion, drain off fat and return to pan.
2.) Mix in 1/2 c. of taco seasoning and 1 1/3 c. water. Bring to a simmer.
3.) Add in 1 tsp. garlic powder and 1/2 tsp. fajita seasoning.
4.) Simmer meat and seasonings until the water is reduced by at least half.
Now, add in 1 to 2 cans of refried beans to your meat mixture and stir until it is well mixed. Let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Step 2 – Corn cups
1.) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray.
2.) Combine corn meal and remaining dry ingredients in a bowl.
3.) In a separate bowl, mix egg and milk.
4.) Combine milk and eggs with dry ingredients; mix well.
5.) Add in oil and green chilies. Mix thoroughly.
6.) Pour into prepared muffin tins.
7.) Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, create a crater in muffins using the back of a spoon, or ice cream scoop.
8.) Sprinkle with cheese, return to oven for 5 min.
Step 3 – Assembly of Taco Cup
1.) Spoon taco meat in to corn cup and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
2.) Return to oven for 1 to 2 minutes in order to melt the cheese. Remove from oven.
3.) Top taco cups with your desired toppings and enjoy!!
Warning these are very good, but slightly messy when being eaten by a toddler.
Other Things To Do With Taco Meat:
Traditional Tacos
Chalupas – pan-fry a flour tortilla until lightly crisp, top with taco meat and toppings
Burritos – wrap taco meat in a flour tortilla with cheese and sour cream. (My husband likes to pan-fry these for extra crispiness.)
Nachos
Taco Salad
I would love to hear what you would do with taco meat. The more ideas we have, the better.
With Spring Break in our midst many people are planning road trips with their families. I thought this little bit of experience would be relevant about now.
Do you remember those road trips as a kid where 15 minutes felt like 2 hours? Remember wondering why mom would say, “Hurry up, kids, go to the restroom and get back in the car. We need to get back on the road?”
Why? Why was the road trip a race to get where we were going? Why couldn’t we take a walk or climb a tree at a pretty stop? Why couldn’t we take the scenic turnout? Why? Why? Why?
Well … because … dad and mom hated the car as much as you did, and they wanted to get to the fun, too.
A few months back we had to make a super-quick road trip up north for a funeral and our time was limited. We drove 7 hours up in one day, stayed the night, attended the funeral and then drove 7 hours back, but … when kids are involved it is important to take the time to smell the roses. My husband and I remember those trips where it was go, go, go and so even though our time was limited we slowed down a bit to enjoy our time as a family.
We took the scenic turn-off to show our kids a pretty spot.
We froze our tails off at a little curio shop over looking some beautiful falls. My son had never seen a true-blue waterfall. We let Little Miss stretch her legs. We let our son drive his R/C car around a bit. We climbed stairs, posed for pictures, and enjoyed the moment. In essence we stopped to smell the proverbial rose and made a memory.
A little later it was time for another stop, not quite so pretty this time, but necessary – said son did not bring a pencil or paper for his math work, and of course since he is home schooled he still had that to do it. We still let the kids stretch, the boy drive his car and Little Miss fell in love with an adorable butterfly purse she just had to have.
Eventually we made it to our destination with a lot of memories made.We saw a ton of grain mills, oil pumps, cows and dilapidated barns.
We got to drive through the town where my mom had many memories as a kid.
We got to spend a few hours in the town I remember so fondly as a child.
And … my son got to drive a car (now he thinks he can drive – not), his cousin was just young enough to trust my son behind the wheel. He did a good job, her car had no dents from his foray, and I think they made a memory.
The drive home was a bit quicker. It was filled with DVDs and city lights. How I love having a DVD player in my SUV.
The overall lesson we took from this trip is to stop and smell the roses. Memories are made at those moments, and kids grow up too quickly.
I wanted to share a couple of my favorite carb recipes. These tasty tidbits are great with pretty much any meal and so simple to make. If breads weren’t so bad for me, I would make these all of the time. I am going to share my Cheesy Crescents and my Cheddar Biscuits, and one day very soon I will feature my Strawberry Bread.
The Cheesy Crescents were developed to go with many of my Italian dishes that my clients enjoy, and the Cheddar Biscuits are my attempt at Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Red Lobster. I will never claim they are exactly the same, because quite honestly I don’t want them to be. I must warn you, these will not last long especially if your family likes bread like mine does.
Cheesy Crescents yields 8 crescents
1 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 c. butter
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and prepare a baking pan with foil, coated with cooking spray (I use olive oil).
2.) Melt butter in a small microwave bowl.
3.) Mix in the oregano, garlic, basil and salt. (If you like a stronger taste, you may add more spices.)
4.) Separate the crescents into their individual triangles, coat each one with the butter mixture and sprinkle about 1/8 c. of cheese on each triangle.
5.) Roll up triangle to form a crescent shape – large side to small.
6.) If you have butter left over then spoon over rolled up crescents before baking.
7.) Bake crescents for about 10 minutes.
Cheddar Biscuits yields 1 dozen biscuits
2 1/2 c. baking mix
3/4 tsp cold milk
4 Tbl. butter
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Lowry’s Seasoning Salt
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese Topping for Biscuits
2 Tbl. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lay parchment paper on a cookie sheet. (I love parchment paper – no sticky mess.)
2.) Using a pastry blender or two knives combine the baking mix with cold butter in a medium bowl to form a crumbly mixture. Do not mix to thoroughly. You want to make sure it is still a bit chunky with pea sized butter pieces.
3.) Add in cheddar cheese, milk, garlic, and Lowry’s seasoning. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined, but do not over mix.
4.) Drop by 1/4 cup portions onto your prepared cookie sheet.
5.) Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the biscuits are lightly browned.
6.) While biscuits are baking begin making the topping. Melt the butter and then stir in the garlic and thyme. Once the biscuits come out of the oven drizzle the garlic butter over the tops of the biscuits. Use up all of the butter.
As I always say – gather all of your ingredients before you start cooking. It will simplify your life.
1 lb ground beef
1/4 c. green onions, sliced
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, diced
12 oz jar beef gravy
8 oz sour cream
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbl Sherry, I use the cooking sherry
8 oz. egg noodles, uncooked
1) Prepare the egg noodles according to package directions.
2) Brown the meat, green onions and mushrooms in a non-stick skillet, stirring until it crumbles; drain the mixture if necessary.
3) Add in the gravy, sour cream, salt, garlic, pepper and sherry. Mix well.
A couple of weeks ago I posted a wonderful list of things to do with ground beef, and said I would get you the recipes – so here we are, Recipe #1, a delightful take on Salisbury Steak.
As a kid I loved hamburger steak with brown gravy (which I later found out was called Salisbury Steak), and as an adult I still love them, but they must have a bit more … spices, flavor, uniqueness, etc… So, thus enters French Onion Salisbury Steak, which is a family favorite. Before I stumbled upon this variation I made my Salisbury Steak with a mushroom gravy, which is also quite tasty, but since my 11-year-old doesn’t like mushrooms, it fell flat as a family favorite.
French Onion Salisbury Steak (adapted from Cuisine At Home) serves 4
As you know, gather all of your ingredients ahead of time so cooking is a breeze.
The Steak
1 1/4 lb ground beef
1/4 c. Italian parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. green onions
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
2 Tbsp. flour
1) Combine the beef, parsley, green onions, salt and pepper.
2) Divide the meat evenly into 5 oz. patties.
3.) Dredge the patties in flour. Shake off the excess flour.
4.) Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add the patties and cook for 2 1/2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and keep warm.
The Sauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 c. sliced onions
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. flour
2 c. beef broth
1/4 c. dry red wine (I use cooking wine)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
1.) Add onions and sugar to the pan you removed the meat from; saute 3 to 5 minutes.
2.) Stir in the garlic and tomato paste; saute until the paste begins to brown, about 1 minute.
3.) Sprinkle in the flour; saute 1 minute.
4.) Stir in broth, wine, salt and thyme. Return meat to pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. (While steaks are simmering, make cheese toast to serve with the steaks.)
Cheese Toast
4 slices Italian bread, cut diagonally
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
pinch of paprika
1/4 c. mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp. fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.) Place bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3.) Combine butter, garlic, and paprika together.
4.) Spread evenly over the bread.
5.) Top with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
6.) Bake until bread is crisp and the cheese is bubbly, approximately 12 to 15 minutes.
Serve the French Onion Salisbury Steak on top of the Cheese Bread.
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