A Break.

It's time for a little break from the blog for me. It's not an indefinite break, so don't worry. I'll check in now and then to share some favorite recipes & meal ideas. Happy 2012!

Busy, Busy!

Here I am for a quick post--then it's time to get to more present wrapping, party planning and crafting. I LOVE this time of year! Here is what we're eating for dinners this week:

*Monday: Leftovers. We loved the Pork Tacos--I especially loved how easy they were!

*Tuesday: Never made Chicken Curry last week, and I have all the ingredients, plus Burke LOVES curry...

*Wednesday: Simple Chicken Noodle Soup

*Thursday: Penne with Spinach & Peppers--the kids LOVED this when I made it a few weeks ago, time for a repeat.

*Friday: Black Bean Cakes (with avocados)

*Saturday: Downtown for dinner & Christmas lights!

*Sunday: Leftovers (or Nachos)

New week.

Sorry for the absence of a post last week. I have no excuse, really. And I feel like between now and Christmas I am so busy, that dinners are going to be put on the back burner (haha). But planning them out always helps...so here's the plan:

*Monday: Baked Potatoes (or as my kids call them, "mountain potatoes". we like to top them with lots of corn, broccoli, peas, cheese, bacon, green onions, tomatoes and any other good stuff we can think of--making them like mountains.)

*Tuesday: Lentil Soup (we LOVE this stuff...)

*Wednesday: Chicken Curry with Rice

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Girl's Night! We'll be eating somewhere yummy...Burke will get to play chef here at home while I'm gone. ;)

*Saturday: White Bean Dip with crusty bread slices & fruit

*Sunday: Crock Pot Pulled Pork Tacos

Thankful Week.

Isn't Thanksgiving great? Don't you love how this time of year practically forces you to think about all that you have? It's such a great feeling to realize that no matter how difficult our circumstances, we have A LOT. Just being able to live on this earth is an incredibly special gift. I'll be spending my Thanksgiving day with my parents (Burke is working all day :( ) and children. As for the rest of the week, today is day #1 of potty training. We'll see if I end up getting dinner on the table each night...

*Monday: Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas (thanks to my sister)
*Tuesday: We didn't end up having Lasagna last Sunday, so tonight we'll have Butternut Squash Lasagna...YUM!

*Wednesday: Leftovers & baking pies! I'll be making Apple Pie with THIS crust (with apple cider vinegar??!! Can't wait to try!) & Coconut Cream Pie

*Thursday: The Big Day! My menu today was sort of inspired by an episode of "Throwdown" that I happened to watch. Bobby Flay battled Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman), and SHE won! The food all looked amazing, so we'll see how it tastes. We'll be eating:

-Simple Turkey (I don't even do anything to mine. Maybe a little salt & pepper. I've had brined/seasoned/plain turkeys before, and they all taste equally as yummy to me! So I'm sticking with simple this year)
-Stuffing-I'll use a classic recipe similar to THIS one.
-Mashed Potatoes & gravy (I just make this up with the turkey drippings, flour, salt & pepper)
-Sweet Potatoes (simple again. I roast mine in the oven with a little butter & brown sugar until they are soft & golden)
-Brussels Sprouts (I have to have something green! And we don't do green bean casserole around here...)
-Cornbread Pudding
-Rolls
-2 pies (see yesterday's post)
-Pumpkin Bread Pudding (I know it's crazy, we're not having pumpkin pie. But this looks DELICIOUS, and I'm using the excuse that when I do my big turkey dinner on Christmas Eve, I'll make pumpkin pie then.)

*Friday: Are you kidding? Leftovers for the rest of the weekend..... ;)

fall cookin'

Here are some good eats we've enjoyed this season and thought to be worth sharing:

1. My mom used to make this cider during the holidays; it tastes like Christmas and home to me.  We had some with this GF pumpkin bread (there were some gluten free-ers in da house) while we carved spooky pumpkins and enjoyed this lovely fall season.

2. The main dish for Sunday dinner last week was honey-lime chicken enchiladas.  It was suggested by one attendee that these taste Cafe Rio-like.  I'm not here to confirm or deny, but anything worthy of that comparison is at least worthy of trying. That should be a good enough hint.

3. A tangy beef stew recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds bottom round, well trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c olive oil 
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 6-8 large potatoes, diced
• 1lb carrots (either baby, or cut)
• 2 cups beef broth (or any broth, really)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 package frozen peas, thawed

Directions

1.  Coat the beef in the flour. Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meat, a few pieces at a time, adding more oil as necessary. Transfer to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Add the onions to the skillet and cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and coat the onions; transfer to the cooker.
3. Pour the wine into the skillet and scrape up any browned bits; add to the cooker. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, thyme, and bay leaf.
4. Cover and cook on low heat for 7 1/2 hours, or on high for 5 hours. Add the peas and heat through.

4. And lastly, my new favorite tradition: dinner in a pumpkin.  I used wild rice, ground turkey instead of beef, omitted the ham, added a few more bell peppers, and instead of one large pumpkin we used four sugar pumpkins so everyone had their own.  I don't know if this is the best recipe, but it was so fun and there are lots of recipes out there to combine or alter.  Let it be heard, pumpkin season is not over!

Pumpkin Muffins & a Thankful Tree...

If you can't tell, I am so in love with this time of year. We finally got our "thankful tree" going, I made some delicious Pumpkin Muffins, and I've started planning our Thanksgiving feast. I am one happy girl. And by the way, those muffins really were amazing. I used part white flour/part wheat flour/part flax and applesauce instead of oil to healthify them a little. And they were still scrumptious. The children loved going on a walk one day to find sticks for our Thankful Tree. I added some yarn to a few of the branches, printed out "I am Thankful For ______" tags, and I love the things that have already been added. My favorite is Ryder's "being in this earth". ;) With Burke gone a lot these days, I'm not feeling super motivated to make elaborate dinners, so here is our simple menu for the week:

*Monday: Grilled Cheese & "Red Soup" (we like the store bought low sodium Red Pepper & Tomato Soup cartons. You can usually find them near the health foods, if not in the soup aisle.)

*Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie

*Wednesday: Squash Pot Stickers & fried rice (my kids usually love pot stickers, and they LOVE dipping things. We'll see how the squash goes over. For the rice, I use sticky white rice, mix whatever veggies I have in--usually peas, chopped carrots, chopped red peppers, scallions, etc. I fry this in a tiny bit of sesame oil with salt, pepper & soy sauce. At the end I add 1 egg to my mixture, and stir until the egg is cooked. Sometimes I add chicken or chopped ham for a heartier rice.)

*Thursday: Baked Potato Soup + Cheddar/Jalapeno Biscuits (see recipe below--from HERE)
*Friday: Leftovers

*Saturday: Down Town Chicago Date. I'm super excited to ride the train, sans kids, meet my husband downtown and eat in peace & quiet. Believe me, I'll be savoring each & every bite.

*Sunday: Easy One Pot Lasagna & Salad

Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
Drained and chopped pickled jalapeños, to taste (I used about 2 tablespoons)
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Either cut the butter pieces into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or rub them in with your fingertips until well-combined. Stir in the cheddar, jalapeños and sour cream until the mixture forms a sticky dough. Pat it out to a 1/2-inch thickness on a very well-floured counter and use a 3 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut six rounds. Bake on an ungreased (or parchment-lined, if your baking sheets are as “weathered” as mine are) for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden on top.

Take a look...

...at our menu this week. It's going to be tasty!

*Monday: Orzo with Roasted Vegetables (didn't get to this last week...and I really want to try it!)

*Tuesday: Thanks to Pinterest, tonight we're having Baked Penne with Spinach, Bacon & Roasted Red Peppers

*Wednesday: Panini night. My Mom was talking about Panini's the other day and had me craving one. We'll use yummy bread, and top with any meats/veggies/sauces we have, then cook in our George Forman (no panini press around here :( )

*Thursday: Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans. Every now and then I wander through the incredible Whole Foods. I love browsing their recipe cards, and picked this one up because of the picture. Can't wait to try it...

*Friday: Leftovers

*Saturday: Downtown--we have a looooooooong list of restaurants to try.

*Sunday: Easy Crockpot Pot Roast

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween everyone! I'm about to go make the kiddos some orange scrambled eggs (a couple drops of red food coloring mixed in) with "pumpkin toast" (pumpkin cookie cutter to cut the bread). We are excited for some trick or treating tonight (I've had a bunch of orange burlap that I bought on sale a while ago, and decided to make the kiddos their own bags to hold their treats...) and then home to make our caramel apples (we didn't get to this on Saturday). I hope you have a festive day, and here is our meal plan for the week!

*Monday: Growing up my Mom always made soup/chili/stew on Halloween night. We always had to fill our tummies up with dinner before heading out to collect treats. I like that idea. So tonight we'll have our leftover Chili & Cornbread.

*Tuesday: Black Bean Pie (with avocados)

*Wednesday: Baked Potato Night

*Thursday: Orzo with Roasted Vegetables (see recipe below)

*Friday: Leftovers

*Saturday: Date night. FINALLY! We have several restaurants we've been itching to try...

*Sunday: Nachos (like these) have become one of our favorite "fast meals". Trader Joe's has some yummy refried Black Beans that we love. Topped with some good salsa, peppers & avocados, I hardly even need the chips!

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 1 small eggplant, peeled and diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 lb orzo
• 4 scallions, minced
  
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• feta cheese
• fresh basil for garnish (optional)

for the dressing:

• 1/2 c fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt (or less)

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 425*. toss eggplant, peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, S&P. place on baking dish and roast for 30-40 minutes, until browned.

2. meanwhile, cook the orzo according to directions. drain and transfer to large serving bowl.

3. add roasted vegetables to the orzo, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan.

4. combine all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over orzo. let cool (room temp) and add scallions, pine nuts , feta and basil.

And finally, a weekly menu:

...and some pie. You want a good Peanut Butter pie? This is the one.

I've been cooking away, without telling you what I'm cooking, and feeling the need to share. Here is what we had last week/are having this week:

*Monday: Hogi night. We passed a Subway the other day and Ryder really wanted to go there. He listed all the ingredients he would want on a Subway sandwich, and was quite amazed when I told him we had all those things at home! So tonight we're eating his favorite--"Subway bread" (store-bought sandwich buns), turkey, bacon, pickles, cucumbers, cheese and mustard. ;) I'm adding lots of other veggies like, tomatoes, lettuce, avocados, sprouts, etc. to mine. We also have lots of veggies for a veggie/dip plate & apples with caramel dip.

*Tuesday: Parmesan Squash Wedges & Wild Rice (from Trader Joe's)

*Wednesday: I've never made Pumpkin Soup, and decided now is as good a time as any. Doesn't it sound so cozy and delicious to be eating warm Pumpkin soup for dinner on a chilly night in October?

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Tonight is the Trunk-or-Treat! I'll be contributing Chili, Cornbread muffins (To be honest, I LOVE the 39 cent Jiffy mix. For sake of time, I'll probably use a few of those), cupcakes (for the cake walk) and THIS pie (If this pie doesn't win, the judges are crazy...)

*Saturday: Burke day! Burke is on an incredibly busy rotation right now. In fact, he's only had 4 days off the entire month. And the days he works, he works ALL DAY LONG. Today we're having our family fall celebration. We'll be carving pumpkins, making doughnuts and decorating caramel apples.

*Sunday: Simple Salmon (broil for 5-10 mins. with a little salt & Pepper) and Loaded Sweet-Potato Skins

I also made some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, White Chicken Chili, "Pizza Pockets", Homemade Macaroni & Cheese and Pretzel m&m Cookies last week while entertaining guests.

The winner is...

...Joanna! My first giveaway sort of backfired on me, because the first comment was actually the winner! Dulce de Leche is the Queen of all ice creams for me (although I would never turn down any of the other flavors. ;) Email me, or leave a comment with your favorite color, Jo and I'll send you your prize! Thanks for playing...maybe another giveaway at 200 posts?!

100th Post!

I've been anticipating this post for a while now. I realize I never posted a menu for this week, but I've been having too much fun playing with my brother & his family. So to celebrate that I've been (sort of) keeping this blog going for 100 posts (thanks to my sister's who have also contributed posts!), I think I'm ready to host my first ever GIVEAWAY! Get excited....really.

I thought long and hard about what I should give, and what I would want if I were a winner. I decided on my favorite bowls. If you don't have some of these, you probably should. They're the perfect size for soup, cereal, ice cream, etc . They're also pretty enough to display, and microwave/dishwasher safe. If you win this giveaway, you will receive one set (4 bowls) in the color of your choice, shipped straight to your house. Takers?!

To win, leave a comment guessing my favorite flavor of ice cream (if you win, you could eat some in your new bowls!). You're allowed one guess, and I'll keep the guessing game going until someone wins. Good luck!

In lou...

...of a regular post this week, I'm trying something new. I'm headed to Michigan for the week, but wanted to post something (although thanks SO much to my amazing sister, you're getting plenty of great ideas for dinners). Since I have a baby right in the "baby food phase", I decided to share my best tips regarding baby food.

Some people probably don't get as excited as me when this phase begins, but I love being able to introduce my babies to real food. It is a lot of work (if you make your own baby food) or money (if you buy it all), but I love knowing my babies tummies' are full of good fruits and veggies.
With my first child I strictly bought baby food. With my second baby, I used a hand held immersion blender and made it myself, and now (thanks to my Mom last year for my birthday) I love using my food processor.
As far as I'm concerned, making baby food is extremely basic and very easy. I choose what veggies I want my baby to eat, steam them until they are soft, and then mix the living daylights out of them (with a little water or chicken/vegetable stock) until they are the consistency I like. The other day I made peas, roasted butternut squash & carrots--each mixed with brown rice. I love my Beaba freezer trays (I also love that I found them on clearance at our Land of Nod outlet), but ice cube trays work just as well.
There are many websites that can help and lots of books, like this one, this one, and I have mainly used this one.


I recognize that babies should receive most of their nourishment by breast milk or formula until about 12 months of age. But my children get their teeth fairly early and I like them to be used to eating regular food by the time they turn 1. Here is the simple recipe I used for my 3 baby foods this week:

-1 medium sized Butternut Squash, seeds & skin removed, roasted in the oven until soft (or about 5 carrots diced and steamed, or 1/2 bag frozen peas cooked)
-1 1/2 c. water (or you can use stock)
-1/2 c. brown rice, cooked

Blend all ingredients in food processor (or with immersion blender) until smooth. Add water if needed to reach desired consistency. Refrigerate or freeze in individual portions.

Other things I like to feed my 6-12 month old babies are:

-sweet potatoes (I bake a sweet potato or 2 every week and leave them in the fridge. When my baby is hungry, I toss half of a soft sweet potato in the microwave and I've got an easy meal.)
-soups
-avocados
-whatever we're eating (usually my babies end up not caring for baby food because they want to go right to the real stuff!)
-oatmeal
-spinach/broccoli (I like to have these cooked/pureed to add to other baby foods. They seem like they are 2 flavors that kids shy away from...not around here!)
-bananas
-pumpkin (canned or fresh)
-Beans (these are a GREAT finger food, and a good protein too!)
-eggs (scrambled or boiled & diced)

2 easies

Here are 2 easy recipes we used last week:

Easy Peasy Crock-pot Chili


Monday was a day I woke up and realized I hadn't given any thought to what was for dinner. My first thought was the crock-pot. My second thought was the cooler fall temperatures and how fun it would be to have some warm soup. I knew I had to use whatever was on hand and didn't have much time before work, so this was kind of a throw-it-together chili, but it turned out yummy so I thought I would share.

Ingredients:
onion (I used about 1.5)
2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 can corn
2 cans beans (I used 1 kidney and 1 great northern)
any other veggies on hand (I used some carrots and bell peppers)
and any spices you like, I used 1T chili powder, some cumin, oregano, S&P, red pepper flakes, and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

Throw it all in the crock-pot, stir it up, and turn on low heat for about 6 hours. If you like your chili thicker, stir some cornstarch (mixed in water first) in the pot about 10 minutes before you're ready to serve it and turn it up to high heat.

Serve with cornbread, cheese, sour cream, scallions, or whatever fixings you like.

See? It's quick, easy, and open to a myriad of flavors :-).


Mediterranean Inspired Stir-fry


I've been on a Mediterranean kick lately and Friday was another night that I didn't know what was for dinner (it's been a busy week). With that combination, the following ensued:

Ingredients:
olive oil
onion
garlic
veggies (tomato, bell pepper, carrot is what I used)
garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
spices
cucumber
feta cheese

Heat pan, coat with oil. Add onion and garlic, cook for a few minutes. Add whatever veggies you have/like, cook until crisp. Add garbanzo beans (I used 1 can) and your favorite spices (I used basil, cloves, garlic, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and thyme). Cook until beans are heated through, add a little more olive oil if needed.

Serve over your favorite grain and top with diced cucumber and feta cheese. It's scrumptious.

Birthday Pie

Last weekend was an exciting one. It was General Conference, my parents and my mother-in-law were in town, my brother ran the St. George marathon, and my husband took the LSAT. Perhaps the most exciting part of the weekend was that I got to be with my mom on her birthday, which hasn't happened for a few years.

When I asked her what her favorite dessert is, apple pie was the answer. Isn't that a great choice? I also know she loves all things lemon and had been itching to make a cheesecake, so we had two desserts:

Apple pie using this crust again, and a lemon raspberry cheesecake.

And when I say two desserts what I really mean is four. Two is what we planned for and what I was expecting, but we had extra pie filling (and crust) so we made an apple crisp, and had extra cheesecake filling so we made little cheesecake cupcakes. So if you happen to try these recipes on the same day, just be prepared to feed a sugar-hungry army. (Not to mention my dad bought a couple cartons of Creamery ice cream.)

Here you are...

Another week of dinners from the Morin home just for you:

*Monday: Leftovers--I feel like we ate ALL WEEKEND LONG, but it was such a fun few days. Thanks to the Wilkinsons for driving here to play with us!

*Tuesday: Chili and Sour Cream & Cheddar Biscuits. I'm SO excited to make this for the first time this fall! And since I'm in the process (again) of making large batches of babyfood, I'm using lots of squash & yams...I'll probably add some roasted veggies to the recipe. Feel free to join me. ;)

*Wednesday: Black beans & Rice--I actually didn't end up making these on Sunday because we had so much other food! So tonight we'll load our beans & rice with lots of veggies and some cheese.

*Thursday: Didn't end up making Chicken Enchiladas on Sunday either, so we'll make them tonight. And I can bet that we'll have some leftover beans & rice to go with!

*Friday: Chicken Pita with Tzatziki Sauce--I actually bought a large container of Tzatziki at Costco the other day. It was a sample, and it was SO yummy! I've been eating it every day with crackers, veggies, etc. The kids love it too. As soon as it's gone, I'll definitely be making my own!

*Saturday: Leftover night

*Sunday: Pasta with fresh Tomato Sauce-Growing up I had pasta most Sunday afternoons. It always seemed to hit the spot, and was so quick and easy to prepare. Now being the Mom, I'm glad I have kids that love pasta, and thankfully, it still 'hits the spot'. ;)

Welcome, Fall.

I'm not trying to hurt the other seasons' feelings, but I just want to wish Fall a happy welcome. We all know it won't last long enough, so let's treat it kindly while it's here. ;)

*Tuesday: Homemade Macaroni & Cheese (see recipe below)--unfortunately my 2 year old learned about Mac & Cheese. For some reason she's starting to request it more and more (why is it cute when she asks for Hummus, but not as cute when it's "mac & cheese!"?). So I'm going to make us both happy. I think I may even experiment and throw some roasted Sweet Potatoes in the casserole. We all love them around here, and it seems like it would add a nice extra flavor to the pasta & cheese. I love finding recipes that don't require meat (I'm not a vegetarian--but we try to eat meat sparingly), but easily fill my family up. This would be one of them.

*Wednesday: Glazed Salmon with Parmesan Squash wedges

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Panera Bread--I'm feeling extra lucky these days in the coupon department. We got a flyer in the mail the other day that offered 3 free kids meals at Panera Bread. This happens to be one of my kids' FAVORITE places ever. And since Burke will be working late tonight, I'm making our dinner easy and taking the kids out!

*Saturday: Our friends--the Wilkinson's--are coming from Michigan for the weekend. Pretty sure they've never tried Chicago Style Pizza, which means Giordano's is in order...

*Sunday: General Conference Breakfast: THESE Cinnamon Rolls and Baked Eggs (the recipe Burke prides himself in being able to make perfectly every time--see recipe below) General Conference Dinner: Chicken Enchiladas with Black Beans, Lime Rice & Guacamole

HOMEMADE MACARONI & CHEESE

-2 c. uncooked elbow macaroni
-2 TBSP finely diced onion
-1 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp. pepper
-3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
-1 large sweet potato, diced into small cubes
-2 c. thin white sauce*

Heat oven to 375*. Cook macaroni as directed on package; till tender. Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring once. Place half the cooked macaroni in ungreased 2 qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle with half of the onion, sweet potatoes, salt, pepper and cheese; repeat layers. Pour white sauce over all. Cover; bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.

*White Sauce
-1 TBSP butter
-1 TBSP flour
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1/8 tsp. pepper
-1 c. milk

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, salt & pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute.


BAKED EGGS

-1/4 c. butter
-18 eggs (beaten)
-1 c. sour cream
-1 c. milk
-2 tsp salt
-1/4 c. green onions, chopped
-1 c. chopped ham (or bacon, sausage, etc.)
-1 c. cheese, grated
-1/4 c. green pepper, chopped

Preheat oven to 350*. Melt butter in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Mix all remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes.

Sort of giddy around here...

*To go with our soup & bread on Thursday, I decided at the last minute to make my first ever Peach Jam. It was SO simple and SO delicious on the warm fresh bread. And it's always fun to bake bread in miniature pans leaving me with a few extra loaves to take to neighbors.

I can't stop smiling when I think of fall being just around the corner. Sorry to you "summer lovers" but I'll take the chill in the air, leaves falling from the trees, sweaters, soup & baking any day of the year. And now, for my "excited it's almost fall" weekly menu:

*Monday: Baked Potatoes (broccoli, corn, cheese, tomatoes, and other yummies on top)

*Tuesday: Corn Cakes--I was instructed to try this recipe "pronto", so here it goes. I'm especially excited about the ripe avocados I found on sale to go on top!

*Wednesday: Had a request for THIS, so we'll eat ours with a yummy green salad

*Thursday: Taking dinner to the sweet Ames family--Broccoli Cheese Soup (also had requests for this...but I've been waiting for it to get a little chilly out...and it finally is!) & homemade bread (scroll down this link for the "Lottie Roberts Recipe")

*Friday: Headed to MI for the weekend. I'm sure we'll think up some tasty dinner for tonight!

A Saturday Lunch...

My little Ellery really really likes Hummus. So much, that the other day that was her first word spoken at 7:01 am. I picked her up out of bed and with a sleepy voice she said, "hummus breakfast". And she asks for it EVERYDAY for lunch. Since it can be a little pricey, I try to make my own. Today was no exception. It was lunch time, so I made my girl some hummus. For some reason it was extra fun...maybe because it's Saturday, maybe because there are leaves on the ground and the sun is shining outside, or maybe because I let her add the salt and push the button. A perfect lunch for a perfect girl...

I don't think I have THE BEST recipe yet. But each time I make Hummus it gets better. Today we used:

-1 can Chickpeas
-1/4 cup Tahini (sesame seed paste)
-1 roasted Red Pepper (place on rimmed cookie sheet in the oven at 375* for about 20 mins. Rotate pepper every 6 mins. or so until soft and browned on each side)
-salt and pepper to taste
-lemon juice from 1 lemon
-1 garlic clove

Mix all ingredients in food processor until smooth and creamy.

Me Again

Here are a few recipes to share from our last week or so:

Chicken Pesto Stromboli - I used a pizza dough recipe instead of the Rhodes bread loaf. If you try the pizza dough, be sure to brush it with some olive oil and garlic salt (or any other flavors you like) after you've rolled it out. And pesto can be a bit pricey so I usually make it:

Pesto - Blend parmesan cheese cheese, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil (I use 2 garlic cloves and about a 1/4 cup of each of the others) Add basil (about 2 cups). That's it. Piece of cake.

Pulled BBQ Chicken

1/4 Cup butter
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup vinegar
2/3 Cup catsup
1/3 Cup water
2T. Soy sauce
2T.Worcestershire sauce
1T. Mustard
1/4 t. Pepper
1 t. Salt
3 breasts shredded chicken

Melt butter and brown sugar in sauce pan. Add all other ingredients. Pour over chicken in 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Serve on buns, in a BBQ chicken salad, or any other concoction; the options are practically endless.

If you've got a hankering for something sweet I can give you three choices:
1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares
2. Cheesecake-Stuffed Peaches
3. Salted Fudge Brownies

Those brownies provided me the perfect exit at a work meeting. Just like they're doing for me now.

Our eats...

*Monday: Yesterday ended up being much busier than I anticipated, so I didn't even make dinner! Terrible, I know. So we're going to make our stuffed shells tonight instead. I'll have a huge green salad to go with mine.

*Tuesday: Pesto Pizza with Grilled Onions--we had a super yummy pesto pizza at a restaurant in MI last week. I'm going to recreate (but make it even better) by grilling some sliced onions to go on top of the pizza. I've also been meaning to make a bunch of pesto (and thanks to Laura's reminder), so I'll use this recipe (and fyi-Pignolis = Pine nuts). Add a few kinds of cheese (along with the pesto and onions) on top of the easiest crust (see recipe below) and enjoy!

*Wednesday: Tomatoes stuffed with Grilled Corn Salad (see image above) On a night like tonight, I can pretty much guarantee the kids won't be too thrilled about dinner. But I also know Burke would love this recipe, and it's really important to me that my kids try new things. However, I don't like whiny kids at dinner time. So it's common around here for me to modify a recipe to make the kids and adults happy. For instance, tonight's meal, I'll probably serve the kids their Grilled Corn Salad over brown rice (instead of in a tomato). Some kids would love the tomato too, and Elle does on certain days. But usually it's worth it to me to make the kids happy--as long as I'm not making a separate meal.

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Grilled Sweet potatoes with Scallions & Trader Joe's Wild Rice (I think Haven will especially enjoy this dinner!)

*Saturday: A few weeks ago, we attended an out door story time. Lucky for us they were giving out lots of coupons--one of which was a free kids meal at Qdoba. We ended up with about 6 coupons (I swear I don't even know how that happened). I've only eaten here once or twice and haven't been a big fan, so I guess I'll give it another shot (for the sake of the free meals ;)

*Sunday: Leftovers

FAST AND EASY PIZZA DOUGH

1 T honey

1 T oil

1 c warm water

1 T yeast

1/2 t garlic salt

2 1/2-3 c flour

Preheat oven to 475. (If using pizza stone, let heat for at least 30 minutes in the oven before baking pizza.) mix all pizza dough ingredients, except flour, together. Add flour and knead for a bit. Spread onto parchment paper sprinkled with corneal. Let rest for a few minutes to let dough rise a little if you want fluffier crust. Add sauce, toppings, and cheese. Slide onto pizza paddle (or sided cookie sheet) and then slide onto hot stone. Bake about 8 minutes (check after 5 or 6 if stone has been oven for a long time.) Makes 1 large pizza.