This is Gonna Be Messy

Italian Meatball Soup with Baked Hush Puppies

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon. I got off of my lazy butt, went to the kitchen, and threw my family into a whirlwind of flavor! Goodbye, Lazy Sunday! Hello oh Italian Meatball Soup of my dreams!(and thank you Pioneer Woman for blogging about it).

I served my Italian Meatball Soup with delicious Baked Hushpuppies from Perry's Plate. (by the way, I know why they call them hush puppies... these puppies are quiet - har har).

Italian Meatball Soup

Ingredients:
MEATBALLS:

¾ pounds Ground Beef
½ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced
1 whole Egg
2 cloves Garlic
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Black Pepper
¼ teaspoons Ground Oregano
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice

SOUP:

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
7 cups Low Sodium Beef Stock
2 cups Water
½ teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
2 tsp dried and ground bay leaves
¾ cups Onion, Chopped
¾ cups Carrots, Chopped
¾ cups Celery, Chopped
1 cup Russet Potato, Chopped (DON'T Peel)
2 cups Cabbage Chopped
three-cheese raviolini (optional)

Directions:

To make meatballs, combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Shape into small balls and chill for 30 minutes. (while these are chilling, move on to the second paragraph to start the soup). After chilling, heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a heavy pot. Briefly brown meatballs, then remove to a plate.

To pot, add beef stock, water, salt, tomato paste, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer 30 minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes. Simmer 15 more minutes. Add cabbage and meatballs. Bring to a boil, then simmer 8 to 10 minutes. In the last 4 minutes, add the raviolini.

Baked Hush Puppies

Ingredients:

½ cups Cornmeal
½ cups Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 whole Egg Beaten
6 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Red Pepper & Jalapeno
¼ cups Chopped Green Onion
⅓ cups Skim Milk
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2-4 teaspoons Honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F. Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Beat egg in a separate bowl. Finely chop red pepper, jalapeno, and green onions.
Combine all ingredients and stir until moistened.

Spoon about 1 Tbsp into each mini muffin cup. We used a regular muffin pan, though, so we put 2 Tbsp of dough into each muffin cup.

Bake at 425F for 15 to 20 minutes for regular muffin pans and about 8 to 12 minutes for mini muffin pans.While they are cooling, drizzle with honey :)

I served my hush puppies and soup with a Caesar salad.

Reactions:

Daddy - 'awesome, this is fantabulous (while digging into his second bowl). Feel free to make this whenever you want'
Mommy - 'Bri, this is one of my favorite meals that you have ever made'
Bri - 'It warms my cold body right up. It's delicious-o'
Charis - 'good'
Kairi - 'Awesomeness. I love the meatballs'
Jocelyn - 'I didn't really like it'
Xander - 'The muffins with honey on 'em? Yum yum yum!

Goi Cuo

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

These were really fun to make and turned out really pretty... like food art!

Ingredients:

1 package clear edible rice paper sheet
1/2 lb cooked beef, filleted small
1/2 lb cooked tiger shrimp
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
1 bunch fresh mint leaves
1 large carrot, 'matchsticked'
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into very thin strips
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 package vermicelli rice noodles, prepared and cooled
1 small can sliced water chestnuts, drained

Directions:

Have all meats precooked and cold and the rice noodles prepared already (the noodles should be white, long and at room temp). Make sure all veggies and herbs are cleaned, dried, and set out before you start. Dip a sheet of rice paper wrapper into warm water very quickly, no longer than a second or two (or they will get too soggy) and lay flat on a work surface.

On one edge, lay a small handful of noodles, a few strips of meat, some shrimp, some cilantro and mint leaves, and a little of all of the veggies. Try to keep the 'sharper edged' veggies on the inside (middle) of the stack. Carefully start to roll up eggroll style, tucking in the sides, then continue to roll up-but not too tightly or the spring roll will split.

These rolls will be thicker than the typical Chinese-style fried eggrolls. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce. We had all types, the traditional spicy fish sauce, sweet and spicy, soy peanut, and ginger siracha.

Reactions:

Daddy - 'mmm, these are really... good... but I don't think I like Vietnamese food'.
Mommy - 'these are awesome, so light. I love them. We can definitely make these again'.
Bri - 'uh, yeah, these are awesome, can I have another?!'
Charis - 'mmhmsa sommgh!' (translation: my mouth is full but I love them!)
Kairi - 'tooo... (gasp)... many... (eek) veggies!!!'.
Jocelyn - 'the rolls make me want to gag'
Xander - 'um, I don't like the blanket, but I like everything else.'.

Sweet Potato Chili

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is my mama's recipe, but I did help her! :)

This is my favorite variation to traditional chili. The nuts are optional.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
8 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 cups fresh tri-color sweet corn
1-14 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-14 oz can light kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2-14 oz cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, torn
1 teaspoon cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
1/2 cup unbroken walnuts
1 tablespoon canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pinches of salt
2 green onions, thinly sliced
3 radishes, thinly sliced

Directions:
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and green pepper and sauté, stirring frequently, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin seeds, chili powder and oregano. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes.

Stir in the corn and beans. Add the whole can of tomatoes (juice and all) and cinnamon,cocoa powder, and cilantro. then stir in the sweet potatoes and chipotle chilies. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmering. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili begins to thicken (20 to 25 minutes).

Just before serving, add salt and stir (it will soften the potatoes even more, so don't add too early). Pour into serving bowls, top with green onions, radish slices and cinnamon sour cream.

Reactions:
We always just gobble this up. Sorry that there haven't been pictures lately, I have been really bad at blogging and just found these in my recipe history. :) We all love this dish, and you can make it as spicy or sweet as you want. It is also a great vegetarian meal for your non-vegetarian, vege-hostile guests and friends. :)

Fall Lasagna

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

This is a vegetarian meal, but you can easily make it vegan by substituting vegan cheese. We love Italian food in our house, so we try to make it as healthy as possible... since too much Italian can make us look like the bigger chef on Lady and the Tramp! :)

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
2/3 cup broken walnuts
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
4-5 tomatoes, cubed and de-seeded
1 pint ricotta cheese (or a vegan cheese)
9 ounces crumbled feta cheese (or tempeh)
1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or tofu cheese)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or other vegan cheese)
2/3 cup pesto
2 eggs, beaten (for ovo-vegetarians, otherwise, use Ener-G or 1/2 a small green banana)
salt and pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (or fresh, self made)
fresh pasta sheets

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast in oven until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grill eggplant on a charcoal grill or fry in a skillet, turning once, until charred and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Place tomatoes on baking sheet in oven for last 15 minutes of pumpkin time; cook until tender and wrinkly.

In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, feta, pesto, eggs, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold roasted pumpkin into ricotta mixture.Beginning with the tomato sauce, layer tomato sauce, pasta, eggplants, and cheese mixture into 9x13 pan. Exchange tomato for the eggplants in the second layer. Finish with some sauce (or tomatoes if you have any left) and mozzarella.

Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Fresh Mozzarella

2012-01-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

2 tsp citric acid
1 gallon raw or whole milk
1/4 tsp liquid rennet diluted in 1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp sea salt
candy thermometer to check liquid temps

Directions:

Pour the milk into a large pot, put on the stove on low/med-med heat. Add citric acid to the milk and mix well. Stir in the diluted rennet with an up and down motion, continue heating until the temperature reaches 105ºF. Turn off the heat and let the curd set for 5-10 minutes.

Scoop out the curds with a slotted spoon (or strain them with a fine mesh strainer) and put them into a large heat resistant bowl. Press the curds gently with your hands, pouring off as much whey as possible into a bowl. Reserve the whey. Pour the whey back into the pot and heat it to at least 175ºF degrees. Add salt to the whey and stir.

Ladle the hot whey over the curd in the bowl (just to cover) knead the curd with 2 wooden spoons until the curd is smooth and pliable. The internal temperature of the curd needs to reach around 165 degrees to become pliable and stretchy. If the curd breaks, it needs to be reheated (by pouring more hot whey over the top). If you want to add any dried or fresh herbs like oregano, garlic, thyme or rosemary, do it at this point.

Pick the curd up with your hands and quickly squeeze into a ball, tucking the ends under to make smooth. Go fast, will set immediately.

Eat immediately while warm, or if you want to store it for later, place your balls of mozzarella into a bowl of very cold water (you can add more salt if you want, to help intensify the cheese flavor). Let sit a few minutes. Wrap and store in the fridge!

Reactions:
This was so stinking fun to do! Who wouldn't like playing with, smelling like, and stretching cheese???? Kairi and I helped mom to make this, and we all ate it up! We didn't even put it on anything to eat it, we would just pick up a ball and pop it in our mouths. Yummy!

Fall Galette

2012-01-14T05:08:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes
1/4 teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water

Directions:
Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Ingredients:

4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup sliced zucchini
1/4 cup yellow zucchini
1/4 chopped, grilled chicken OR pine nuts
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup parmesan
2.5 oz goat cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella optional
1-2 tablespoons chopped basil or thyme
Optional: Olives or artichoke hearts

Directions:
Spread the tomatoes on paper towels. Sprinkle salt (about 1/2 teaspoon will do) over the tomatoes and let sit while you make the rest of the filling. Push a clove of garlic through a garlic press into the 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl. In another bowl mix together all the cheese and 1/2 tablespoon of the garlic olive oil you just made.

Prepare Your Galette:
Preheat oven to 400. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to 12" wide. Slide it onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Push the cheese mixture onto the dough spreading it to about 2" from the sides of the dough. Blot the tops of the tomatoes and lay them, the zucchinis, and chicken/pine nuts on the dough in concentric circles. Sprinkle with the remaining garlic olive oil.

Fold the edges over the top of the galette pleating them(this is the fun part!). Mix one egg yolk and one teaspoon of water and brush the wash all over the exposed crust. here's a pic of the zucchini version:

Bake the Galette for 30-40 minutes until it is golden brown.

This was sooo good. We made it over the fall break and I just forgot to blog it and review it with the family. I think that the only one who wouldn't eat it was Kairi... but Kairi is known for her love/hate with veggies.

Chicken with Coconut-Lime Peanut Sauce

2012-01-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

We love Asian-inspired dishes in our house. I love Chinese and Pho, but Thai and Japanese are my favorites. When I saw this recipe on Family Fresh, I had to try it! I changed some things in it, but kept the same basic recipe. My picture is not nearly as pretty as hers!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Coconut Milk
1/2 cup natural crunchy Peanut Butte
1 tablespoon Thai Red Curry Paste
Juice from 1 Lime
1 tablespoon Soy Sauc
2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp honey
2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
Pinch of Cracked Black Pepper
Pinch of Cinnamon
Pinch of Cayenne
2 pounds Chicken Breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup diced Onion
3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon Coconut Oil, we use organic and unrefined
1 cup chopped Asparagus Spears, cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions:

Sauce: In a medium bowl whisk together the peanut butter, coconut milk, curry paste, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, honey & seasonings to form a sauce. Taste and change anything if you want to. Set aside.

Chicken: Heat coconut oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add onion & garlic, stirring and cooking until just getting smelly ('fragrant' is the proper term). Add chicken, cook until golden brown and cooked through about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir sauce into chicken and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add asparagus during the last few minutes of cook time.

We added crushed peanuts, coconut, and water chestnuts to ours and served it over jasmine rice and with steamed broccoli.

Reactions:

Daddy, mommy, and I loved it! A total hit! I think Daddy and I had thirds...
Charis liked it all, except for the fact Jocelyn kept putting her asparagus on Charis' plate...
Jocelyn ate it, she eats anything, but wouldn't give me more than a scary clown face when I asked if she liked it.
Xander didn't like the 'peanut butter green stuff' and made a stink face.. then again, he is getting into the picky 5's.

YAY!

2012-01-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

ooh! My blog just got a new, improved look! And I am now my own name when I blog! No more of my mom's signature on my posts! Yay!

So, for any of my readers who would like to suggest I try out one of their favorite recipes on here, feel free to send me an email and I will try it out in my kitchen and with my family! :)

Egg McMuffins

2011-09-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, I found this recipe on Belleicious Kids, and am planning on making some more things from that blog too! It's not really Egg McMuffins because, well, McDonald's makes us barf. One of the drawbacks of eating a healthier diet is that your body won't let you eat junk. Another reason it isn't really a McMuffin is because there is no bread. For her review, see here.

So, here you are!

Ingredients:

12 eggs
1/2 cup carrots, minced in food processor
1/2 cup broccoli, minced in food processor
2TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup roughly chopped ham
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese

Directions:

First in a large saucepan heat 2 TBSP of olive oil and add your carrots, onions, broccoli, zucchini and bell peppers. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper. In another bowl, combine the beaten eggs with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning

Using a 12 cup muffin tin, grease each cup and start by placing the chopped ham in the bottom then the veggie mix, next the cheese and lastly the beaten egg mixture. Be careful to ONLY fill the muffin cups to about 3/4 full so they do not overflow while cooking. Optional: sprinkle with a dash of paprika and bake in the oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Timing may vary depending on the size of your muffin tin.

Reactions:
These were so good that our whole family snatched them up for breakfast 3 days in a row. When the last of them was gone, the kid who didn't get one pouted! So, This was a healthy and yummy way to sneak in some power-packing veggies for a quick and healthy breakfast!

Ropa Vieja Pot Pies

2011-09-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

This was so much fun. My sisters and brother all helped out and we made this awesome (spicy) meal for the rents. :)

Ingredients:
4 thick-sliced bacon slices, diced
2 cups white onion, diced
1 cup red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 1/2 lb flank steak, trimmed and seasoned with sal y pimiento

1 bottle beer (12 oz)
2 cups beef broth
1 Tbsp spicy mexican chili powder
1 Tbsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup masa harina
1 15-oz can of diced tomato
1 can black beans (we like Goya), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup green olives, cut in half
1/2 lime (for juice)

Directions:
saute your bacon in a large saucepan or dutch oven until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels. In the same pan, saute the onion, bell peppers, chiles, and garlic in the bacon drippings until beginning to brown; around 8 minutes.Transfer those to a bowl and set aside.

Cut the flank steak into thirds and sear until browned, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Stir in the beer, broth, and seasonings. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.

While that is cooking, you can prepare your biscuits (below).

Ingredients for Biscuits:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup masa harina
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup sour cream

Directions for Biscuits:
preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Whisk flour, masa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl until combined. Cut in the butter until it forms pea-sized balls. Then stir in the cheese and scallions. Set aside.

Going Back to the Meat...

remove the steak from the pan and shred with 2 forks. In the broth, whisk the masa, bring to a boil. Simmer to thicken. Remove from heat and add back in the meat, the bacon, the veggies, the lime, the olives, the black beans, and the tomatoes.

Divide either between 6 individual pot pie ceramics, 2 9x9s, or 1 9x13.

Going Back the Biscuits...

Blend in the milk and sour cream to the dough until just combined. Scoop with an ice cream scoop in patterns on top of the stew in your baking dish(s) of choice. The idea is to keep it looking rustic. Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick into the biscuits comes out clean. Serve with a tossed salad. :)

Again, we didn't get pictures, but that is because mommy is having a hard time figuring out how to get the camera and computer to like each other. She is probably going to start using her phone, at least her phone and the computer like each other! :)

Reactions:
This was too spicy for Charis and Jocelyn, but the rest of us LOOOVED it.
Xander ate two helpings, but he didn't like the biscuits... they turn out like dumplings and he is a texture kid.
Mommy and Daddy both ate two helpings, of everything!
Me and Kairi thought the spice was perfect and it was soo good!

Pan-fried Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

2011-06-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

Grrr... again, no pictures. I keep forgetting to take pictures, by the time I am done cooking, I just want to eat. :)

Ingredients:

approx. 15-20 brussel sprouts
about 1 cup sliced (lengthwise) carrots
2-3 cloves of garlic
Morningstar veggie bacon, crumbled
½ an onion, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
half a lime

Directions:

Soak brussel sprouts in water for about 15 minutes, Cut sprouts in half, chop garlic. In a large pan, heat oil and butter on medium heat, place brussel sprouts cut/flat side down, and carrots, sprinkle with salt. Cook for about 12-15 minutes, until bottoms of Brussel sprouts are browned. While cooking, make rice according to package for 6 people. Add onion, garlic, and pepper to Brussels sprouts/carrots during last minute or two. Crumble and stir in bacon, Squeeze lime over everything and serve with rice.

We added a sprinkling of apple cider vinegar before serving to add to the sweet and tangy, but it was good without it too.

Black Bean Chicken Salad

2011-06-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

More cold meals for the hot Texas summers!

Ingredients:
1-14.5 oz can black beans (preferrably goya)
1 roma tomato (seeded)
1/2 medium white onion
1 good sized avocado
2 ears of corn (uncooked)
EITHER 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
OR 1 cup walnuts, broken well
1/2 lime
1 tsp chili powder
3 'twists' of fresh black pepper

Directions:
Rinse and drain the beans well. Chop the tomato and onion into bite sized pieces. Shuck the raw corn. 1/2 the avocado, remove (but save) the pit, then skin the two halves and chop the avocado into bite sized pieces. Throw it ALL into a large bowl and toss with your hands. Add your nuts or chicken (whichever you chose to use... heck, use both, maybe it's good). Squeeze the lime over it all, sprinkle your chili powder over the mess, and crack your pepper. :) Again, get your hands messy mixing it! :)

Throw the pit of the avocado into it to keep the avocado from browning. Let it marinade for about 30 minutes. You can eat this on blue corn tortilla chips, with naan bread, or by itself on a bed of lettuce. We ate ours all three ways because we had leftovers twice. :)

Closing:
I didn't get pictures of this one, but it's really good. I also didn't ask my sibling's reactions, but I loved it, didn't hear any complaining, and my mom and dad loved it too!

Zucchini Boats

2011-06-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tomato
1 tsp thyme
2 zucchinis
1 onion
cheese
pepper
bacon (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400. Scrub your cchinis. Slice them in half length-ways. Trim the ends as needed to fit in your baking dish. Spoon out the guts. haha! Chop the tomato, onion, and cchini guts.

In a saucepan, put just a little butter. Saute the onion until almost clear. Add curry and toss well. Take off the heat. If you are using bacon, make sure it is cooked and crumbled. Put the onions, (bacon), cchini guts, tomato tidbits, thyme, salt, and sour cream into a bowl and mix well.

Scoop and fill the boats with the mixture. Top with pepper and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.. YUM! We served ours with garlic and pine nut quinoa, and watermelon, of course.

If you have any leftovers, the next morning you can chop up the whole zucchini and toss with eggs to make curried scrambled eggs. :)

Reactions:
Me (Bri): WOW! I didn't think this would taste to good, but I can't always be right.
Daddy: Oh my gosh, this is great!
Mommy: Ohgh, yummy yum!
The people underneath this warning are very picky about their veggies.
Charis: Yuck! I HATE zucchini!
Jocelyn: It's so-so. I just don't like the zucchini.
Kairi: (at first) YUM Bri! (later on) Do I have to eat this?
Xander: I don't like zucchini, can someone help me eat this?
Charis:

Migas ala Brigas

2011-06-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

My mom threw a whole bunch of ingredients on the counter and told me to be creative. I thought I was making up a whole new recipe, something never before consumed by mankind. In fact, I had made Migas... ala Bri.

Ingredients

1/4 cup cheese
1 egg for each person
1 sausage for each person
1/4 tsp. garlic
salsa (optional)
1 corn tortilla for each person

Instructions

In one pan, cook eggs until almost all the way cooked. put cheese and garlic in and cook the rest of the way. At the same time your eggs are cooking, put sausages in another pan and put just enough water in the pan to cover the bottom. Cook the sausages until water has completely evaporated, turning occasionally. Once done, chop sausages up and put into the eggs. Put mixture into tortillas and top with salsa.

Serve with juicy summer watermelon! Service with a smile!

Reactions
This was a meal just for the kids.
Bri (me): "I love this. Can I have another one?"
Kairi: "I want another one... hey Bri, you took the last one!"
Charis: "Can we split it please? I want another one too!"
Jocelyn: "mfo mfow mewmf" (that's full-mouth speak for "I gotta nother one!")
Xander: ... .... no talking, just stealing our food when we weren't looking (grrr.)

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

2011-06-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

Mmmm... we tried to make this as healthy as possible, but I don't think we succeeded.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups shredded low-fat 4-cheese blend
1 2/3 cups plain low-fat yogurt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp pepper
1 regular can condensed, reduced-fat, reduced sodium cream of chicken soup
1 can chopped green chilis, drained
8 flour or corn tortillas
spray olive oil
1/2 cup shredded low-fat 4-cheese blend
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients and mix well. Remove 1 1/4 cup of the mixture and set it aside.

heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Spray pan and place tortilla in the pan. Spray the top of the tortilla. Turn the tortilla after 5 seconds and brown the other side. Do all of the tortillas this way, removing from heat after done.

Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 cup of chicken mixture, then roll tight. Place them all in a greased 13x9 pan, seam side down. Top with the chicken mixture that was set aside.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, covered with tinfoil. Remove cover, sprinkle with the 1/2 cup cheese and green onions. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes.

We served ours with black olives, lettuce, and yellow rice.

Yum Yum!!!

Kid Rating: ****

Jocelyn: Off the hoo-zook! I want it again!

Kairi: You made it?!?! I loved it! It tasted sooo good!

Charis: Chicken tastes like candy with cheese. Onions are yummy in this.

Xander: Mommy gave me her's chicken.

Mommy: It tastes cheesy, chickeny, yummy yum.

Briaunna: Yummy rice, enchilada, and olives. Most everyone should enjoy this meal!

Giveaways

2011-02-23T07:39:00.000-08:00

Wow!

We have found so many giveaways on the internet these last few days! I hope to win SOMETHING for the kids (or me) out of all of them. But, here, for your viewing pleasure, and hopefully an entry or two:

Cupcake Swirl - really cool giveaway
Delicately Fierce - beautiful necklace
Yummy - Custom Cereal - very cool!

Garlic Asiago Steak and Fettucine

2010-07-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

Kairi made her first meal the other day, so this is Nicole on blogging for her. She made an excellent meal that everyone wowed about!

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp olive oil
4-6 small flat-iron steaks
salt and pepper
4-6 shallots, peeled and diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup parmesean
1/2 cup asiago cheese
10 oz whole wheat linguine

Directions:
Cook linguine according to package directions and drain, set aside.

While this is happening, in a small saucepan, combine shallots and garlic with olive oil. Cook until just starting to soften. Add to the pan the cream, salt, parmesean, and asiago cheese. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Toss linguine in mixture.

Turn broiler onto medium. Pepper and salt all steaks and set on the broiler. Broil 4 minutes on both sides. Slice thinly.

Put a pile of noodles on each plate and top with sliced steaks.

Kairi served hers with a side salad with honey mustard dressing and a whole wheat bread.

Kairi, I am so proud of you for your first meal! We all loved it!

Grilled Chicken Marmalade with Uncle Ken's Broccoli Salad

2010-06-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

Since it was a hot summer day, we decided to grill out. BUT, since it was also my night to cook, daddy helped to make this meal by doing the actual grilling.

Grilled Chicken Marmalade
Ingredients:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed off
1 1/2 cups orange marmalade
3 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
3 green onions, minced
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp rubbing sage
2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Mix ingredients 2-6 in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat until warmed through. Start grill and cool mixture while the grill is heating. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and place on grill. Brush with sauce. Continue to baste often, turning chicken 1/2 way through cooking (around 6 minutes per side).

Uncle Ken's Broccoli Salad
Ingredients:

2 bunches of fresh broccoli
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2-3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp vinegar
1/4 cup diced red onion
2/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup bacon, cooked to crisp, drained, and crumbled (about 3-4 strips)

Directions:
Begin by cutting off the tops of the broccoli (florets) and breaking into small pieces. Cut off the stump of the broccoli, then, using the side of the knife, pull (shave) off the length of the broccoli stem, throwing the shavings away, leaving the softer inner meat of the stem. Then, dice the stem into bite size pieces. Place all of the broccoli (except the shavings and stump) into a large bowl. Add the red onion, raisins, and bacon.

In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, sugar, and both salad dressings. Mix well until smooth, adding what you need to make it the flavor and consistency that you need. Pour the dressing over the veggies in the bowl, cover with saran wrap, and shake the bowl well to coat all. Serve immediately.

We ate our meal of grilled chicken, broccoli salad, and cubed cantaloupe out on the deck, pool side, on a nice hot late spring day. I hope you enjoy it too...

The family says, all together, "YUM!!!"

There was nothing left on their plates!

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

2009-10-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1 can cream of potato soup
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 small white onion, diced
2 stalks celery
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 16oz bag frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and peas
1 tube refrigerated dough sheet.
salt and pepper to taste

In large saucepan, heat butter on medium high with celery and onion. Cook for about 4 minutes. Add can of soup and milk and stir until well mixed and bubbly. Add Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and cheddar cheese; heat until melted then remove from heat.

Add chicken and frozen veggies.

Preheat oven to 375. Pour filling into 13x9 pan. Unroll dough sheet and cut into strips. Create a lattice pattern on top of filling. Bake, uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until the lattice topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

Everyone loved this meal, it was a real hit! All of the kids asked for more, and daddy shoveled his mouth full- something he doesn't do very much.

Mexican Low-Fat Pizza

2009-10-27T14:50:00.001-07:00

It has been a loooooooooooooooong time since Bri has posted any recipes on here. We have been through some major transitions, but she is starting to cook again! (applause inserted here).

Since we are still working on completely fail-proof computers, though, mama is going to post tonight's masterpiece (left-over night surprise).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups taco meat, prepared
2 Tbsp ranch dressing
2 Tbsp medium salsa
1 cup shredded colby cheese
2 cups lettuce
2 flatout wraps

Lay both flatout wraps on breathable cookie pan (if you don't have one of these, you might want to cook your pizza right on the rack). Preheat broiler to LOW.

Combine ranch and salsa in small bowl. Spread on flatouts. Top with meat, lettuce, and cheese. Broil on LOW for 3-5 minutes, until starting to brown at the edges and cheese is bubbly. Serve with corn chips and salsa and black olives to wear as weird looking fingernails/

Good Old Spaghetti

2008-09-28T12:03:00.001-07:00

For last Friday night, we had good old spaghetti since I wanted a kid's food.

Ingredients:

3/4 lb ground beef
1 yellow onion, minced
1 medium green zucchini, diced small
1 pkg whole wheat spaghetti noodles
1 jar Ragu Garden Chunky spaghetti sauce

Brown the ground beef in a saucepan while crumbling with spatula. While that is browning, bring a large pan of water to boil over high heat. Drain and rinse meat before putting back into the saucepan. Add the onion, sauce, and zucchini. Bring to a simmer. While that is simmering, add the package of noodles to the water, cover, and boil according to the directions. Drain noodles before serving.

Serve the noodles covered in the spaghetti sauce, topped with Parmesan cheese. I served our meal with corn (that was steamed with butter and crushed garlic cloves) and garlic bread (french bread, butter, garlic, minced onion, parsley, and salt).

KID RATING: ****

Chef Bri - "I ate two servings of it all."
Kairi - "It was so yummy. I slurped my noodles and they hit me in the face!"
Charis - "Bri, you can make this tomorrow for breakfast."
Jocelyn - "Isn't there any left? I want more please."
Xander - "Nana - mmmmm!"
Daddy - "This is wonderful Bri, very flavorful."
Mommy - "This is honestly probably the best chunky 'mock-homemade' spaghetti sauce I have ever tasted Bri. A great comfort food meal!"

Toasted Sammies

2008-09-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

We had Family Movie night on Sunday instead of Friday this week so we had sandwiches on a blanket in front of the TV.

Ingredients:

8 thin slices of Boar's Head pastrami
6 thin slices of Muenster Cheese
1/4 cup Boar's Head Sundried Tomato Pesto Mayonnaise
1/2 small white onion, sliced thin
1 small zucchini, sliced thin
1 medium loaf french bread, cut long
Country Crock butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a frying pan, saute the onion and zucchini in butter until onions are clear and the zucchini is starting to brown. Set aside. Spread mayo on both insides of the bread. Lay cheese on top of the mayo. Lay meat on top of the cheese. Spread the onions and zucchini on top of the meat. Place the whole loaf, opened, under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, close the loaf of bread, and cut into sandwich sized portions.

We served ours with Pasta Puttanesca and anjou pear slices.

KID RATING: **

Chef Bri - "I LOVE the sandwich."
Kairi - "Uh uh. I don't like the vegetables and it tastes funny"
Charis - "If I don't want my sandwich, can I still have desert?"
Jocelyn - "I like the meat and cheese and bread"
Xander - "mmm?"
Daddy - "This sandwich is excellent!"
Mommy - "REALLY tasty Bri!"

Brown Sugar Meat Loaf

2008-08-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry - we forgot to get pictures this time. We served this with crn on the cob and blueberry muffins.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed brown suger
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
11/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup finely crushed Keebler's Toppers crackers (garlic and herb)
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan. Mix the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce together. Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the pan and spread the ketchup mix on top of that. In a bowl, mix all of the rest of the ingredients (your hands work the best). Press into the pan on top of the brown sugar and ketchup. Bake for 1 hour. You can use a paper towel every 15 minutes to soak up the grease during cooking by carefully dipping it into the grease.

KID RATING: ****

Chef Bri - "This was the best meat loaf I have ever made!"
Kairi - "So yummy... it's like meat bread"
Charis - "This is so good. It tastes like candy"
Jocelyn - "Oh yeah Bri - this is the bestest you have ever cooked!"
Xander - "yum - mama more". he ate everything on his plate
Daddy - This was the best meatloaf I have ever had - it was moist, didn't fall apart, and hardly needed any BBQ sauce.
Mommy - Briaunna, this is better than any meatloaf I have ever made. You truly have a gift for the kitchen!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-08-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

I can't give you the recipe because its daddy's secret recipe. But here are some pictures.

I did it all myself. I put everything in after I measured it out, I mixed it all up, and I baked them. I also ate them.

MIA

2008-07-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

Momma here - sorry we skipped this week. She did make a meal, but we have grandma in from out of town and didn't take pictures or blog it.

But, in case you wanted to know what she made, it was a special dietary-needs meal. Grandma has Celiac Sprue, cannot have seeds, nuts, or pepper, and Grandpa is diabetic. Soooooo.....

We made a garden chicken pasta.

Ingredients:

DeBoles Rice spiral pasta
Tomato juice
1 Zucchini - chopped
1 Yellow Squash - chopped
1 Yellow Onion - chopped
3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
2 garlic cloves - diced
dash of sage
Salt

She cooked her pasta to just UNDER-done. While that was boiling, she combined all of the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan and boiled it down to semi-thickened and vegetables were slightly unfirm. Toss pasta in and top with a sharp cheddar cheese.

She served it with tossed salad topped with walnuts, dried cranberries, bleu cheese, and vinegar dressing.

So proud - sorry for missing a week. :o(

Salmon Parcels

2008-07-12T07:42:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

2 Tbsp sesame seeds
4 slices fresh ginger (cut into thin strips)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp orange juice
4 thick salmon fillets
1 carrot (peeled and cut into thin strips)
1 red pepper (de-seeded and cut into thin strips)
3 green onions (cut into thin strips)
salt and pepper
noodles (we used udon)

I cut my vegetables earlier in the day so they were ready for the meal and we used yellow pepper instead of red pepper. I also toasted my sesame seeds early and put them in a baggy.

Preheat the oven to 400. In a dry frying pan, toast the sesame seeds until golden. Remove pan, turn off the stove, and set aside.

Cut baking parchment into 4 pieces, at least twice as big as the salmon fillets (we used paper lunch sacks that we sprayed with a little olive oil). place a fillet in each bag or on each parchment piece. Top with a mixture of the vegetables.

In a small cup, mix the soy sauce and orange juice. Drizzle the mix over each fillet. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully fold the top and bottom of each parcel (or top of each bag) and gather up the sides. Leave room for the bag to steam the meat. Put all of the bags in a small backing dish, side by side. Put in the oven for 15 minutes.

While that is cooking, add the noodles to a pot of boiling water and cook until done. Drain. Remove fish from the oven when the timer goes off. Let them cool in the bag for about 2 minutes before opening.

We served our fish on the noodles, sprinkled with sesame seeds. We also served it with cranberry walnut salad.

It seemed to be a lot of vegetables for the fish. I would do 1/2 of the peppers next time.

KID RATING: ***

Chef Bri - "I love it ,but the ginger was a little spicy."
Kairi - "I liked everything about it" (and her plate was cleaned off)
Charis - "I like the noodles and ginger and salad. I don't like the yellow pepper thingies."
Jocelyn - "no fishy, no fishy. I love everything else though!"
Xander - "Uh uh". (he didn't eat anything but his noodles and fish).
Daddy - loved it all! He didn't like the skin on the bottom of the salmon though.

Hammy Cheesy Chicky

2008-07-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

4-6 chicken breasts
4-6 slices ham
4-6 slices of Havarti cheese
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp sage
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chicken broth

Slice chicken breasts ALMOST in half. Flatten with a meat mallet or heavy-bottomed glass (beat up the chicken. AAAAAAAH!). Put one slice of cheese and one slice of ham on each chicken breast and roll up like a kid in a blanket. Tuck the ends in and stab it with a toothpick to hold it together.

Mix flour, Parmesan cheese, sage and pepper in a bowl and roll the chicken rolls through it. Put the chicken rolls on a plate in the fridge for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, put cream of chicken soup and broth in a pan to warm up.

At the same time, heat the oil in a pan on the stove. Brown the chicken on all sides (careful, the oil spits) then put it in the crock pot. Dump the soup mix on top. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Remember to take out the toothpicks before you eat it!

We ate ours with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli.

KID RATING: ****

Chef Bri - "the sauce is my favorite. But the chicken got over cooked on the bottom and was a little crunchy on one place."
Kairi - "AWESOME! I love HAM! I didn't like the crunchy stuff though."
Charis - "I love the whole food. The meat and rice is soooo good and creamy"
Jocelyn - "I like it. It is heart-filled yummy to me!"
Xander - "Yea!" (he ate everything except the broccoli)