April 8, 2011 - chicken primavera pasta

i had some awesome  coupons for the new philadelphia cooking cremes and they were on sale so i bought some to try.  on the back of the italian cheese & herb cooking creme was this recipe i decided to try.

chicken primavera pasta

ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cups vegetables (i used zucchini, green pepper and carrots- all from my bountiful basket)
1 tub philadelphia italian cheese & herb cooking creme
2 cups hot cooked fettuccine

directions: cook and stir chicken in skillet for 5-7 minutes or until done.  add vegetables and cook 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

add cooking creme, cook and stir 3 minutes.  stir in pasta.

april 6, 2011 - cafe rio pork barbacoa

this cooked on low in my crockpot for almost 24 hours and let me tell you what.... my house smelled awesome!

i got this recipe from my friend collette.  i didn't have regular coke so i used diet coke - don't know if it makes a difference.  also, after about 12 hours (overnight), i shredded my pork and then left it to sit in the gooey goodness for another 10 hours on low.


cafe rio pork

ingredients:
pork roast
1 cup salsa
1 cup brown sugar
1 liter coca-cola

directions:
In a crock pot slow cook pork roast overnight with salsa, brown sugar and coke. When pork is done, shred with two forks.  Additional salsa, brown sugar and coke may be added to enhance flavor or add more moisture.

april 4, 2011 - grilled chicken and pasta with asparagus

i wanted to use up some more of the asparagus i got in my bountiful basket, so i found this recipe: pasta with asparagus.  i also grilled some chicken breasts to go with it.

a few notes about how mine differed from the original recipe.  i used 2 cans of mushrooms since i didn't have any fresh ones on hand.  next time i will use only 1 can and put in more asparagus. 

pasta with asparagus recipe

ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

8 ounces angel hair pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

directions:

cook pasta according to package instructions.  heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. saute asparagus in the pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes. add chicken broth and mushroom slices; cook 3 minutes more. drain pasta, and transfer to a serving dish. gently toss pasta with asparagus mixture; sprinkle with parmesan and crushed red pepper.

april 3, 2011 - french onion soup

made french onion soup and served it with a thick slice of bread with cheese on top.  it was good, but didn't go over too well with the kids.  they liked the cheese but didn't care for soggy bread or the onions in the soup... oh well.

march 28, 2011 - cafe rio chicken salad

i made the cafe rio chicken recipe from this day to make salads with.  started with a flour tortilla on the bottom, then added some of the shredded chicken.  topped it off with shredded lettuce, chopped green onions, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and some dressing.

march 23, 2011 - fajitas & bean and cheese burritos

first i cut up a few sirloin steaks into strips and sauteed them up with some red pepper strips.  then i cooked up a can of refried beans for the kids and chopped some lettuce.  i served it with the regular toppings of shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa.  so good!

march 22, 2011 - tuna helper italian fettuccine alfredo

i know, i know....  boo to overly-processed food.  But it was quick and easy.  plus i threw in some frozen peas to make it a little more nutritional.

march 21, 2011 - spaghetti & meatballs with garlic cheese bread

this was super simple because i still had some armour frozen meatballs.  just threw them into a skillet with some spaghetti sauce and cooked up some noodles.  the bread is the new york texas toast brand and was really quite good.  i probably should have cooked up some vegetables for a side....

march 17, 2011 - eggs in a basket w/steamed asparagus

so yummy!  the kids really like eggs in a basket and i was really wanting to eat some of the asparagus that i got in my bountiful baskets last saturday, so this is what i came up with and it was so good.  i used a round cookie cutter to cut the middle out of slices of bread and then cracked an egg inside the hole. i topped it with some cheese and then the asparagus (steamed).  nathan and i put a little creamy horseradish on top of ours and it was perfect.

we had sliced tomatoes (also from bountiful baskets) with cottage cheese.

march 15, 2011 - wisconsin cauliflower soup- but 10 times better - and lion house rolls

in my bountiful basket this last saturday, i also got a head of bright green cauliflower (i know weird) and i immediately knew that i would be making this soup.  although i forgot that i needed onion and i didn't have any, so i improvised a little and it actually turned out better than the way i had been making it.  instead of the onion, i used a red pepper.  that is why the coloring of the soup in this picture is darker than the previous ones.

then i also made some lion house rolls to eat with the soup.  i used my bread machine and set it on the dough setting.  i was nice because i didn't have to get my hands all dirty, but the bread machine did struggle a little to get it all mixed and needed a little help from my spatula.

here's the recipe the way i made it.  changes are in blue.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup
Yields: 9 cups or 8 first-course servings

2 tablespoons margarine or butter (1/4 stick)
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup monterrey jack cheese

In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 20 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.

march 14, 2011 - waffles and buttermilk syrup with strawberries and whipped cream!

oh yummy!!!  this is what i made tonight for dinner.  stopped at the store on my way home to grab some buttermilk and whipping cream so we could have the real deal.

this past saturday i purchased my very first bountiful basket. in my basket were a pack of delicious strawberries.  the moment i saw them i knew what i was going to do with them.

the recipe for the waffles and syrup can be found here.

march 9, 2011 - tomato soup and grilled cheese

campbell's tomato soup with grilled cheese.  simple and yummy!

march 8, 2011 - chicken noodle soup, again :)

tonight we made the lion house chicken noodle soup.  i know we make this a lot but we really love it and it is super simple.

the other night, we made a pork roast in the crockpot and used the same ingredients that i used to make this chicken recipe.  it wasn't as good as the chicken.

on friday night i made all the kiddos ramen noodles with eggs in it.  a couple of the kids remarked that they had never had ramen noodles that looked like this before.  but i am happy to say that my extra 3 e, k, and r liked it.

march 1, 2011 - cafe rio chicken on sunday stack

i know it's been a while... again.  but tonight i made something super yummy i just had to post about.  i got the crockpot out early today determined to use it for dinner.  after a little thinking, i wondered what was in cafe rio's chicken recipe and googled it.  after looking through a few recipes, i kind of put my own together.

cafe rio chicken my style

3 -4 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 bottle italian dressing
1 tablespoon chili powder
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
lime juice
cilantro

combine everything but lime juice and cilantro in a crockpot and cook for 7-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.  remove chicken and shred with two forks.  then add lime juice and cilantro.

i didn't do the cilantro and lime juice because of what we served the chicken with - a little texas toast and mashed potatoes.  i mimicked the dish we had this day.

it turned out really well and the kids liked it.  plus my house smelled awesome when i walked in the door.

the past week - yummy chicken enchiladas and steak

so i've been really bad at posting this past week.  fortunately, i wasn't too bad about getting some dinner on the table.  i just haven't made anything spectacular that i wanted to post about... well except for the enchiladas i made on sunday.  those were awesome and i forgot to take a picture of them. i'll try to document what i put in them below.

this past week we had boring waffles, not the yummy ones from this day.  we had some leftovers to clear out the fridge and we had frozen pizza one night.

february 23, 2011 - tonight I cooked up some sirloin steak and served it with rolls and pasta salad.  nothing too spectacular.

_____________________________________
chicken enchiladas from sunday night

2-3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 small tub chive and onion cream cheese
1 can diced tomatoes, with onions
1 can sliced mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom
1 orange pepper, diced
2 cups cheese, shredded  (I used mexican blend)
1 can green enchilada sauce
10-15 flour tortillas

mixed everything, except some cheese and the enchilada sauce together and slapped it in the tortillas, topped with some cheese and green enchilada sauce.  put it in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350.  yummy!

february 16, 2011 - biscuits and gravy with easy-bake cheddar biscuits

nathan helped out with dinner tonight by making sausage gravy to go on the new kind of biscuits i made.  they are called easy-bake cheddar biscuits.  they were super easy and turned out very yummy!  i got the recipe here.

the final product with the gravy.

february 15, 2011 - lion house chicken noodle soup

i made the lion house chicken noodle soup again.  this is a favorite of ours.  get the recipe here.

Lion House Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

2 tsp. chicken soup base, or 2 bouillon cubes
3 cups canned chicken stock (broth)
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cans (10 1/2 oz. each) cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup evaporated milk or 1/2 cup whole milk
Roux (equal amounts of flour and butter used to thicken). I don't even use roux. It is thick enough without it.
2 cups cooked diced chicken
2 1/2 oz. (about 4 cups) cooked noodles

Heat chicken soup base (or bouillon cubes) and stock together. Add carrots, celery, and onion, and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add cream of chicken soup and milk. Thicken with roux as desired, then add cooked chicken and noodles. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 2 1/2 quarts or 10 one cup servings.

february 14, 2011 - cafe rio

for valentine's dinner we ordered take-out from cafe rio for the whole family.  our favorite thing from cafe rio, besides their pork, is the tres leche dessert.  we got one for everyone and had a nice time enjoying each other's company.

i have tried making their tres leche cake before and the recipe that i like best is here.

february 13, 2011 - beef stroganoff

i made beef stroganoff for dinner.  another recipe from my friend malia that i modified because i forgot to put it in the crockpot early in the day.  i just cooked mine up in a sauce pan.  the meat wasn't as tender as it would have been from the crockpot, but it was still yummy.  we served the beef and sauce over egg noodles.

beef stroganoff

round steak (i used sirloin steak because that's what i had)

2 small onions ( you can do more or less depending on how much you like)

1 package of lipton onion soup mix

2 cans cream of mushroom

about half a can of water

1/2 cup or more sour cream

sauté the onions after you brown the meat, or just put them in.  mix it all together in the crockpot and cook for 6+ hours, then when it’s done add sour cream, as much as 1 container or as little as half a cup.  serve over rice or noodles.

february 11-12, 2011 - quesadillas and nuts & berries

on friday, february 11, we all made quesadillas for dinner.  nothing to fancy about tortillas and cheese.

february 12, we were bears.

february 10, 2011 - waffles & buttermilk syrup

tonight we had breakfast for dinner and i made waffles and buttermilk syrup.  i got both of these recipes from my friend malia (she's an amazing cook).

waffles

1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup oil
1 3/4 cup milk
2 eggs

in a big mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder & salt.  in a separate bowl combine milk, oil and egg yolks.  in another bowl add the egg whites & beat stiff.  mix the egg mixture & the flour mixture; then carefully fold in egg whites.  the mixture will be very lumpy and that makes it perfect!


buttermilk syrup

1 cube butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

heat butter, sugar, buttermilk & vanilla until the butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.  add baking soda last.  CAUTION: the mixture will froth up, so be ready.  i suggest making the syrup in a larger sauce pan than you think you will need.  makes 2-3 cups.

february 9, 2011 - fried rice

tonight i made a fried rice recipe with ingredients i already had out and ready.  i didn't have any ham thawed, but i did have bacon.  so instead of ham fried rice we had bacon fried rice.  i quickly cooked up the bacon and scrambled a few eggs, chopped the green onions and cooked some minute rice.  added a little soy sauce and we were good to go.

february 7-8, 2011 - quick & leftovers

so the past two nights haven't been that great for dinner making.  monday night we went grocery shopping as a family so dinner was really quick and simple when we got home.

on tuesday, february 8th we had leftovers.

february 6, 2011 - flour tortillas and pulled pork

i made flour tortillas from scratch and nathan made pulled pork.

flour tortillas recipe here

pulled pork recipe here

february 4-5, 2011

february 4, 2011 - i was not well this night, so nathan picked up mcdonalds for dinner.

february 5, 2011 - made frozen chicken nuggets and french fries for the crew.

february 2 & 3, 2011 -ice cream & spaghetti & meatballs

february 2, 2011 - we had ice cream.  i know nutritious and filling.

february 3, 2011 - spaghetti and meatballs. the last time i went shopping armour meatballs were on a great sale so i decided to try some.  we ate them tonight and nathan and i were actually impressed with how good they were.  i just boiled some noodles and mixed in some spaghetti sauce.  we topped it off with grated parmesan cheese.

february 1, 2011 - lion house chicken noodle soup

well, it's kind of their recipe...i didn't have carrots so i left them out and so tonight's dinner was a little monochromatic (thanks for the word malia).  

Lion House Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

2 tsp. chicken soup base, or 2 bouillon cubes
3 cups canned chicken stock (broth)
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cans (10 1/2 oz. each) cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup evaporated milk or 1/2 cup whole milk
Roux (equal amounts of flour and butter used to thicken). I don't even use roux. It is thick enough without it.
2 cups cooked diced chicken
2 1/2 oz. (about 4 cups) cooked noodles

Heat chicken soup base (or bouillon cubes) and stock together. Add carrots, celery, and onion, and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add cream of chicken soup and milk. Thicken with roux as desired, then add cooked chicken and noodles. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 2 1/2 quarts or 10 one cup servings.

january 31, 2011 - smothered sirloin steak in parmesan peppercorn sauce

tonight i made something new... and it was good!

i got the recipe from kraftfoods.com, here.  i served it over egg noodles to make it a little more substantial and it was good.  even the kids liked it.  it was also really quick and simple and used ingredients that i typically have on hand. 

the picture is isaac's plate since i had mine half gone before i remembered to take a picture.

january 28-30, 2011

january 28, 2011 - nathan and i went out to dinner to texas roadhouse with shane and roni.  the kids went to pa and nana's and got take out.

january 29, 2011 - nuts and berries

january 30, 2011 - nuts and berries

okay, so my weekend dinner making was non existent.  but i am not beating myself up because i have been doing really well so far.

january 27, 2011 - quiche lorraine

tonight i made quiche lorraine for the first time.  it was pretty good and will be on the list to make again.  i got the recipe from my better home and garden's cookbook.  i had made some pie crust a couple weeks ago and had frozen enough leftovers to make a single pie crust.  this was a great basic recipe that would be really easy to add other ingredients like spinach, peppers, sausage, etc...

quiche lorraine

ingredients:
1 pastry for single pie crust (i have an awesome recipe from a friend for pie crust)
6 slices bacon
1 medium onion, sliced
3 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese (i didn't have swiss, so i used cheddar)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

directions:
1. prepare pastry for single-crust pie.  line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of foil.  bake in a 450 degree oven for 8 minutes.  remove foil.  bake 4 to 5 minutes more or till pastry is set and dry.  remove from oven.  reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
2. meanwhile, in a large skillet cook bacon till crisp.  drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings.  crumble bacon; set aside.  cook sliced onion in reserved drippings till tender but not brown; drain.
3. in a medium bowl stir together eggs, milk, salt, and nutmeg.  stir in crumbled bacon and onion.  toss together shredded cheese and flour.  add to egg mixture; mix well.
4. pour egg mixture into the hot, baked pastry shell.  bake on a cookie sheet in the 325 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or till a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  if necessary, cover edge of crust with foil to prevent overbrowning.  let stand 10 minutes before serving.

** a couple of things i will do differently next time.
- my crust shrunk big time.  i don't think i let it rest long enough before i put it in the oven, but i was in a hurry.
- when i dumped in the egg mixture, it overflowed.  i'm not sure whether there was too much or whether it was because the middle of the pie crust had risen a little.  next time i will push the middle down before pouring in the eggs and maybe use a larger pie tin.
- spray the pie tin before i put the pastry in it.  my crust stuck a little bit.

january 26, 2011 - wisconsin cauliflower soup and lion house rolls

tonight was a night of redo's.   i had to try the wisconsin cauliflower soup again.  this time i cooked it up a couple of days early and let it sit.  i also added a little bit more cheese.  the results - fabulous!  i also had to try the lion house rolls again.  they were really good the first time, but i knew i could do better. (recipe here).

so that is what we ate tonight soup and rolls.  the kids loved the soup this time - they weren't too thrilled at my last attempt.

january 25, 2011 - cajun dirty rice

used the extra portion i made a while back for dinner tonight.  this one was more spicy for some reason so we all added a little sour cream to calm it down.

january 24, 2011 - sunday dinner stack

i'm really not sure what this is called, so i made something up.  nathan's mom made it for us when we were living with them, while trying to find a house to buy.  it is very quick (like 10 minutes) and super easy.  and the kids and hubby love it.

start out with a package of the frozen texas toast with garlic and cheese on top, i had this brand, but any brand will do.   cook according to package directions. next microwave a hormel refridgerated entree - i used the beef roast with au jus.  then whip up some mashed potatoes.  i heated the beef and made the potatoes while the texas toast was in the oven.  once everything is prepared, top a slice of the texas toast with mashed potatoes and then beef.  pour some au jus over the top.  i warmed some frozen veggies for our side dish.

the great thing about this meal is that all of the ingredients were purchased while on sale and with a coupon so it was super inexpensive as well.  the hormel entrees can be pricey, but if you watch for a sale and then pair it with a coupon you can stock up.  i freeze them and pull them out when i need something quick.

because this dinner took almost no time at all, after dinner, i made another batch of wisconsin cauliflower soup.  I wanted to let it sit for a couple of days and let the flavors blend together.

january 23, 2011 - chicken n biscuits

so remember the extra portion of the chicken n biscuits i made this day?  we heated it up and ate it for dinner with a green salad. 

because the kids loved the biscuits part so much last time, before i put this one in the oven, i quickly whipped up more of the biscuit mixture and put it on top.  nathan also added more cheese, of course!

january 22, 2011 - bbq chicken

we ate bbq chicken drumsticks tonight. around noon, nathan threw them into the crockpot. along with the chicken, we had green salad and ranch and bacon suddenly salad.

january 21, 2011 - ramen w/bread & butter

made the 6 kid crew ramen noodle soup with bread and butter tonight. they loved it, of course.

also, i attempted lion house rolls (just google lion house roll recipe). i don't know that i have ever had the real things, so i don't have much to compare them to, but they turned out huge and fluffy. i will definitely be making them again.

january 20, 2011 - nuts n berries

i read on another blog (can't remember which one) that what i call fend for yourself night, they call nuts and berries night. where you are a bear and you forage for whatever you can find in the fridge and cupboard. i thought this sounded tons better. so that is what we did tonight and what i will call it from now on.

january 19, 2011 - omelet and hash browns

tonight we had breakfast for dinner. nathan helped me cook up a giant omelet with peppers, onion, mushrooms and cheese. we also had hash browns that i quickly fried up with butter and seasonings.

i ate my portion in a flour tortilla with a little sour cream and salsa.

january 18, 2011 - easy broccoli beef

tonight, i made an easy broccoli beef recipe. it was the first time making this and it was yummy! for the recipe i used sirloin steak and fresh broccoli i got on sale this past week.

and yes, normally you would have this dish on rice or noodles, but nathan doesn't really care for rice too much and because we've had quite a bit of rice lately, i thought i would be nice to him and we served the broccoli beef over mashed potatoes. still yummy!

the kids loved it too. isaac said, "this is really good even though it looks gross." my kids are pretty good at eating whatever i make because nathan and i have never given them the option of not eating. well, they can not eat what i make, but they don't get anything else. they learned really quickly that it stinks to go to bed hungry.

january 17, 2011 - wisconsin cauliflower soup

tonight we had wisconsin cauliflower soup that nathan made. i got the recipe from here. next time we make it i will add more cheese and probably not use pepper jack and instead use monterrey jack or colby jack. the soup made this way didn't have as much flavor as i was hoping it would. nathan and i ended up adding a bunch of salt and pepper to it because it was pretty bland.

i was wishing i had remembered to buy some french bread to serve with it, but luckily i had some rhodes warm-n-serve rolls that i quickly heated up. we also had green salad and jello from sunday night. (as a side note, my jello never set up, so weird)

** post edit - i took this to work the next day for lunch and it tasted a lot better. i still added a little pepper, but i think the flavors had time to mix overnight.

january 14-16, 2011

january 14, 2011 - i spent the evening at the dr's office with a sick little lady. i'm not sure what everyone ate...

january 15, 2011 - we splurged and got mcdonalds.

january 16, 2011 - carter dinner at mom and dad's house. i made jello salad that didn't turn out and never set-up. finally when i opened the fridge this morning, it looked like it could be eaten so it will be served with our dinners this week.

january 13, 2011 - not what i planned

remember the extra serving i made of this little dish last week? so i sent nathan a text from work, it said: "will you get out the chicken & biscuits from the freezer. it will probably have to be in the oven for 2 hours."

when i arrived home, i found a package of frozen chicken drumsticks on the counter. nathan says to me, i couldn't find any biscuits.

so, there was no dinner out cooking and i hadn't put any thought into anything else, obviously.

so tonight, the kids had frozen chicken nuggets and chips with salad.

january 12, 2011 - frozen pizza

yep, that's what we had tonight. it was informal and fast.

january 11, 2011 - sausage n rice skillet

tonight i made a modified sausage n rice skillet. i got this recipe from my good friend jess. she used to bring it as leftovers to work for lunch and i think i ate more of it than she did. it is a simple and quick dinner. it normally does not have green beans in it. i added them so my children would get more veggies.

i opened a bag of green salad and added some chopped up orange bell pepper for some taste. then i quickly threw some rhodes warm and serve rolls into the oven. i really like these rolls. they are so fast (15-17 minutes from frozen) and they taste great.

january 10, 2011 - pork chops

tonight i cooked up some pork chops in a skillet with worcestershire sauce. i also made au gratin potatoes (from the box) and nathan made green bean casserole. it was quick and easy. for dessert, nathan made us a chocolate pudding pie with a graham cracker crust. yummy!

i really need to do some grocery shopping!! if you've been keeping track we are eating a lot of pork lately. i haven't purchased chicken or beef in a while and a few months ago we bought half a pig. now, all i have left is pork. i'll be watching for sales.

january 7-9, 2011

january 7, 2011, nathan whipped up some good ol' mac-n-cheese for our crew plus the 3 extras we had over. I didn't feel so bad feeding them a boxed dinner because last week we served the whole crew pork roast and potatoes. :)

january 8, 2011 - fend for yourself saturday!!

january 9, 2011 - we had a fend for yourself sunday today. not something i am extremely proud of, but that's what it was. growing up at my house, sunday dinner was special. there was always a roast with potatoes. i really want to continue this tradition of a fine meal every sunday, but i forgot to get any meat out to thaw and then i fell asleep after church. there's always next sunday, right.

january 6, 2011 - creamed eggs

made creamed eggs served over toast for dinner. this recipe comes from my mom who used to make it for us for as long as i can remember.

january 5, 2011 - burrito/fajita bar

tonight i heated up some refried beans and a hormel pork roast and sauted some chicken and peppers for burritos and fajitas. put all the regular fixings on the table and let everyone build their dinner the way they wanted it. we made betty crocker sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting for dessert.

during dinner we went over who should be served first at meals.

january 4, 2011 - cajun dirty rice

tonight i made a modified cajun dirty rice. i got the recipe shell from the dream dinners cookbook. i made a double batch and froze one for another night. this dish can be spicy depending on the amount of cayenne you add. for my family, the 1/2 teaspoon gives it just a little spice, nothing too crazy. we had green salad as a side.


1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice (i use instant most of the time)
4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 pound sausage, cooked
1/2 cup yellow onions, diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup olive oil

cook rice according to package directions. place rice and the remaining ingredients in a large skillet and simmer until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is hot and fluffy.

*note - if you make this and it is a little too spicy, we have added sour cream to settle it down. it actually tastes really good with sour cream on it as well.

january 3, 2011 - get the door...

came home to a nice surprise. nathan had already ordered domino's pizza for dinner. although it goes a little against what i am trying to accomplish, the gesture was really nice.

i did prepare some plain rice and got sausage and bacon out to thaw for tomorrow night's dinner.

january 2, 2011 - chicken & buscuits

made chicken & biscuits - this was the first time i have ever made this meal. we all like it well enough to eat it again, which is good because i actually made 2 pans and froze one for another night. the kids loved the biscuit part especially. it was super simple to make and i had all of the ingredients on hand. it was a little bland at first so i added pepper. next time i will add the pepper during the prep. i will also make more of the biscuit batter since the recipe makes a pretty small amount. we had green salad on the side and home-bottled grape juice mixed with cherry 7-up. chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream was our dessert.

january 1, 2011

get real.... i don't make dinner on saturday night. it is the ultimate fend for yourself night.

welcome to accountability

one thing i would like to be better about this year is making dinner for my family. in 2010, for most of the year anyway, i was pregnant and making dinner was the last thing i wanted to do most nights. the kids usually ended up with something simple to prepare - like from can to microwave to bowl, and most of the time it was something that they themselves could whip up and eat with a little help from either nathan or myself. nathan and i ate whatever we could scrounge up and sounded good. the menu from 2010 looked something like this:

• chef boyardee
• spaghetti o's
• frozen pizza
• cheese quesadilla
• sandwiches
• hot dogs
• mac-n-cheese
• fast food
• take-out

while i do think that at least jared benefited from learning to make mac-n-cheese by himself (he won't starve on his mission now as long as he can get his hands on a couple boxes of the stuff), i know that eating dinner as a family is very important. so this year, i am going to do better. to keep myself somewhat in line, i am going to keep track of my dinners on my blog.

*note - this is really for my benefit only, but if you want to see what i have made, you can follow along under the "dinners in 2011" page on the right side bar.