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.