Potato Packets

New potatoes (I usually use 2-3 per person depending on size of potato)
Butter, about 1 tablespoon per person, you could use a little olive oil and skip the butter
whipping cream, 1 tablespoon per person
salt and pepper
aluminum foil  (I buy the foil squares to make these)

Wash new potatoes, thoroughly.

Lay out a piece of foil for every packet you are making.

Dice potatoes in bite size pieces, skin on, pile up on foil sheet.

Cut up butter in pieces and distribute on each pile of potatoes.

Salt and pepper each bundle according to taste.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of whipping cream over potatoes.

Fold up foil to form a packet around the potatoes.

Be sure the packet is sealed good, to prevent leaking and it also helps to speed the cooking process along.

Bake in a 375* oven for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are really tender.

To serve, open packet and ta-da you have a perfectly good side dish that everyone will love!

This is a recipe I altered a little from the Pioneer Woman. 
Her's can be found here . 

Lots of ways to vary this, in the summer I slice them thin, cook them on the grill with bacon pieces and when they are finished, grated Parmesan cheese. If the weather would warm up and the rain would go away, maybe I could make them outside again!! 

Salsbury Steak

1 egg
1 can french onion soup
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch pepper
1 pound ground chuck, original recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup catsup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon mustard

Mix 1/2 cup of the soup, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in large bowl.

Add ground chuck and mix well.

Shape into 6 patties.

Brown in hot skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side.

While patties cook, put water and flour in small jar and shake well.
Remove patties from skillet and place on plate.

In skillet, add water and flour mixture and cook until smooth.

Add catsup, Worcestershire sauce and remaining soup, bring to a boil.

Stir for 2 minutes.

Return patties to skillet with the sauce, simmer 15 minutes.

Serve with egg noodles or mashed potatoes with sauce over the top.

This makes a wonderfully tender, flavorful dinner. When I make this, I double the sauce, Doug is a BIG sauce/condiment guy. 

He cooks!

Every once in a while, Caleb gets in the mood to cook something. It is often after he has tasted something when we are dining out. I think the first time he had Bread Pudding was in New York with his Uncle Mark and Aunt Margie. He has mentioned it many times and we just decided to finally try it. It is yummy alone, or with caramel sauce over the top, that's how I had mine. We used the basic recipe from my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook.


2 cups milk

1/4 cup margarine or butter

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 slices bread, dried (we sped this up by using a warm oven)


Heat oven to 350*

Meat milk and butter over medium heat until butter is melted and milk is hot.

Meanwhile, mix eggs, sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl.

Stir in bread cubes.

Stir in milk mixture.

Pour into ungreased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.

Place casserole pan in a larger pan of very hot water, 1 inch deep.

Bake uncovered until knife inserted 1 inch from edge of casserole comes out clean, 40-45 minutes.

Serve warm.

These were Doug's mother's dishes, she had given them to him before we got married. We don't have many left, but I sure like the ones we have.

Next time he may try Paula Deen's recipe for Coconut Cream Bread Pudding, it sounds scrumptious.

I love it when the boys want to cook. Caleb has shown the most interest over the years. This guy has more kitchen appliances than I do, I kid you not! He will be a great room mate some day when he gets his own place!

A recipe for Spring Break!

Last morning at the beach before heading home to cold KS temperatures...burrr!

 We spent the last few days in Florida, catching up on our vitamin D after a long winter without much sunshine. We had a great day at a water park in Orlando, then headed south to Ft Lauderdale to hang out on the beach. The resort was beautiful and the weather was perfect.
Besides being beach bums,
Doug and the boys, minus Drew who was at school,
rented jet skis, and we went on a dinner cruise during which we viewed some amazing homes and incredible yachts that I describe a small cruise ships....WOW! We had a good time and are refreshed and ready to face the rest of the school year...the end can't come soon enough for Caleb who will graduate high school and
 Jonah who will be leaving Jr Hi behind. 

Bring on summer!

 

View from our balcony.

I was really dreading our first trip without all 5 of us. I missed having Drew with us, but realize that the trips we do have all together in the future will be all the more special. 
I'm already looking forward to our trip to New York this summer.

Angel Hair Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic

I am bumping this recipe up for Lent, and it now has pictures...hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Here's who we invited to the party, pasta, olive oil, salt and pepper, broth, parmesan, tomatoes, basil and garlic

1 lb angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, I really like fresh, 1/2 tablespoon, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
3/4 cup chicken broth, or vegetable broth during Lent
5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Start a large pot of water for your pasta, have everything ready to go, this dish goes together pretty quickly.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet. When hot, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until tomatoes start to break down.

Add hot, drained pasta to skillet and toss well. I have found that I don't need all the cooked pasta. This is a good reason to add it to the skillet instead of pouring the sauce over the top. I usually use about 3/4  of the amount called for.

Add chicken (or vegetable) broth and stir. You can add more broth if you need to without compromising the finished product, just don't go overboard!

Transfer to serving dish and top with Parmesan cheese.

even using 3/4 of the pasta, it makes a lot!

*Great dish to use up abundant summer tomatoes.

**Grill some chicken breasts to go with it for a real treat.

Get the good Parmesan, you won't even miss the meat...

This makes a great Lenten dish. I have read that it is okay to use chicken or beef broth when cooking on meatless Fridays, however, I choose to play it safe and use vegetable broth. I bought vegetable bouillon and it works great! This is also good during the summer when the tomatoes are fresh from the garden, and you grill up some chicken breast outside to serve with it......heavenly! 

Ravioli Casserole

Warning!

For those of you who don't like cheese, this recipe is NOT for you! 

If you do like cheese you've come to the right place....go get your shoes on NOW because as soon as you see this recipe you will want to run to the store to buy some cheese ravioli to eat during the Fridays of Lent...and maybe even a Saturday!

3 simple ingredients!

1 package frozen cheese ravioli

1 can/jar your favorite marinara sauce

8 ounce block mozzarella cheese, shredded

*Parmesan cheese, optional

Cook ravioli according to package directions, drain.

Place ravioli in a 9 X 13 inch casserole dish.

Pour marinara sauce over cooked ravioli.

Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over all.

Bake in a 350* oven for 20 - 30 minutes until hot and bubbly and cheese is all melted. 

*Serve with Parmesan cheese for those real cheese lovers*

"this is a real sacrifice" ---- Caleb as we sit down to dinner!

All you need is some bread and a veggie to have a good filling meal that fits the bill for a meatless Friday during Lent.

 

I started making this a few years ago during Lent and it is always one I know I can make and everyone will like it. As you can see it is super simple, doesn't take many ingredients and comes together pretty quickly.

Oh what a difference a year makes!

Last year in March, Jonah and I attended the annual Butterfly Banquet & Dance at school. Wednesday was this year's celebration. It is a mother/son, father/daughter dance put on for the youth to reiterate the fact that the kids are indeed growing up, but they are still like a tender butterfly, and need love and guidance from their parents. Each year a picture is taken of the kids with their "date" for the night, and given out at the end of the evening.

I know Jonah is growing up right before our eyes......

just compare these two photos.....

How does this make it on the blog you ask? It isn't a recipe! I thought about that and realized it is all the good home cooking that has made him grow so incredibly quick. I think I will start serving more junk food to slow down the process and keep him "little" as long as possible! So from now on, I will be featuring the worst possible food here on my blog....just kidding! 

I love that I have been so fortunate to watch all our boys grow into such great young men! 

I'm one lucky girl!

St Pat's Day is special!

Doug and I had our first date on St Patrick's day, 21 years ago. 

It seems like yesterday, and yet we have experienced so much together. 

enjoying a glass of wine in Alexandria...

We've been through lots of fun times and are there for each other when things aren't so fun.. 

I can't imagine going through life without him...he is my rock and takes such good care of us as a family.

Love that guy...LOTS!

Jonah gets his braces off!

Great smile Jonah!

In honor of being free from a mouth full of metal I am making some of Jonah's favorite dishes tonight.

Here's what's on the menu...

Mini Meatball Subs on King Hawaiian Rolls...he loves King Hawaiian

A green salad...all my boys like salad :)

Twice Baked Potatoes....who doesn't like these?

And to replace our usual glass of ice water....orange slushies!

No dessert as we are celebrating Lent and some of us are foregoing extra sweets.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

1 bunch of broccoli, washed , dried (you really want it dried) and cut into spears

2 teaspoons olive oil, more or less depending on how much broccoli you have

 1 teaspoon minced garlic

salt

pepper

juice of 1/2 a lemon (or a couple squirts from a lemon juice bottle)

Place broccoli on  foil lined baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle with minced garlic, salt and pepper.  Use your hands to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

ready for the oven...

Place in 500* oven for 10- 15 minutes, depending on how crispy you want your broccoli.
When done to your likeness, drizzle a little lemon juice over all and toss to coat. 

This picture does not do this justice. The crispier it gets, the better it tastes! .

I can't describe how different this is from steamed broccoli. The flavor is so intense and savory, you won't want to make it any other way. Caleb and I particularly like this and can eat the entire bowl without any help!

Chicken Parmigiana

I sit the whole thing on the table and we dig right in!

So, everyone has heard of the Pioneer Woman, even my boys. I only had to make this recipe once and they were all hooked....Chicken Parmigiana. You can get the handy dandy printable from her site here. I follow her recipe to a "T" and it always turns out great. The chicken is tender and flavorful, and the sauce is simple and abundant!
I make it in my large electric skillet...it takes that much to satisfy everyone. I also use chicken tenders some times...because that is what I often have on hand.

I made this over weekend while Drew was home....YUM.   

Make it soon, you won't regret it!

4 whole (up To 6) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Trimmed And Pounded Flat

½ cups All-purpose Flour

Salt And Pepper, to taste

½ cups Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped

4 cloves Garlic, Minced

¾ cups Wine (white Or Red Is Fine)

3 cans (14.5 Oz.) Crushed Tomatoes

2 Tablespoons Sugar

 Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate.

Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.

At this time, you can start a pot of water for your pasta.

Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm.

Without cleaning skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes.

Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes.

Cook pasta while sauce simmers.

Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.

Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated Parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add more cheese to taste.

Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. OR remove chicken, add pasta to sauce, stir to coat then return chicken to top of pasta. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately.

The chicken tenders are great, you can have one, like me, or 3 like Jonah!

Shredded Beef Au Jus

before...

1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 lbs)
2 cups water
2 teaspoosn beef bouillon granules
1 1/2 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
8 buns or hoagie rolls.

Place roast in crockpot.

Combine all other ingredients, except buns, and pour over the beef.

Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or until meat is very tender.

Remove meat from crockpot and allow to cool slightly. While cooling skim fat from cooking liquid.

Shred meat with two forks, return to cooking liquid and reheat.
I like to add a teaspoon of Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce to make the au jus a little richer...

during...

 

Split buns/rolls and toast under broiler in oven, remove from oven.

Using a slotted spoon, place about 1/2 cup of meat on bottom half of each bun.

Top with a slice of provolone cheese and return to oven and broil until cheese is melted.

Serve with a small bowl of cooking liquid (au jus) for dipping.

and after...

I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine and tweaked it a little to meet our needs.

Hot Antipasto Salad

have I mentioned we like pasta?
...no south beach diet here!

2 packages cheese tortellini, cooked according to package directions & drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped tomato
1 package slices pepperoni, I use turkey (70% less fat) pepperoni and it is excellent
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up
1 cup colored pasta noodles, cooked according to package directions & drained
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 can sliced black olives...I skipped these!
1 bottle Italian salad dressing
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients together in a large casserole dish.

Bake in a 350* oven for 30 minutes, stirring half way through.

Can be served hot or cold.

This makes a ton, so I usually cut it in half and it is plenty for my family.

This recipe comes from the school cookbook...from Kristen and Colin O'Brien...HI KRISTEN!

It is just as good the second day!

Make up a batch in the summer and keep in the fridge for quick meals on busy nights.