The perfect cookie recipe to make with the kids.

Peanut Butter Blossoms!

This is another one of my kill three birds with one stone activity.

Unwrapping the kisses is great for fine motor skills. I counted the mixing by hand and ball-rolling as our sensory activity. And it was some yummy Christmas cookie making.

The number of ingredients are so small that no one will get bored or fidgety and you won't get frustrated. Learning to scoop the peanut butter into a measuring cup is good for their little hands to do, too.

So turn on some Christmas music and get baking!

Peanut Butter Blossoms
makes about 18 cookies

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
18 chocolate kisses


Instructions:

1. Mix peanut butter, sugar*, and egg. Have child mix by hand. It's ooey, gooey, and so much fun!
2. Roll into balls and put on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
4. While baking (or before you even make the dough) have your child unwrap the kisses. Immediately press them into cookies after removing from oven.
5. Enjoy!

*I like to make this recipe with 1/3 white sugar, 1/3 brown sugar, and 1/3 powdered sugar. Or 1/2 and 1/2 brown and white sugar. So, if you're making this with older kids you can thank me later for the built in lesson on fractions!

Freezer Meals - 20 Meals, $140

Today I spent about $140 and made 20 dinners! It was awesome and is going to be so nice once the baby comes. Here are the recipes I used.

Black Bean Chili
Italian Sausage, Onions, and Peppers
Beef Stroganoff
Sticky Chicky
Honey Chicken
Lemon Marinade Chicken

Being Nice to the Earth in our Kitchens

One of the best places we can make changes in our home that benefit the environment, is in the kitchen.  I don't just mean in the ways everybody immediately thinks of either, like switching out paper towels for dish rags, a recycle bin, or a compost pile.  I'm talking about what you actually use and make in your kitchen and how those choices affect the earth.

You are probablywondering if I am going to go on a spiel about the wonders of Organic farming, and how the idea of "slow" farming and natural fertilization, fields lying fallow, and lack of chemical pesticides is so much better, yadda, yadda, yadda. I've read it, and it does sound wonderful.  I wish I could go completely organic.  But I can't.  It is just way too expensive!  So here are a few quick ideas and recipes to help the average joe cook "green".

So you can't afford to go organic.  That's ok. There is, in my opinion, a far better way to improve the eco-friendliness of your food choices.  As much as possible.  Abide by the slogan "Eat Locally.  Eat Seasonally".  Not only is this better for the earth(your food traveled much less to get to you) it is also good for your local economy and your food is fresher.  There also seems to be a link between what our bodies need at certain times of the year and what the earth provides.  Cold and flu season also seems to be when oranges are in season.  Your lighter fruits and vegetables(strawberries, lettuce, asparagus) are in season in the spring, while your heavier ones(squash, potatoes) come in the fall.  Use the guide on the right to see what is in season, and then try to plan your meals accordingly.

To eat locally, try and do your produce shopping at a local farmer's market or sign up for a weekly share in a CSA.  If you live in a part of the country where produce doesn't grow readily (like where I grew up) and there is no farmer's market or roadside produce stand close by, try to find the produce in your grocery store that is farmed in the US, or as close as possible. You can also grow your own. If you live in a place that doesn't grow well, try a planter garden.  If you live in an apartment complex or some place where even that is impossible, try a small indoor herb garden, or hanging tomato/strawberry plant.

The other way you can go greener in your food preparation is designating one dinner a week as "meatless".  I try to have 2-3 meatless dinners every week, just because it is so nice on my grocery budget.  Here are some of our favorite recipes for those nights.

Cheese Fondue
Black Bean Burritos (I add diced tomatoes and taco seasoning to my rice)
Waffles
Cheese Potato Soup
Tortellini with Tomato Cream Sauce
Tomato Basil Soup(I add cheese tortellini to this recipe)

So what do you say?  Willing to make a change for a healthier you and a healthier earth?

Bread in a Bag

 Make yummy homemade bread with your kids and no mess!  Mix up the bread and knead it all in a freezer bag!  I got this idea from "The Waldorf Book of Breads".  I used the recipe in the book, which I will share below, but I don't see why you couldn't do it with any favorite bread recipe.

 Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 package yeast
3 TBS sugar
3 TBS dry milk
1 tsp salt
1 cup hot water
3 TBS oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour

Put the 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, milk and salt in a gallon freezer bag.  Zip close and let your kids shake up the ingredients to mix.  Add water and oil.  Close again and have children squish bags to mix.  Now add last two cups of flour.  Have children mix and knead.  Bread should pull away from sides of bag.  I needed to add a little bit of extra flour to our dough.  Knead 2-4 minutes.  You will have to help younger children a little at this point to work the flour all through the dough.  Let rest 10 minutes.  Remove dough from bag, shape into loaf and put in greased bread pan.  Cover and let rise until double in size.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.  Makes 1 loaf.

Here is a little snapshot video of this fun activity.  The kids love squishing and shaking, and they especially feel proud of helping make dinner.  The bread was tasty too!

Whole Wheat Applesauce Pancakes with Cinammon Molasses Syrup

I love to make big Saturday breakfasts.  I made these pancakes the other day and loved them so much that we are having them again.  They are healthy and moist and delicious (although for some reason, I think the batter smells gross) Save the leftover pancakes and heat them up in the microwave for a few seconds and spread with peanut butter for a midmorning snack.

**The original recipes can be found at allrecipes.com and simplebites.net, respectively.

Whole Wheat Applesauce Pancakes

1 cup uncooked rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinammon

2 tablespoons dry milk powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup applesauce

Directions

1. Place the rolled oats into the jar of a blender and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour. Whisk together the blended oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinammon, dry milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
2. Whisk together the egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in the applesauce. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Molasses Cinammon Syup

• 1/2 cup demerera sugar (or brown)
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 6 Tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon salted butter

1. In a small pot, whisk together sugar, molasses, water, and cinnamon over medium heat.
2. Bring to a slow boil and continue stirring until ingredients are fully incorporated.
3. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Cool slightly. Transfer to a jug for serving or a glass jar for storing.

Buttermilk Syrup

I first tried this at my mother-in-law's house.  It was so delicious that I had to come home and make my own.  I found a recipe on allrecipes.com and tweaked it a little bit.  Enjoy this wonderful home made treat.  You may never buy syrup again!

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup butter

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Put sugar, buttermilk, butter, and baking soda into large pot (it gets really frothy and expands so don't put it in a small sauce pan).  Cook over medium to medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Stirring constantly, keep boil going for about 7 minutes until syrup has changed from white to golden brown, and started thickening.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

You can store the leftovers in the fridge and microwave them to get the syrup back to the right consistency.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

1 fryer chicken or 3-4 chicken breasts
8 cups water
3 chicken buillion cubes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 onion, diced
1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 package frozen, home made noodles***
8 oz. sour cream

Boil chicken in water until cooked through.  Remove chicken and shred.  Add enough water to the original boiling water to make 8 cups.  Add buillion, soup, onion, celery, and carrots, and chicken.  Boil until tender/tender-crisp.  Add noodles and cook according to package directions.  Stir in sour cream just before serving.  Salt to taste.

***The noodles are key to this recipe.  I get either Reame's or Grandma's noodles out of the freezer section

Tasty Corn Bread

2 onion (saute with margerine and set aside)
6 tbls margerine (use to saute with )
2 eggs (blend eggs and milk together)
2 tblsp milk
2 can cream of corn (add corn and conrmeal mix to eggs)
2 pkg. Jiffy cornmeal mix
1 cup sour cream (put this on top of the onion and top with cheese
2 cups shredded cheese

Saute onion and margerine  (set aside)
blend eggs and milk
add and mix together the corn and cornmeal mix
Sppon onion mix on top
Spread sour cream and cheese on top
Bake at 425 for 35 minutes and let stand 10 min.

Aunt Cindy's Chili

This chili is a recipe from my husband's side of the family.  It uses a special, secret ingredient...cocoa!  Just try it, it is so good!


4 tblsp oil
2 chopped onions
4 garlic minced
4 lbs stew meat
3 lbs sausage
2 cans whole tomato
2 cans tomato paste
4 tblsp chile powder
3 tsp cumin
1tblsp oregano
2 can's baked beans
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tblsp cocoa powder
2 can's kidney beans (drained)
1 can pinto beans (drained)

heat oil  Saute onion and garlic. Add beef and sausage.  Cook.  Pour off fat. Add tomato liquid and tomato paste, powder, cumin, oregano, baked beans, salt , sugar, and cocoa powder.  Simmer 2 hours.  Add water if dry. Stir in kidney and pinto beans, cook 30 min longer.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, it is definitely my favorite pumpkin cookie recipe (and I have tried several!)

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Turkey Penne With Lemon Cream Sauce

Made this the other night for dinner and it was delicious. I think it would also taste great with chicken or seafood instead of turkey. The kids loved it too!
Click the picture for this great recipe!

MMMMMMMM....Chocolate Cake

Some days you just want a good piece of chocolate cake. Look no further!

Ingredients

1 package devil's food cake
1 (5.9 oz) pack instant chocolate pudding
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
4 eggs
1/2 Cup warm water
2 Cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mix together cake mix, pudding, sour cream, oil, eggs and water. Stir in Chocolate chips. Pour into well greased bundt pan.
3. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until top is springy. Let cool in pan for 60-90 minutes before removing cake.

Merenges

I made these this last Christmas and they were delectable. They are super light and fluffy with just a hint of lemon. I think they would make a great summertime dessert.

Ingredients

4 egg whites

1 pinch salt

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large glass or metal bowl whip egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until mixture can hold a soft peak. Gradually add in sugar while continuing to whip mixture to stiff peaks. **This can take a little while, don't give up. Make sure it holds a nice stiff peak, to ensure fluffiness**

3. Fold in lemon zest. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto baking sheet.

4. Bake for 35 minutes in preheated oven or until cookies peel off without resistance. Cool on wire racks and then store in an air-tight container at room temp.

Chicken Thyme Penne

I got this out of my Betty Crocker cookbook. Make this tasty, cook summer dinner in the morning when it is cool. Leave it in the fridge all day and then just pull it out and serve it up!

Ingredients:
3 cups uncooked penne pasta (10 oz)
4 cups cubed cooked chicken (cook it however you want)
2 cups red grapes, halved
2 medium stalks celery, sliced
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 TBS olive or vegetable oil
2 TBS chopped fresh or 2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crumbled
1 1/4 cups mayo
1 TBS milk
1 TBS honey
1 TBS ground mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (to toast walnuts put them in the oven at 350 F on an ungreased cookie sheet for 6-10 min, until lightly brown)

Directions
1. Cook and drain pasta. Rinse with cold water; drain.

2. In a very large bowl, mix pasta, chicken, grapes, celery and onion. In a small bowl, mix oil and 1 TBS/1 tsp. thyme. Pour oil mixture over chicken mixture; toss to coat.

3. In small bowl, mix mayo, milk, honey, mustard, salt, and remaining thyme. Cover chicken mixture and mayo mixture separately and refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

4. Up to 2 hours before serving, toss chicken mixture and mayo mixture. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Just before serving, stir in 3/4 cup of the walmuts. Sprinkle salad with remaining nuts.

Tortellini with Tomato-Cream Sauce Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

This is an easy and oh-so-delicious recipe.  It is good for any night of the week but you can use it for a meatless-Monday too!

Tortellini with Tomato-Cream Sauce Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Soft Chicken Tacos

This is an easy, affordable, and delicious meal that is good for any night (even the busy ones)!

Ingredients

2-3 Chicken Breasts, cubed
1 TBS oil
1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
2 TBS taco seasoning
1 can salsa
tortillas
Tomato, chopped
Avocado, chopped
Shredded Cheese

Heat oil in pan and add chicken. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. Add beans, taco seasoning, and salsa. Heat through. Serve on warmed tortillas and add tomato, avocado, and cheese as desired. Roll up like a burrito and eat!

Fruit Freeze

The other day, I gave each of my boys a cook book to help choose out something for dinner. Andrew chose "Fruit Freeze." We ended up having it for dessert, and it was delicious! Here it is:

Throw into a blender the following:
1 grapefruit, peeled and skinned (this made for a fun 'disecting' exercise)
2 oranges, peeled
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. sugar
1 can pineapple

Blend in the blender for 10 seconds, then put into a bowl and freeze. Then a few minutes before wanting to eat, take out and pour Sprite over it, and chop up the slush. YUM!

(this recipe is modified from the Betty Crocker cook book)

Tasty Easy Meal!!!

I just made the best Breakfast sandwich. We ate it for dinner. It was so easy all you need is:

2 leftover pancakes
1 egg
2 TBLS maple syrup
1 slice ham
1 slice cheese

Put pancakes in toaster, Fry the egg to desired firmness, Warm ham while egg is frying.
Place egg on one pancake, pour one TBLS of the syrup onto egg, place ham and cheese on top of that, put the last of the syrup on that, top with the other pancake....we put ours in the microwave for 20 seconds to melt the cheese.
This was so good, so filling, and satisfying.
If you don't have leftover pancakes, it doesn't take much time to cook up pancakes for this meal...I made extra pancakes tonight so we can have this for breakfast tomorrow!!!

Chicken Breast Paillard With Grilled Romaine

I got this recipe out the Better Homes and Garden's Grilling Magazine. I love grilling. It is so easy to make something tasty for you and your husband and throw on a burger or hot dog for the kids if they don't like what you made.

I would say this recipe is a little more "grown-up" in taste. I would suggest serving your kids unmarinated or bar-b-q chicken breasts. The grilled romaine was actually really tasty! Who would've thought?

You will need:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 TBS minced shallots (I used 1 tsp of minced garlic)
1 TBS Dijon-style mustard
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1 TBS snipped fresh tarragon (I used 1 tsp. dried)
4 chicken breasts
2 heads romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise
nonstick cooking spray
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan Cheese

1. Make the vinaigrette by whisking together lemon juice, shallots/garlic, mustard, sugar, and salt. Slowly add olive oil, whisking until combined. Stir in pepper and tarragon.
2. Flatten each chicken breast to 1/4 inch thick. Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Add half of the vinaigrette. Seal bag, turn to coat chicken. Marinate in fridge for 1 hour.
3. Drain Chicken and discard marinade. For a charcoal grill, grill on a greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 3-4 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once. Coat the cut side of each romaine piece with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Grill romaine, cut side down, about 2 minutes or until edges char. If you are using a gas grill, preheat and reduce heat to medium, and then grill as above.
4. Place chicken and romaine cut side up, on a plate. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette and top with parmesan cheese.

Turkey Wraps

These are great for lunch or dinner, I've also made them for football games.

Turkey Wraps

8 oz cream cheese with chives
2 TBS dijon mustard
6 whole wheat tortillas (8 in)
shredded lettuce
12 slices deli turkey
3/4 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 tomato diced
1 avocado diced
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

Mix cream cheese and mustard. Spread about 2 TBS cream cheese mixture onto tortillas to within 1/4 inch of the edge.

Add about 1/4 cup lettuce on top of tortilla and press into cream cheese. Place two turkey slices over lettuce. Sprinkle with 2 TBS of swiss cheese. Then add some tomato, avocado, and bacon. I find it is easiest to roll up if you put all the tomato, avocado, and bacon on one end of the tortilla. Roll up, and enjoy!