Irish Potato Candy and Champ

So one of my kids announced to me one night "Oh yeah, I have a report on Ireland I'm doing tomorrow and I'm supposed to bring food for it."  Really?  Thanks kid.  I scrambled to find Irish recipes I had the ingredients for and settled on Champ (basically mashed potatoes) and Irish Potato Candy.  The candy has no potato in it, it just looks like a potato.  I was pretty proud of the suckers, they looked so authentic!!  They were delicious, I loved them.  It was funny watching the kids in my son's class decide if they were going to be brave enough to try them though.


Irish Potato Candy
Recipe from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups confectioners' sugar

2 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar; beat until smooth. Using your hands if necessary, mix in the coconut. Roll into balls or potato shapes, and roll in the cinnamon. Place onto a cookie sheet and chill to set. If desired, roll potatoes in cinnamon again for darker color.

*  I followed the suggestions of some of the reviews and rolled it in a mixture of 1 tbsp. cinnamon and 1 tbsp. cocoa powder.  I only rolled it once, since some of the reviews said it had too strong of a flavor if rolled twice.

Champ

Recipe from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and halved

1 cup milk

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 cup butter

1 pinch freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Place potatoes into large pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.

Drain well. Return to very low heat and allow the potatoes to dry out for a few minutes. (It helps if you place a clean dish towel over the potatoes to absorb any remaining moisture.)

Meanwhile, heat the milk and green onions gently in a saucepan, until warm.

Mash the potatoes, salt and butter together until smooth. Stir in the milk and green onion until evenly mixed. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Serve piping hot in bowls. Set out some extra butter for individuals to add to their servings.

* The only thing I did differently in this one is I used only about 1/4 bunch of green onions.  I was pretty sure the kids would freak out if I used the whole bunch.

Red Curry with Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice

I made Thai tonight and it was delish. I will admit that I cheated a little. Instead of making my own curry sauce I bought this at Trader Joe's...

...and it was good. Spicy, but good. (I like Joe's Tikka Masala sauce, too.) What I did was sauteed the chicken in a little bit of oil until it was close to done and then added sliced red peppers, onions and carrots and sauteed until they were done. I poured in the sauce (which already had coconut milk in it) and then added some of Joe's frozen french green beans. I then covered it and let it simmer while I made the fried rice.

Now, I love this fried rice not only because it's yummy but because it reminds me of my friend Andrea (hi, Andrea!). She invited us over for dinner one night and she made this. I just had to have the recipe, it was so good! I sure do miss Andrea and all my friends in Sacramento. There is just a wonderful group of people down there. Sniff, sniff.

Thai Heavenly Pineapple Fried Rice
recipe courtesy Andrea

1 small can pineapple chunks, drained, OR 1 whole pineapple
3 cups cooked rice, preferably several days old (Tip: if fresh, leave for an hour or more in the refrigerator uncovered)
2-3 Tbsp. peanut, coconut, canola, or other vegetable oil for stir-frying
1-3 Tbsp. vegetable stock (or chicken stock if non-vegetarian) for stir-frying
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
1 red or green chili, thinly sliced (reduce or leave out if you prefer very mild fried rice)
1 egg (vegans can omit)*
½ cup frozen peas

optional: 1 small carrot, grated (about 1/4 cup)
¼ cup raisins or currants
½ cup raw unsalted whole cashews
3 spring onions finely sliced
1/3 cup fresh coriander

STIR-FRY SAUCE:
2 Tbsp vegetarian fish sauce, or soy sauce (use regular fish sauce if non-vegetarian)
2 tsp. curry powder

Mix 1 Tbsp. oil with the rice, using your fingers to separate any chunks into grains. Set aside. In a cup, stir the fish sauce/soy sauce together with the curry powder. Place 1-2 Tbsp. oil in a wok/large frying pan and turn heat to medium-high. Add shallots, garlic, and chili, stir-frying until fragrant (1 minute). Whenever the wok/pan becomes dry, add a little stock (1/2 to 1 Tbsp. at a time). Crack egg (if using) into wok and stir quickly to cook (like making scrambled eggs). Again, add a little stock when the wok/pan becomes dry. Add the carrot (if using), peas, cashews, plus the fish/soy sauce mixed with curry powder. Stir-fry 1 minute. Now add the rice, pineapple chunks, and currents. Gently stir-fry to combine over medium-high to high heat until the rice "dances" (begins to make popping sounds) - about 3 minutes.Tip: Avoid adding any more stock from here on, or your rice will turn out soggy. The wok/pan should be fairly dry. Remove from heat. Do a taste-test for saltiness, adding a few shakes of salt or up to 2 Tbsp. more [veggie] fish sauce, as needed. (If you happen to over-salt the dish, add a squeeze or two of lime juice.) To serve, scoop rice onto a serving platter (or in a carved-out pineapple, if serving at a party - see link at beginning of recipe). Top with spring onions and coriander, and ENJOY! SERVES 4 *(I used soy sauce and cranberries instead of fish sauce and currents)

Panda Express Mandarin Chicken and Fried Green Beans

I love this meal.  Here's the thing....... I am in love with rice.  It is so weird, because rice is really boring but I love it.  I would have it with every meal if I could get away with it.  If you want the yummy, sticky rice you need to buy Calrose rice.  Just put it in your rice cooker and 20 minutes later - sticky delishishness.  I usually make twice as much rice as we need and double the sauce so I can eat just the rice and sauce for leftovers, a couple of my kids like to do that too.  Then there's the green beans.  I haven't been the same since I had tempura fried vegetables.  I don't have a recipe for the green beans, I just let some frozen green beans thaw, dipped them in some tempura batter (which you can buy in the Asian section of any grocery store) and fried them up.  Fried carrots are my favorite, but I decided I was only going to do green beans tonight.  I served them with sweet and sour sauce and Sriracha sauce for dipping.  This is what Sriracha sauce looks like:

It tastes like liquid fire to me, but tasty liquid fire.  You can also find this in the Asian food section of any store.


Panda Express Mandarin Chicken
Don't know where I got the recipe but it's all over the internets

Ingredients:

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
6 skinless chicken thigh fillets (I use 4 boneless, skinless breasts)
Directions:

Combine sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, oil, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan. Combine water with cornstarch in a small bowl and stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Add to saucepan and turn heat to high. Stir often while bringing mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 4 to 6 minutes or until sauce is thick. Preheat your grill on high for the chicken. When the grill is hot, rub each chicken piece with oil and cook the chicken for 4 to 6 minutes per side or until done. Chicken should have browned in spots. When chicken is done, chop it into bite-size pieces. Pour the chicken pieces into a large frying pan over medium heat. Heat until chicken sizzles then reduce heat and cover chicken until ready to serve. Spoon chicken into a medium bowl, then pour all the sauce over the chicken and stir until well-coated. Serve with steamed white rice. Do a happy dance from the yummy deliciousness.

Panini with Warm Vegetable Salad and Mud Pie

Monday night is all about the dessert at our house. On Family Home Evening I usually will make a little somethin' and the kids always look forward to it. When Charlie asked what I was making for dessert this Monday I told him I was making Mud Pie. "Really?" He asked, a little confused. A few minutes later he said, "Hey mom, I know how to make mud pies. You want me to go outside and make you one?" Love it!

Monday night I also made paninis. I don't have a fancy panini press, but I have a cast iron press and it works just as well. I usually use the Trader Joe's Cracked Wheat Sourdough for our bread. It's perfect panini bread. For our filling, I grilled some chicken and red onions, fried some bacon, piled it all on and topped with sharp cheddar cheese. Yum.

For our side I made Giada De Laurentiis' Warm Vegetable Salad. Does your husband have a huge crush on Giada, too? Yuck. Put a sweater on, Giada. Okay, okay, my husband doesn't complain about my Jimmy Fallon crush. Don't we all have at least one celebrity crush? Be honest.

Warm Vegetable Salad
from Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Italian

2 whole red peppers
1 1/2 pound assorted red and white new potatoes (I use purple potatoes, too)
3/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the broiler. Place the red peppers on a foil lined baking sheet.

Place the red peppers under the boiler. Turning every 2 to 3 minutes cook the peppers until the skin is blistered, about 8 to 9 minutes total. Place the blistered peppers in a plastic bag. Seal the bag and allow the peppers to sit for 10 minutes to allow the skin to separate and to let cool.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the potatoes to a cutting board. Add the green beans to the pot. Cook the green beans until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the green beans to a large bowl. Slice the potatoes in half while still warm and combine them with the green beans in the large bowl. Remove the peppers from the plastic bag. Peel off the skin from the peppers. Slice the pepper flesh into wide strips and remove the seeds and veins. Place them in the bowl with the potatoes. Add the scallions, parsley, and garlic
and toss to combine.

In a small bowl combine the oregano, lemon juice and zest, and white wine vinegar. Whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the salt and pepper. Toss the warm vegetables with the herb vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Mud Pie

3 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate (or 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 chocolate crumb crust (8 inches) (or graham cracker crust)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or not!)
2 cups cold milk
2 packages (3.9 ounces each) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

In a microwave or heavy saucepan, melt chocolate; stir in condensed milk until smooth. Pour into crust; sprinkle with pecans. In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Carefully spread 1-1/2 cups of pudding mixture over pecans. Fold 1/2 cup whipped topping into the remaining pudding mixture; spoon over pudding layer. Top with remaining whipped topping. Chill until set. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steak with Twice Baked Potatoes and Fresh Pineapple and Blueberries On The Side

No pictures tonight. My camera doesn't like the bad lighting in my house. Just trust me when I say that tonight's dinner was yummy. Also, my brother-in-law's comment on my last post cracked me up because I was indeed planning on having steak and potatoes tonight.

Where I live we're lucky to have an amazing grocery store around the corner that sells organic produce and local, grass-fed meat. We're spoiled, actually, because they're reasonably priced, too. Tonight I made a sirloin steak, but you can use this made up marinade for anything. I like to tenderize my steak with my handy dandy meat tenderizer. Then I salt (I use only Kosher salt on everything) and pepper the steaks on both sides. Finally put the steaks in a large Ziploc bag and then pour in the marinade and let it sit in the fridge for 4-5 hours before you grill them.

Carrie's Marinade

1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of fresh lime juice
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/8 cup of Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves of minced garlic

Combine all ingredients.

Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes
8 slices of bacon
1 cup sour cream
½ cup milk
4 tbsp butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar
cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Pot Roast with Carrots, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Sour Cream Yeast Rolls

For years I made roast beef in a crock pot until I realized that it was completely foul. No more. My husband bought me an enamel cast iron pot a few years ago and it's perfect for making meals like pot roast. I don't really have a recipe, but this is what I do:

Pot Roast and Carrots with Gravy

• Drizzle olive oil in the pot and heat up on medium high heat
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Salt and pepper pot roast on both sides and drizzle some Worcestershire sauce on both sides, too
• Throw pot roast in the pot and brown on both sides
• Meanwhile, slice a whole onion and throw in there to brown up as well
• Peel and chop up 5-6 carrots and throw into the pot
• Turn off heat and fill the pot half way with water
• Put lid on the pot and put in the oven for 2-3 hours (depending on size of the pot roast)
• When the roast is done, remove meat and carrots from the pot and keep warm
• Put a colander in a small saucepan and drain the liquid from the pot into the saucepan; add a few bouillon cubes (I like the "Better Than Bouillon" stuff from Costco)
• In a glass jar (or something similar) combine 1/4 cup of Wondra with a cup of cold water and shake (I honestly just eyeball it and don't really know the exact amount); pour into the saucepan
• Bring sauce pan to a boil while whisking; lower heat a little and boil for a few minutes and you have awesome gravy

Mashed Potatoes

• Peel and cube about 6-7 russet potatoes and put into a large pot
• Fill pot with water (covering potatoes) and boil until potatoes can easily be pierced (about 20 minutes)
• Drain and put potatoes back into pot (heat is off).
• This is where it is different every time...I always put a half a stick of butter in the pot, but then I put in whatever dairy products I have in the fridge (cream, half and half, sour cream, etc) and I don't measure. I just take my masher and start mashing until it gets to the right consistency. It always turns out super yummy.

We made this, of course, with our favorite rolls.

Maple Salmon and Sugared Asparagus

Oh yay, it's Fish Friday again already!!

Since I'm not a fish person, I played it safe and made a recipe that had a ton of great reviews on Allrecipes.  My husband was excited we were going to have salmon since he loves it.  He declared the recipe a keeper and my two oldest boys went back for seconds and thirds.  I ate it, but I didn't love it like the fish tacos from last week.  This having fish once a week thing is going to be harder than I thought.....

Maple Salmon

Recipe from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound salmon

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.

Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.

*  I followed some of the review suggestions and baked it for 15 minutes in foil, then opened the foil and broiled it for the last 5 minutes.

Sugared Asaparagus

Recipe from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons brown sugar

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

1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

In a skillet over medium-high, heat butter and brown sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add asparagus; saute for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Remove asparagus to a serving dish and keep warm. Cook sauce, uncovered, until reduced by half. Pour over asparagus and serve immediately

.

Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches topped with Cole Slaw and Summer Beans on the side

Yikes. I'm so behind. Last night I made another of my husband's favorites. This recipe is good even though it's made out of pork (not my favorite). I think I mostly like it because we put cole slaw on our sandwiches (yum). My hubby would like it if I made this weekly, I'm sure. Enjoy.

Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches
recipe courtesy of Everyday Food

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 4 equal pieces
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 soft sandwich rolls, split
Store-bought barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in lower and upper positions. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Place pork in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot; rub with spice mixture.
In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, and 1/2 cup water; pour over pork. Cover pot, and place in oven on lower rack. Bake until pork is very tender and separates easily when pulled with a fork, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer pork to a work surface, reserving pan juices. With two forks, shred meat. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with pan juices to moisten (you may not need all the juices). Pile pork on rolls, and top with barbecue sauce, if desired. Serves 8.

Cole Slaw
recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

1 head green cabbage
shredded 2 carrots,
grated 1 red onion,
thinly sliced 2 green onions (white and green parts),
chopped 1 fresh red chile, sliced
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
Pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Several dashes hot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the cabbage, carrots, red onion, green onions, and chile in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the cole slaw with the celery seed, hot sauce, salt, and black pepper. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Summer Beans
recipe courtesy of Cafe Johnsonia

tomatoes--can use fresh (5-6 large tomatoes) or canned (2 small cans or 1 large)
4-5 Yukon Gold potatoes (or other waxy potato), sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 bag frozen green beans (I like the Haricot Verts from Trader Joe's)
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced (whatever you like)
Salt and pepper
Drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil

Cook sliced potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic in a large pot until you can pierce the potatoes easily with the tip of a knife--so there is still some resistance, but the potatoes aren't mushy.Remove the potatoes and tomatoes to a large bowl.Steam the green beans in the same pan you used to cook the potatoes and tomatoes. Add the cooked green beans to the bowl with the potatoes and tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.To serve: * a splash of balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce. OR* a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

Shredded Beef Tacos and Spanish Rice

Yesterday I wasn't feeling too great so it was a perfect day for me to utilize some leftovers!!  I used the leftover shredded beef from the nachos we had on Sunday and made tacos.  These tacos are so good.  Since we moved here to Utah we have been feeling some major Mexican food deprivation.  These babies taste just like they came from a restaurant back home in Arizona.  I made some Spanish Rice to go with them, and also heated up some of the leftover pinto and black beans.  What an easy dinner!  This may be my favorite meal.  I love the rice so much, I could eat a bowl of it all by itself for a snack.

During the meal, one of the kids had a major accident and spilled their entire plate of food onto the floor, where the dogs promptly inhaled it.  I always told myself I wouldn't be ones of those mothers who freak out when a drink is spilled, but sometimes (like when I'm not feeling too great) I go all Mommie Dearest (well, not quite Mommie Dearest!!) and get mad.  I'm not sure whether I was mad about the beans, salsa and nacho cheese smeared all over the floor I had just mopped or about the delicious taco that went to waste!!!  I didn't get too crazy, but my daughter knew I was irritated.  Later on of course, I felt guilty and made a mental note better control my reactions to things from now on.  How do YOU handle 'spilled milk', or worse, 'spilled tacos' in your home?


Shredded Beef Tacos

Ingredients:

4 lb. rump roast
8 oz. can of tomato sauce
4 oz. can of diced green chiles
Diced onion (I hate onions and tend to avoid them in cooking, but if you like them then I say ADD IT!)
Salt, pepper, minced garlic, and chili powder to taste

12 corn tortillas (I buy the extra large ones)
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
Shredded cabbage
Shredded cheddar cheese
Any other toppings you enjoy on your tacos - Sliced avocados (my personal favorite) or make guacamole, sour cream, olives, tomatoes, salsa
Directions:

Put the roast in your slow cooker.  Pour the can of tomato sauce over.  Fill the empty can up with water and pour that into the slow cooker also.  Add the can of green chiles and the onion (if you like that sort of thing).  Sprinkle the roast with salt, pepper, minced garlic and chili powder to taste.  Cook for 8 hours and remove most of the juices.  Leave enough juice so that the meat won't be dry (I don't know, maybe 1/2 to 3/4 cup worth).  Shred the roast.

Heat a large pot of oil over medium heat.  When oil reaches 350 degrees, fry the corn tortillas 1 at a time (although after while I got pretty talented at it and did 2 at a time!).  Dip both sides of the tortilla in the oil.  Then use the handle of a wooden spoon to press down into the center of the tortilla and fold it in the middle.  Hold down for 30 seconds at least, if it is crunchy enough then turn it over and repeat.  Remove it to a paper towel to drain.  Season with salt.

Place shredded beef, cabbage, cheese and your favorite toppings in your taco and enjoy!!!





Spanish Rice
Recipe from Vikki Garcia

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
8 oz. tomato sauce
4 cups water
2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. oregano

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Cook rice in oil about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until rice is golden brown.
Turn heat down to medium low.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Cook and cook for 45 minutes.  Keep covered -DO NOT PEEK (that is the secret).

Macaroni and Cheese with Zucchini and Tomato Gratin

I have no pictures or clever things to say today. I was up until 5:30am with the baby Sunday night/Monday morning (my sweet husband let me sleep until 10am, thanks honey) and I've been up with him since 2am this morning. Here's what we ate Monday night...ta da! I will say that I have two mac and cheese recipes and this is my crazy fattening one (that means it's good) and I just love that zucchini and tomato gratin. I make it often. Okay, writing that took away all my energy, I'm done.

Macaroni and Cheese

· 1 tbsp vegetable oil
· 1 lb. elbow macaroni
· 1 stick + 1 tbsp butter
· ½ cup shredded Muenster
· ½ cup shredded mild cheddar
· ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar
· ½ cup shredded Monterey jack
· 2 cups half and half
· 1 cup (8 oz) Velveeta, cubed
· 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
· ¼ tsp seasoned salt
· 1/8 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a deep 2-½ quart casserole dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the oil, then the elbow macaroni and cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 7 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to pot. In a small saucepan, melt 8 tbsp butter. Stir into the macaroni. In a large bowl, mix the cheeses. To the macaroni, add half and half, 1-½ cups of cheese, Velveeta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to casserole. Sprinkle rest of cheese and dot with remaining butter. Bake until it’s bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes.


Zucchini and Tomato Gratin
recipe courtesy of Pinch My Salt

2 large zucchini, cut into 1/2″ slices
1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/2″ slices
3 small tomatoes, cut into wedges*
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Tabasco green pepper sauce**
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil***
1 t. salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. In a large bowl, toss together all ingredients except the parmesan cheese.
3. Pour zucchini mixture into a medium sized casserole dish, top with grated parmesan cheese
4. Bake, uncovered, in the preheated 425 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
5. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

Recipe Notes: *Use whatever type of tomatoes you would like. Even large cherry tomatoes, halved, would be great in this dish (You would probably use 8-10). **It is important that you use the green Tabasco sauce rather than the other kinds, it adds a wonderful flavor! ***You may substitute 1 teaspoon dried basil for the fresh if necessary.

Macaroni and Cheese with Garlic Green Beans

Last night our family discussed our goals for the coming year.  I was happy to see my children embrace the opportunity to improve things.  As for me, I have so many things to improve it's overwhelming.  I do have some specific goals though that pertain to our family's meals.  One is to have more meatless meals.  This is hard for me, because for whatever reason I just draw a blank whenever I try to come up with a dinner without any meat!!  I've made a goal to at LEAST do it one day a week though, thus Meatless Monday has been born in my home!!  My other goal is to serve more fruits and vegetables to my family.  Honestly, my kids eat plenty of fruit, but the vegetable part is more....... challenging.  Since they don't like and won't eat them (except my daughter who adores salads and doesn't seem to mind that I fill them with carrots, broccoli, bell peppers)(and they will all eat bell peppers and carrots raw as snacks, but HATE THEM cooked)I've taken the easy route most of the time and just not served them with our meals. 

For dinner last night I made my most favorite macaroni and cheese recipe.  This is so good!!  I served it with green beans that turned out so yummy I ended up eating them like french fries!  Of course, the kids gagged on the ONE I forced them to eat.  Typical!!  Baby steps, Kathee, baby steps..........



Down Home Macaroni and Cheese


4 tbsp. butter, divided
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1/4 pound Velveeta
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (sharp please, if you're boring mild will do.....)
2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked and drained (or any other small pasta)
2 tbsp. seasoned dry breadcrumbs

Directions:

Melt 4 tbsp. of the butter in a large saucepan on low heat.  Blend in flour and salt; cook and stir 1 minute.  Gradually add milk; cook, stirring contantly, until thickened.  Add Velveeta, (cut into cubes) and 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese.  Stir in macaroni.  Pour into lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.  Melt remaining tbsp. of butter and mix with the bread crumbs.  Sprinkle casserole with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Recipe from allrecipes.



Garlic Green Beans


I made this recipe up.  I melted 2 tbsp. of butter and about 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet.  I added appox. 3/4 pound of fresh green beans and put a lid on top for about 5 minutes.  After the 5 minutes, I added 2 tsp. of minced garlic, salt, pepper and onion powder.  Then I decided it didn't look garlic-y enough so I gave them a good dousing with garlic powder.  I let them cook for a few more minutes and then they were done!!

New Years Meatballs and Sweet Potato Fries- A Love Story

First things first - I want to thank my so fun sister for inviting me to participate in this blog.  Oh yeah - hi there, I'm Kathee!!  When Carrie told me she wanted us to document our meals every day for a year and why, I was immediately on board.  Who can argue against the importance of family dinnertime?  Studies have shown that kids who have regular family dinners are healthier, happier and do better in school.  Of course there's that little thing called time - it takes time to plan and prepare dinner and with all of the kids activities, what family has time to all sit down together?  Honestly, eating together as a family is so important to me - if we're all busy and it means we don't eat dinner until 7:30 or 8:00 sometimes, oh well.  The time doesn't matter so much as all of us sitting around the table, sharing what happened during our day or telling silly jokes.


Our meal yesterday was what I traditionally make on New Year's Day.  Since I am a creative genius, I have named it New Years Meatballs.  I have had these meatballs on New Year's as far back as I can remember.  (I won't comment on exactly how far back I can remember).  What I CAN remember is being so excited for my mom to make these meatballs every year.  It was the only day of the year she would make them, and they were SO GOOD!  I always looked forward to New Year's Day so much more than New Year's Eve, entirely because of these balls of meaty goodness!  I call this a love story, because I love the meatballs, I love the memories from my childhood of anticipating them, and I love my mom, SO MUCH!!

I made a double batch this year, since my boys are getting bigger and along with that comes bigger appetites.  It was a good thing I did, because my oldest son came home with two of his friends in tow, and they finished off two or four meatball hoagies a piece!  It was so fun listening to them talk about girls, muscles they claimed to have (I think my son lied said he had a four pack), and tease each other about who was going to get clobbered when they all start on the wrestling team next month.  This is what I've always wanted, to be the home the kids want to hang out in, and if that means I need to make double or triple batches of New Year's Meatballs every year from now on, then I'm all over it!!


New Year's Meatballs
(recipe courtesy of Maxi Patty,  a.k.a. Mom)

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. parsley
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and shape into 1 inch meatballs.  Fry in a saucepan drizzled with olive oil.  Meanwhile, make the sauce.  You can use any kind or recipe of spaghetti sauce, but I always use the kind my mom used all those years ago, Lawry's, which is now called McCormick.  Prepare your sauce and when the meatballs are browned all on sides and cooked through, add them to your sauce.  We like to eat them on sub rolls topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.



I made sweet potato fries to go with them - YUM!!!


Sweet Potato Fries

4 sweet potatoes, cut into small fries
1 tbsp. water
Garlic powder
Paprika
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place sweet potatoes in microwave safe dish with water and cook for 5 minutes.  Drain liquid.  Place in a single layer on baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  I shake spices I like on them: garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.  You can put anything on there!!  Bake for 20 minutes, turn them over and bake for 20 more minutes.  I eat these with ranch dressing spiked with cumin.  I'll be honest here, I ate 2 potatoes worth of fries myself!!!   So good.