definately not for the cookie swap!!!

okay...I cut out this recipe, my mom cut out this recipe and my sister made this recipe. I cannot begin to describe these babies....they are soooooo good!!

Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

1/2 c. of each - butter, sugar and brown sugar
1/4 c. smooth peanut butter
1 egg
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. flour

Filling:
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
1/4 c. butter
3/4c. icing sugar
1 Tbsp. corn starch

about 3 tbsp. sugar and semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat butter with sugars and peanut butter. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Stir in cocoa, baking soda and flour. Refrigerate.

Beat peanut butter, butter, icing sugar and cormstarch until smooth. Spoon onto plastic wrap and use the wrap to shape a 2/4 inch (2 cm) thick log. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Slice PB log into 32 pieces. To make cookies flatten 1 tablespoon of chocolate dough (I did this on a piece of plastic wrap), place a PB dough disk in the middle and fold the chocolate around it to seal the cookie. (I also used the plastic wrap to do this) Place in the 3 tablespoons of sugar and coat both sides. Place on a cooke sheet and press a few chocolate chips into the top. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool 1 min. and transfer to cooling rack.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT try to cookies raw before you put them in the oven. The result could be that none of them ever even make it into the oven!!!!! YUMMM!!!

Makes 32 cookies.

PS - wasn't even close to getting a pic of these ones

oh the weather outside...

makes me crave soup!! This is an oldie but goodie in my family.....


Wedding Day Soup

Meatballs:
1 1/4 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/4 c. diced onion
1/8 c. parmesan
1 T. chopped fresh parsley (or the dehydrated stuff I love sooo much)
1/3 c. tomato sauce

Mix together and shape into little meatballs (use your tiny cookie or ice cream scoop to do this fast and easy) Bake on a foil lined cookie sheet for 20 - 25 minutes. You can make a huge batch of these and freeze them for this soup of spaghetti etc.

Soup:

4 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. small pasta (i can't tell you what the kind I use is - the package is all in italian)
1 c. fresh spinach

Simmer the pasta in the broth 8 -10 minutes. Add spinach and meatballs. Serve with some yummy Italian crusty bread.

The pasta I use is that tiny stuff..my mama buys it at the Italian store. Just use the smallest pasta you can find!!

I love Halloween

I love having a week off from cooking....just kidding but I will say that the kids have been eating candy non-stop this week. Not that I've seen them, but I sure have been finding candy wrappers everywhere (and yes, the ones I'm finding aren't mine!!). I did make this great dish the other day - Craig held his bowl up and told me to be sure to make it again. Good thing I wrote down what I had put in it!

Quick and Easy Sausage and Rice

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage (I used hot)
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced (you don't really need it if you don't have it)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 1/3 c. chicken broth (yes, water and boullion if you're like me and that's what you have)
1 Tbsp. sugar
2-3 tsp garlic (yes, I used the dehydrated, garlic powder would work too if that's all you have on hand)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
pepper
2 c. instant rice (the kind that cooks in 5 minutes)

Cook the sausage, onion and pepper until the sausage is browned (break it up into bite size pieces as you cook it). Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the rice. Bring to a simmer and simmer for exactly 8 minutes ;). Add the rice, stir, cover and turn off the heat. Leave it on the burner for 5 minutes and then dish up for the family!

I told you it was easy!!! If you have left over rice, use that instead and don't add all the chicken broth. Also, you can use less rice if you want it to have more liquid...use you own judgement and have fun reading a magazine with all the time you saved today.

PS- I'm going to do half ground chicken/half sausage one of these days..yum

Easiest Meal EVER!!

Last night we had chicken for dinner and this is what I made with the leftovers. It took the time of bringing a pot of water to a boil and the 9 minutes of cooking the spaghettini! Definately adding it to my regular go to meals!!

Chicken Spaghettini

1-1 lb. pkg. spaghettini (I used Catelli Smart Pasta)

leftover chicken (I had about 2-3 cups)

1/4 of a red onion, diced small

dehydrated basil (I just dumped some until it looked like a good amount)

2 tomatoes, diced

olive oil

garlic (I can't tell you how much I used...lets just say alot!)

salt and pepper

So, while the water is reaching a boil, cut up your chicken, onion and tomatoes. Combine this in a large bowl with some basil, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper. Cook the pasta until done (while this is happening keep the kids and yourself away from eating the chicken mixture because dang it is GOOD!). Add to the large bowl and drizzle with a tiny bit more olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a salad on the side. Hello, was that easy or what?? Oh, also, Ainsley added olives to hers. Parmesan would be good too, but I didn't have any.

PS-It is the dehydrated basil, not dry. Lighthouse makes one and they sell it in the produce department above the mushrooms. Feel free to use fresh....I just always keep the dehydrated stuff so it doesn't go bad on me!

Okay, so this may not be very interesting to some of you, but I'm sharing anyways. When the kids beg me to make cookies and I finally give in to their whines, I always double or even triple the batch. I then scoop the entire batch out (yes, we use a small ice cream scoop), place it on a wax paper covered cookie sheet and then freeze them. Put them in a ziploc bag and the next time the kids want cookies, all you have to do is fire up the oven, plop them on a cookie sheet and bake them for about 2 minutes longer than you normally do!
(as you may have also guessed....Ainsley eats them frozen from the freezer!!!)

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 packages instant vanilla pudding
2 tsp baking soda
4 1/2 c. flour
4-5 c. chocolate chips

Bake 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.....remember they bake while they are on the sheet cooling!

I've got a crush...

on Sam the Cooking Guy. I'm so in love with the cookbook that my dad got for my sister and I. It is fun to read, easy to make, easy to find ingredients and the food is GREAT!! My bff Karen has already ordered herself a copy after me raving and her taking a quick browse through mine. I didn't get a picture of the soup but you can imagine it was a whitish soup with lots of yummy looking things on top!

Potato Soup

2 big baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups chicken broth
2 red onions, diced small
2 T. butter
1 tsp cayenne, to taste
1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
3 T finely chopped fresh italian parsley
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put the potatoes and broth in a large pot over medium-high heat, cover, bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes get soft, about 15 minutes. While that's happening, in a separate nonstick pan, cook the onions in the butter with the cayenne, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. Then add the cooked onion, the whipping cream, and parsley to the soup. While the soup simmers, mash some of the potatoes in the pot with the back of a large spoon. This will help the soup thicken. season well with the salt and pepper.

At this point the soup is done and ready to serve, but wait - don't stop there. You serve it in bowls, buffet style with a selection of the following toppings:
- crispy bacon pieces
-croutons
-crispy thin store-bought Asian noodles
-shredded cheese
-any hot sauce you want
-diced leftover chicken, turkey , shrimp etc
-anything else you can think of


So, I didn't have red onions (I only had one white), didn't have whipping cream (I used milk) and didn't have the parsley. Sam is all about substituting if you need to and I had to, but it was still so good. (I also only used half the cayenne since the kids were eating it too). We topped it with green onions, sour cream, bacon and cheese.

Oh, also, I'm hoping I'm not breaking any copywrite laws! You all better run out and buy this book...you won't be sorry I promise!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

These little babies scream Autumn!! I found the recipe in the October Canadian Living and they are sooo yummy (I do suggest doubling the Maple Cream Cheese Spread!!!;)

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

1 3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
2 eggs
3/4 c. canned pumpkin
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Maple Cream Cheese Spread

1/2 of a 8 oz. pkg light cream cheese
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, cloves and nutmeg; Mix in 1/4 c. of the walnuts. In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, oil and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Spoon into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts. Bake at 375 for 20 - 25 minutes. Let cool.

Maple Cream - Beat all ingredients together and serve with muffins or on your finger if your name is Ainsley.

Easy Stirfry

So this is one of the hubbie's favorites. In fact, he told me the other day that he could eat this for every meal!!

Mama's Easy Stirfry

1 lb. ground pork, chicken or even turkey

1/2 onion, diced

1-2 T. fresh ginger (we like more!!)

1-2 t. chicken boullion

1/4 c. water

6 c. snap peas or broccoli

3 T. soy sauce

2 green onion, sliced

sesame oil

Brown the meat and the onions in a non-stick pan. Add the ginger, boullion, water, veggies and soy sauce to pan and cover. Allow the veggies to cook until they are the level of doneness that your family likes (the kids and I like ours crispier (about 6 minutes) than Craig so I cook his alittle bit longer). Drizzle with alittle sesame oil and add the green onions. Serve over rice or chinese noodles.

Deaf Ears

My kitchen (and my husband) has been calling my name.............. I've just been too busy to hear it. The kids are back in school, Girl Guides has started back up, etc, etc and I feel like I am dropping the ball on many things. As some of you know we started looking to move houses last spring. After looking at pretty much all available homes here (did I mention wasting our summer obsessing over moving???), we came to the conclusion that really, the house we are in is pretty fabulous and that we just need to utilize our space a bit better. So, we came to this decision right around the time the kids started back at school, so my days are pretty full of moving kids rooms around, building furniture and trying to organize our house. In the process I have given myself boxes of "stuff" that needs to be sorted, put away and thrown away....this has led to things being misplaced and alittle embarassment. I have had to tell several people that I can't find things and need replacements because "I'm trying to organize my house and have lost things in the process". Okay, all I can imagine is that they are wondering what kind of mess we were living in if I'm getting organized and still losing things!!!! So, this all gets me back to that I really have not been cooking...much to the annoyance of my hubbbie (funny Craig, the kids didn't mind cereal for dinner, what's with you???!!!) but I will post something that we have been making on Sundays....it was inspired by our dear friend Craig who can really wrestle up some good grub (who we are all also missing now that school is back in session)!!


Mashed Baked Potatoes

Potatoes
Butter
Green Onions
Bacon Bits

Wash your potatoes, cut them up and boil them (in salted water) until tender. (yes we don't peel them and the kids haven't even noticed...can't tell you how much I love this time saver). Hand mash them for a rustic feel and add all remaining ingredients. Add some salt and pepper if you want and Ainsley also likes cheese sprinkled on hers. My kids love these and I love them because we can have them when we aren't having gravy and they are really quite fast depending on how small you cut them before cooking. Hope that your family loves them as much as we do!

Halloween Chicken Chili

So, I didn't get a picture of this one, but dang it was good. My girlfriend Krista came over and I gave her a little taste and she loved it. The recipe came from a cookbook that my fabulous father ordered for my sister and I. They are quick and family friendly so I can't wait to test them out, post them and then perhaps inspire you to also get the book.

Halloween Chicken Chili

4 cans Great Northern white beans (I used half white kidney and half blackbeans---just cause i love 'em)
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves
1 T. olive oil
2 c. shredded chicken (buy the cooked one at the deli and save yourself some time and effort)
2 c. chicken broth
one 4 oz can diced green chiles
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. cayenne pepper (you may want to use alittle less if you have small kiddies)
2 t. oregano

Drain the beans. In a medium pot, cook the onion and garlic in the oil over medium heat, stirring until softened. Add the broth, beans, chicken, chiles and spices. Simmer to let heat through. Serve with french bread, corn torilla chips or Fritos. Also I added lime juice on top.

So summer has come and gone

I'm back!! I was always here but I just seemed to have been crazy busy all summer and never got around to posting anything. Don't ask me what I was crazy busy with, other than entertaining 3 fabulous kids (and alittle refereeing job that I seem to have picked up on the side!!) ;)

So I'm back into packing lunches for the kiddies (or should I say they are). I bought one of those three drawer plasic containers and on Sunday night I fill it up. The top is juice boxes, the middle is crackers (of all sorts - graham, stone wheat thins, pretzels etc) and the bottom is the fruit drawer with canned fruits, apple sauces and dried fruit. They kids know that they are allowed to go 1,2,3 down the drawers - what I mean buy this is they are allowed to take one from the top, 2 from the middle drawer. The third is abit trickier since they have to go into the fridge to get a veggie to make it three (I admit I let them take 2 fruits and one veggie if they want). This also has really helped out with the "disappearing lunch foods" I don't know about your house but I would buy things for lunches and when we needed them they seemed to have disappeared down some bottomless pit!!! The bottom crisper in my fridge is dedicated to lunch things they can take. I am totally loaded with cheese strings, yogurt (spelling!!), etc. It has worked amazing well this first week back.....talk to me in a month and I may be typing a different story! All three kids have been very involved in packing their lunches without any fighting about what is a balanced lunch. Carter is even packing healthy snacks for preschool on his own - I need to pause to wipe a tiny tear about my baby being so independant......



I will not be posting a recipe today but here are a few top lunch ideas ( I haven't even heard the words "I want Oreo Cakesters" out of anybody's mouth yet! Wonder how long that will last - I'll keep you all posted):

1. microwave popcorn - pop it, let it cool and send in ziplocs....I promise you will be a star if you do this!

2. mini bagel sandwiches - I asked the bakery girls to get me some bags of the minis that were still frozen, pull how ever many that you need out and microwave them for about 20 seconds to thaw them (Ainsley's most requested this week and she said all the kids in her class want them for lunch too..let me just pat myself on the back for this one)

3. dried mango pieces - hello can we say tastes like candy???

4. Pringles baked wheat stix in pizza flavor - they're in the chip aisle by the beef jerky at Safeway

5. supreme chicken noodle cup of soup - boiling water in a thermos, add the packet and you are good to go!

6. sugar peas - enough said

7. Quaker oatmeal squares in maple & brown sugar flavor - dry in a ziploc, ooh so good


The kids school is nut free and fish free so it's a bit of a killer (no pun intended) to think of things to send that won't get soggy and are tasty. I hope this helps some of you out that are already dreading the brown bagging!!!

Watermelon Popsicles

I saw this in a Martha magazine last year. Made them all last summer and tis the season again! Sorry that it isn't really a "recipe" but it was so easy that I never wrote it down...I just wing it.

Watermelon Popsicles

Seedless watermelon, cut up

In a blender, blend the watermelon until smooth and then pour into popiscle molds. Let freeze and then give to the kiddies. (I had some left over pureed watermelon and the kids drank it for breakfast - the guzzled it down!)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread

So I had some very dismal looking bananas sitting on the counter the last few days...I finally put them out of their misery.


Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread

1/2 c. peanut butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
5 overripe bananas
1/2 c. chocolate chips

Cream peanut butter and brown sugar together. Add eggs and bananas. Mix dry ingredients together, stir into peanut butter mixture until just moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake in a sprayed 9x5 loaf pan at 350 for 65 - 75 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean). Cool in pan for about 30 minutes and then let cool on wire rack. Yum.

Liquid diet anyone???

So I was shopping at Safeway on Saturday and lookie what I found...Cherry-Pomegranite Crystal Light. Oh my goodness it's a little bit of liquid heaven. Gives me hope that I could maybe suffer through a liquid diet one day.......

As promised

So I have been trying to use up the rhubarb that I have frozen from LAST year before I have a whole wack of it coming back into the house. We do love rhubarb but it just doesn't seem right eating it in the winter....weird I know, or just some justification for still having some left!!

Rhubarb Cake

1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 egg
1 cup milk with 1 tsp of vinegar added (let stand for about 5 minutes)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 c. finely cut rhubarb (more is desired)
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Cream sugar and butter together, add egg and vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients (except the last sugar and cinnamon)in a separate bowl and then add alternately with the milk. Fold in the rhubarb.


Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 for 35 - 40 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or let cool abit and serve with whipped cream

so I am alive.....

Yes, I have not posted FOREVER!! I left for my trip so the week before I left was pretty much a write off. I was away, got back and then was away again. Came home with the kids with the new puppy Maximus (cutiest thing ever...i will post a picture, or two) and was then waiting for the new washing machine. Now I'm trying to catch up on laundry (2 plus weeks without one will really kill you), house train a dog and also try to find time for myself! Wish me luck I know. I did make a great cake the other day and did remember to snap a pic so when I get a free few minutes I will be sure to share!!

The weather outside....

We are getting dumped on up here in Alberta. The snow is coming down so what will make me feel better??? The one thing that I consider my comfort food....it so reminds me of being a kid. It has the hot and cold element that I my soul so craves. Lucky for me we had some ice cream in the freezer!

Brownie Pudding
1 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 T cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. milk
2 T. oil
1 tsp vanilla

Pudding:
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1 3/4 c. hot water

Mix the dry ingredients together. In seperate bowl combine the milk, oil and vanilla. Mix into the dry ingredients and spread into a sprayed 8x8 cake pan. Mix the pudding ingredients together and pour over top. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Let sit for 10 -15 minutes to let the pudding thicken. Serve with ice cream. Don't ask me how the pudding ends up on the bottom and the cake on the top.....it's magic!!

Slowcooker Chicken

No this is not soup that you are looking at. We ate and then I realized that I hadn't taken a picture so these are the two lonely chicken breasts that were left over. I made this dish several years ago and I found it in my recipe box the other day.

Slowcooker Chicken

8 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

1 small onion, sliced

8 garlic cloves, diced (yes, I used dehydrated!!)

2 T. brown sugar

3/4 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. white vinegar

Put chicken and onion in crockpot. Combine the remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cook 2 hours on high or 4 on low. Serve with rice.

French Toast

So, maybe it's the Scottish in me but I couldn't bring myself to throw out the leftover evaporated milk I used to make the meatballs. I always put those type of things into the fridge and then find it weeks later and THEN throw it out...I always have the intention of using it. For some strange reason I was thinking of this and struggling with the decision of throwing it out now, when I had a brainstorm - use it in some french toast. It was yummy and I even wrote down the amounts I use...don't we all just dump in the eggs and milk until it looks right???


My French Toast
4 eggs
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1/2 c. milk
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

Mix together and dip bread into it. Fry in a pan that you have added equal amounts oil and butter. Enjoy.

Mmm, meatballs

So I'm baking these as we speak and then I'm going to freeze them for use at a later date. I'm all about taking a day to cook hamburger and freeze it in 1/2 lb. ziplocs to make easy tacos and spaghetti sauce, etc...it's a real time saver on the weekdays when I'm about ready to check out and the kids are alittle, how shall I say, CRAZY!!! Well, I was cooking up the hamburger that I stocked up on (super sale) and Patrick asked if I was going to make meatballs ever again. Well, guess what my sweet? Mama made them - let's just see if I can get them past you and into the freezer! My fab sis also makes the recipe into a KILLER meatloaf, and I mean killer because I don't normally like meatloaf, but this one is as good as my Dad's (that's saying alot). She also has made these meatballs for numerous baby showers, and they are usually one of the first things gone.

Cocktail Meatballs:
1 lb sausage (I used italian today, just because I had it but any kind will do)
2 lbs. lean hamburger
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1/2 c. catsup
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 eggs
1 c. bread crumbs (about 2 slices)
1 c. evaporated milk

Sauce:
1 - 14 oz bottle catsup
1/2 bottle chili sauce
3 T. prepared mustard
1 1/2 t. dry mustard
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 T pepper
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 bottle A1 sauce
2 T worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 T soy sauce
1 T salad oil
dash of Tabasco

Mix meatball ingredients in large bowl. Shape into 1 inch meatballs (I used my small cookie scoop) Place on cookie sheet and bake at 40o for 15 minutes. (These can be made and frozen ahead of time) To serve: Make sauce in crockpot and bring to boil. Add meatballs and heat through or let simmer until you want to serve them. Make about 80 meatballs.

My comments: I actually baked them for 25 minutes - we like them alittle more browned because we don't normally eat them with the cocktail sauce. Also, remember to make it easy on yourself and bake them on a sheet covered in FOIL!!! I use the meatballs in spaghetti sauce, Craig loves them in cream of mushroom soup served over rice or mashed potatoes and sometimes we just eat them as they are.

Pizza

My kids all like different kinds of pizza. SHOCKED??? Me too, so we make our own individual pizzas and everybody is happy and mom doesn't hear protests of what they don't like on their dinner. I buy the big mother blocks of mozzarella cheese and then grate it with the help of my handy dandy food processor and freeze it in big Ziplocs so I always have it on hand (I also find the cheese aspect the most expensive part of homemade pizza, so this helps me out). I also short cut it with Pilsbury pizza crust and cut it up into smaller individual ones for the kiddies.


Kid Made Pizza

2 rolls of Pilsbury Pizza dough, cut into individual pieces
pizza sauce
cheese (what ever kind you like)
toppings your kids enjoy (my always includes olives, I know Ainsley is weird for 5 :).....mine include ham, onions, peppers, pineapple, etc

Cut up all the toppings and put in a muffin tin or bowls, whatever you want. Call the kids and put them to work making their dinner. Bake according to directions. I promise you won't hear any complaints!

This is one of my "back-up" meals. I always have 2 of the pizza doughs in the fridge because they have a good expiry date on them. I try to always have on hand: pizza sauce (buy the one in the squeeze bottle for easy storage), a can of pineapple, I always have ham for lunches (I buy the kind in the containers that is also sealed in the meat dept...so it doesn't go bad) and I already talked about the cheese.

This one's for Jordana!!

I received this recipe from my fab cousin Jill many years ago and it was an instant family fave. Thanx Jillie!! I'm sharing it with everyone now because I gave it to a friend a few weeks ago, she loved it and inspired me to make it this week so I could share. I serve it with rice (obviously) and we would eat the sauce with a spoon like soup if we could!! It is fast, uses ingredients I always have on hand and the easiest clean up ever...

Jill's Chicken

2 lbs chicken (I use boneless, skinless)

1 small onion

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. chunky salsa

Arrange chicken in a casserole dish. Chop up onion and mix with ketchup, sugar and salsa. Pour over top of chicken and bake uncovered at 375 for 45-50 minutes.

Warning: objects in picture may appear larger than in real life

Mama's Cookin in the Bedroom!!!

I'm just kidding....this has nothing to do with food or recipes or anything but I had a LIFE CHANGING experience yesterday that I just had to share. I bit the bullet and went for a professional bra fitting at a fabulous little store here named Victoria's Attic. Holy crap, I've never been so in love with my ladies!

Garlic Green Beans

This is Patrick's absolute favorite vegetable dish. He actually requests it and the other kids like it too.

3 c. frozen french cut green beans
1/4 c. water
2 T. litehouse freeze dried garlic
1 tsp. chicken boullion

In a frying pan combine all ingredients and simmer until the beans are cooked according to your taste.

Salt and Pepper Chicken

We love Chinese food and when we moved up here to the ole GP we found that it just wasn't as good as Calgary. We tried all the different restaurants that were recommended to us and we both agreed that I needed to take things into my own hands. This is one of our favorite dishes at Edgemont Palace (RIP) and homemade is almost as good as at the restaurant. I did find one FABULOUS shortcut.....at the Safeway deli they see a dish called Honey Garlic Chicken. It is battered and fried and comes in frozen. I buy a frozen bag there (a 1 kg bag costs about $17-18 which is a steal as it saves me about an hour of prep) and keep it in the freezer so anytime a chinese food craving hits, I can have it on the table in about 20 minutes (that is also cheating and using Minute Rice). Using the premade chicken I put it on a cookie sheet and bake it at 400 until crispy (about 20 minutes). While it's in the oven slice the peppers and onions and saute. Combine the chili peppers, salt and sugar in a small bowl. When the chicken is done add the peppers and onions to the cookie sheet and sprinkle with the chili pepper mixture. My kids gobble this up (I give them the pieces with not as much chili flakes or I just take some chicken out before I add the hot stuff and give them the sauce that came with the chicken). Serve with some rice, steamed broccoli and garlic beans and you are good to go.

I will include the whole recipe for the purists out there, but trust me buying it at the deli is twice as good if you ask me!!

Salt and Pepper Chicken

1.5 lb boneless chicken breasts, sliced into long strips

1 egg

3 t. vinegar

5 t. oil

2 c. cornstarch

1 c. flour

2 c. water

5-8 c. oil (for deep-frying)

1 t. minced garlic

1/2 green pepper, julienned

1/2 red pepper, julienned

1/2 med onion, slivered

2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. sugar

Place chicken in large bowl. Add egg, vinegar, oil, cornstarch, flour and water and mix with your hand to combine well. Let sit for 20 minutes to tenderize.

In large wok or deep fryer, heat oil until 350 degree. Place chicken in the hot oil and dcook a handful at a time, until golden and crispy. This will take about 5 minutes. Remove chicken, drain and keep warm.

In another wok, heat 1 T. of oil and saute garlic, gr pepper, red pepper and onion for aobut 5 minutes. Stir in chili pepper and return chicken to pan. Toss with salt, sugar to combine and heat through. Serve immediately.

My kitchen did not burn down

Craig was away all last week so mama took a break from making dinner!! "Kids you want Mini-Wheats for dinner? or How about a pizza?" were common phrases in my household last week. I can proudly say that I made dinner tonight but I'm going to be posting it tomorrow....it was yummy and was done in about 20 minutes. Yay!!! It was a special treat meal though so you'll have to eat salad and yogurt all day to be able to enjoy it (high in calorie=good & tasty!!) So, look for it tomorrow!

Pancakes and sausage for dinner?????

Yes, I love having breakfast for dinner. Who doesn't???? This is the BEST pancake recipe...I got it from the mag Everyday Food (love it). Patrick apparently also thinks that it is the best. The first time he ever slept over at our friend's house he very politely told Karen that she should get my pancake recipe. I'm sure her pancakes were just as good though - maybe she forgot to add the most important ingredient. Love. teehee. I'm so funny. I make a huge batch of all the dry ingredients and store it in a container in the pantry. Homemade pancake batter - just add the wet ingredients when you want to make some pancakes. It is much cheaper than buying it and so yummy. I also have made tons of them, layered them in a container in between wax paper and then frozen them. Also, I use an ice cream scoop to make the pancakes - they are perfectly measured and it comes out perfectly. We also had my most favorite sausages, they are Lilydale Daystarters, they are made out of chicken and are way lower in calories and fat. Yum.

Basic Pancakes

1 c. flour (can use 1/2 W.W. and 1/2 white)
2 T. sugar
2 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

1 c. milk (I always use a splash more though)
2 T. melted butter or vegetable oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to 200, have a baking sheet ready to keep cooked pancakes warn in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a larger bowl, whisk together milk, butter and egg. Add dry ingredient to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not overmix; a few small clumps are fine) Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil;carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel. For each pancake, spoon 2 to 3 T. of batter onto skillet. Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover loosely with aluminum foil and keep warm in oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter.

Buttermilk: add 1/2 t. baking soda to dry ingredients. Replace milk with low-fat buttermilk

Chicken Curry Soup

Okay so I took a f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s picture of the soup to temp you to make it and now for some unknown reason my computer is not recognizing (i think i spelt that wrong!) my stinkin' camera. Love computers!! I can't say that your kids are gonna love it but you can dazzle your friends with this soup!

PS-I gotta give a shout out to my dad. He has a curry soup that could kill. Mine never is quite as good, but it inspired this one since I never have any shrimp and some of his other ingredients!!

Chicken Curry Soup

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
1 white onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 T. fresh ginger (I cheat and used the jarred one from the produce dept)
1 1/2 T. fresh garlic
1/4 t. red curry paste (you can use more but I made it pretty mild today - I've gone up to 1 T)
4 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 can coconut milk
1 t. lemon grass (I found this in the produce refrigerated section in a toothpaste type tube..I can't tell you how exciting it was because you can NEVER find lemon grass!!!!)

In a big pot add alittle olive oil and heat add the chicken. Start cutting your onion and add to it, then do the same with your red pepper. Let them saute for a bit and then add the ginger and garlic, cook for about 1 minute. Add the broth, curry paste and soy sauce. Cook for about 30 minutes and then turn off heat. Add the coconut milk and the lemon grass. You can garnish with green onion, cilantro or limes but the soup is good without them too.

Monkey Shake

I make these for a quick snack and Patrick has them for breakfast all the time. He really hates eating in the morning before school so I feel like I get something in him to tide him over until recess. I hope your kids love it as much as mine do.

Monkey Shake

1 c. milk
1 banana
1 T. smooth peanut butter (as you can imagine I don't measure it - just knife it out of the jar!)

Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth.

Roasted Veggies and Sausages

This was dinner on Saturday night and Patrick requested it AGAIN on Tuesday! It was obviously a hit. I will warn you that with this recipe I freeze some into lunches for Craig to take to work so you really probably should half the recipe depending on your family size and appetites!

2 - 1 lb. pkgs. Italian sausage (I used Johnsonville fresh basil and also mild)
1 - 2 lb. bag of mini baby potatoes (can also used sliced up potatoes but I was lazy today!!!)
4-5 celery stalks, sliced
7-8 carrots, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 red peppers, sliced
1/2 brown bag of mushrooms, halved

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray your largest cookie sheet with Pam and dump the potatoes into it. Add the remaining veggies and season with salt and pepper. Slice the sausages in half and scatter on top of the veggies. Roast for about 1 1/2 hours turning the sausages 1/2 way through.


If you use the smaller breakfast size sausages don't put them in the oven until 45 minutes into the cooking since they will cook way faster. The ones I used tonight were still alittle bit frozen but if they were done before the vegetables just take them out and keep them warm in some foil.

You really can use any veggies that your family likes. I was going to use squash tonight too but I was really running out of room - it gets pretty piled up on the cookie sheet. I enjoy the ease of one pan, one knife and a cutting board to clean up!

Herbed Pork Medallions

These were dinner tonight and I actually had to stop the kids from eating or else Craig was going to have to eat cereal when he got home from work!
I mix up the seasoning and keep it in the pantry. It is also very good made with chicken.


Herbed Pork Medallions

1 1/2 lbs. boneless pork chops

2 T. melted butter combine with
1/4 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. each of salt, thyme, paprika combine with
1/8 t. of black pepper and also cayenne pepper

1/4 c. liquid honey

Pound pork chops out until thin. Brush top side with melted butter and garlic. Sprinkle with seasonings. Broil for 5 minutes on top rack. Turn and brush with garlic butter and sprinkle with seasonings. Broil for another 5 minutes. Brush with honey and broil 1-2 minutes until browned.

look at these little cuties!

We picked these up at Safeway this afternoon and the case is almost gone! They are perfectly portioned and they are oh so tasty. Pick them up if you see them .....
PS - the sticker is about the size of my pinky fingernail!

Rice Bowls

This is one of my FAVORITE meals. It is my fave for two or maybe three reasons...

1.It is so good

2. It is so easy

3. the kids eat their veggies and don't complain about what is for dinner

I think one of the reasons why it is so good for the kids is that it gives them the feeling that they are controlling what they are eating for dinner.

Rice Bowls with Garlic Sauce

rice (I cook 1 1/2 c. and it feeds my family of 5 with a lunch for dad the next day)

veggies - steamed broccoli, cooked carrots, peas, red pepper, beans, peas, mushrooms, green onions......pretty much what ever you have on hand (I usually cook about 2 c. of each veggie)

chicken, steak or pork - what ever you like

Garlic Sauce

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. each chicken broth and soy sauce

1 t. red chili flakes

1 T. dehydrated garlic (this is made by Litehouse and is in the produce dept)

Bring to a simmer and then add

4 t. cornstarch that has been dissolved in

1/4 c. water

To do the veggies I just slice each kind up and then cook in the microwave in a covered dish with some water covering the bottom of the container for anywhere between 2 - 4 minutes depending on the veggie. Carrots talk the longest - normally about 4 1/2 minutes and while I'm cooking one veggie I'm slicing the next one to cook. (you can do this earlier in the day while the kids are at school and then just reheat them for dinner) I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how to cook veggies.

To cook the chicken or whatever meat I just slice it up and brown it in a non-stick frying pan(no oil or anything). When both sides are brown I add some chicken broth (maybe 1/3 c.) and then cook it down. When the broth has evaporated let the chicken brown up again (it adds tons of flavor)

To serve dish up some rice, meat and let the kids pick what veggies they want. Pile them on top and add the sauce. We love this sauce and have it with plain pork chops and chicken too.

Mars Bar Squares

These are a special request posting. I know that you will enjoy them (maybe alittle too much!!). For those without access to Mars Bars, Milky Way's are the ticket...my bro and sis can vouch (spelling???? oh well) for that.

Mars Bar Squares
4 mars bars
1/2 c. butter
3 c. rice crispies

1 c. milk chocolate chips
1/4 c. butter

In a saucepan melt the mars bars and 1/2 c. butter. Take the pan off the heat when they are all melted and stir to combine. Add the rice crispies and turn and press into an 8x8 cake pan. Melt the chocolate chips with the 1/4 c. butter and pour over top. Ymmmmm!

Banana Sushi

This is probably to most asked for treat at our house. I thought this recipe up a few months ago and I should have bought stock in bananas right after! The kids love it and it is so easy to make. Oh, and make sure you have at least one banana per kid unless you want to be a referee.

Banana Sushi

4 bananas

about 1/2 c. smooth peanut butter (you can use chunky if your in a crunch! teehee I'm so funny!)

about 1 c. rice crispies

While you are slicing up the bananas put the PB in the microwave for about 40 seconds to heat up. Put the rice crispies in a ziploc and give a kid the opportunity to take out some aggression with a measuring cup or big spoon (crush them up a bit). Using a fork dip the bananas into the PB and then into the rice crispies. Serve and watch all your hard work be inhaled.

A little sinful sweet

We call these Nutella Treats. Take Pillsbury cresent roll dough and smear it with Nutella. Bake according to directions and eat warm....you'll die. Hopefully not literally as I think these are a heart attack waiting to happen! Enjoy!

Chili Soup

Okay, so I'm finally getting another post on....had a few computer issues but my fabulous husband fixed it. Hooray!! So I made this soup last night and it does double duty. It fed us last night and then switched it up and we ate it again tonight. I made up the recipe last night and I wrote it all down just for my blog. I don't normally do that but I'm thinking how great it's going to be as I never can make it exactly the same twice and I drive my friend Karen nuts by telling her to just add a few spoons of this and that until it tastes right. So, this is for you K!

Carey's Chili Soup

2 lb. boneless lean pork roast

water

2-3 T. dried onion

3 T. dehydrated garlic

2 T. chicken boullion

1 onion (cut in half)

S & P

8 c. chicken broth (I cheated and used water and 4 T. boullion!)

1 diced onion

2 T. cumin

2 t. oregano

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 can green chilis

1 - 20 oz can hominy (if you can't find hominy use canned white beans)

frozen corn

garnishes - lime, cilantro, avacodo, tortillas if you like.....it was Sunday and didn't have any of these

Put roast in the crockpot with water coming half way up and add the ingredients that are in the first group. I set it on high for 2 hours and then low for 4 (you pretty much just need some cooked meat - leftovers would do too). I took the cooked pork out and shredded it. Put aside at least half for dinner tomorrow (BBQ pork sandwiches). Save the liquid and strain it so you can add it to the soup.

Add a little olive oil (oops forgot that in the ingredient list) to a stock pot and heat. Add the spices and onion and cook until you smell the cumin. Dump in the water, boullion, liquid from the crockpot and hominy. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer uncovered until the onions are soft (about 15 minutes). Turn off the heat and add the shredded pork and canned chilis. Stir and serve. I added the frozen corn to their dished up bowls so it would cool it down for the kids.

Yummy!

For dinner tonight I bought some yummy buns from Safeway and dumped our favorite BBQ sauce in a dutch oven with the pork and there you go. Add some veggies and dip and your done!

Ainsley's Modifications

this little pile was next to her plate as she ate!

Chicken Nuggets for Dinner!!

Okay Maurita....here goes! Last night a wonderful friend and I (yes it was Maurita ) had a great night out scrapping. Afterward we headed to BP's (that's Boston Pizza for my sister who I know will ask me what that stood for) and we had a wonderful little dish called Thai Chicken Bites....they were oh so yummy that we almost licked the plate. Today I was out shopping and had a craving hit. I'm going to make me some of those little thai bites. I picked up some "pub style chicken strips" and headed home to try it out for dinner. I made up dinner for me and the kids (then snapped a picture of course), called them to eat telling them that if they wanted something different they could have some apple sauce or something premade and easy. Surprise, surprise they all grabbed the plate that was calling their name and off they went. Patrick asked me how I thought up this recipe.....do I tell my kid I stole it??? I took the medium road and just avoided the question by asking him if he liked it. They all did love it. Ainsley made some modifications as you can see but she told me we needed to tell everyone about it as their kids will love it.....did I mention they all ate the carrots in it???? The only change I need to make - BIGGER plates. I spent alot of time refilling their plates but I'm hoping that it will count as a work out!


Thai Bites
1 box chicken strips
Thai sweet chili sauce
steam fried noodles
grated carrot
sliced green onion

Bake the strips and cut up. Put on top of uncooked noodles and garnish accordingly. Did I mention how fast and easy this thing is??????