Mom Fails, Light Bulb Moments, and Pumpkin Lattes

So, I've been reminded of a few things this week...first of all, I can't do everything (shocking, I know!)  It is okay to do some things that are JUST for me.  It is okay to curl my hair more than once a month.  It is okay to purchase pumpkin spiced lattes more than once a week :)

This week was jammed packed with activities from a Young Life Banquet, two Fall Festivals, bow making at garden club, our last t-ball practice, our last t-ball game, the JDRF Walk, and lots and lots of fun with friends.

Monday night, I made the chicken Stromboli for the kids before we headed to the Young Life Banquet here in Winston.  I knew that we'd be on a tight schedule due to George coaching the last t-ball practice of the season and having to be at the banquet just 15 minutes after practice ended (clearly, that did not happen...we were a little late.)  The Stromboli was easy to make early in the day and cook right before the boys got home.  It was also not too too messy, which is always a plus when a babysitter is feeding the kids.  I felt like I was moving in fast forward the entire day, and it was so nice to sit back and relax with great friends at the Young Life banquet that night.  I was involved in Young Life in high school but have been removed from it pretty much since then.  Seeing these amazing kids who are involved in Young Life, listening to their stories, and listening to amazing speakers who are passionate about children was so inspiring.  I was reminded of my incredible leaders, Bill & Merrell, and their never-ending commitment to us in high school.  If you are unfamiliar with Young Life, check out their website (Forsyth County Young Life,) and if you are familiar with it, revisit it because it's an awesome organization.  

I wish you could've seen my kids faces when I served them the Crockpot Taco Soup on Tuesday night.  Let's back up...we had a play date for the boys after school, and it was perfect.  Subtraction by addition is always a plus (if you don't know what I mean by that, it's basically inviting friends over who will entertain your children therefore giving you some breathing room from the fighting, neediness, etc. that occurs each and every afternoon with small children.)  I truly love the boys' friends, and some people probably think that I'm crazy for adding more children to our chaos, but it is such a treat for the boys and for me when their friends come over.  So, after this lovely afternoon, I thought that we'd continue the easiness of it all by having a simple, yummy dinner.  I started off feeding the baby while the boys were running wild.  She gobbled two small bowls right up.  Once the boys sat down and started eating, it was all downhill.  One started complaining that he didn't like it and that it was too hot...of course my response was, "It's been sitting there for 10 minutes, there is NO WAY it is too hot...you need to eat your dinner!"  I really thought he was tired and being dramatic (someone in my family being dramatic?  NEVER!)  The other one sat down shortly thereafter and exclaimed, IT'S SO HOT, IT'S SO HOT!  I wish I could explain their faces as they were saying this.  I then decided to taste the soup, and oh gosh, it was SO hot (spicy)!  Whoops...mom fail :)  I quickly made some quesadillas, poured huge glasses of milk, and offered extra dessert...so, yes, please follow the instructions on the blog for this and use mild rotel and taco seasoning.  I wouldn't want you to witness those horrific faces on your children this week :/

Wednesday night was our last t-ball game, and I carb loaded the kids with the Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta.  This made SO much food, and we are still eating it 4 days later.  Probably a great meal to make when you are having a crowd over.  It was super yummy, and thankfully we like it enough to keep on eating leftovers.  This is where the "I can't do everything" comes into play.  I really wanted to go hear these two women speak on Wednesday night.  I had been looking forward to it for weeks, and it just wasn't in the cards because practice ran over and then there were trophies to distribute.  I was super disappointed and pretty much sulking, and I definitely didn't enjoy my boys' last t-ball game as much as I should have because I was distracted by the fact that I wasn't going to make it to my meeting (mom fail #2 of the week...well, at least #2, but that could be an entirely different blog!)...it also could've had something to do with the fact that it was FREEZING outside and the baby was miserable in the cold.  It wasn't until I saw my boys' faces as they received their trophies that I realized I was exactly where I needed to be.  A good reminder to myself to live in the present and enjoy being right where I am at any given moment rather than regretting my attitude later.

Thursday morning, I got up early, made the White Chili, got ready for a fun meeting (this included dressing in something other than work out clothes, putting on makeup, and curling my hair.)  I got SO many comments about my hair, and it made me realize that people have gotten really used to seeing my hair in a ponytail these days!  The one thing that got left off the list that morning was COFFEE!  What in the world was I thinking!??!  I made it, put my creamer in, and forgot to drink it.  I was about to reheat it in the microwave (gasp!) when I had the brilliant idea of heading through the Krankies Airstream drive thru for the second time this week (actually the second time EVER)!  If you have not tried the pumpkin latte from Krankies, you are missing out!  Thank you Christine Storch for the recommendation...I am a convert!!  The whole morning all I could think about was that I had 4 bathrooms to clean, about 8 loads of laundry to do, and a cake and a pie to make for the bake sale at school, but I put all of that on the back burner and headed to my super fun meeting to learn how to make bows.  This was a total luxury to do something just for ME, only ME, and I didn't feel guilty...the bathrooms and laundry were still here when I got home, as were the tasks of making the cake and the pie...but I now know how to make a fabulous bow for the holidays!!!

Friday evening was the FallFest at my son's elementary school.  I am not sure if we lived in Arizona for too long or what, but my kids and I have developed an aversion to cold weather.  Despite the prospect of pony rides, games, prizes, dancing, food trucks, etc, my kids were not into it at all.  After about an hour of trying to coerce my kids to "have fun," we aborted mission and headed to ChickFilA for dinner (we got free kids' meal coupons at the FallFest...SCORE!) and finished the evening curled up on the couch watching a movie.

The JDRF WALK was on Saturday morning.  There was a huge turnout!  Unfortunately, my oldest son has two good buddies who have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  It was so great to see all of these little boys walking together, supporting each other, and having a great time raising money for a terrific cause.  I would highly encourage anyone to get their family out to these events any chance that you can.  This is the second family walk that we've done, and both have given us the opportunity to talk with our kids about important issues...i.e. childhood illness, childhood hunger and obesity, etc.

Up this week are Black Bean Burritos, (yes, these were supposed to be made this past week, but we ended up with too many leftovers!)  Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce and Angel Hair Pasta served with Green Jacket Salad, Flank Steak served over salad with Cowboy Ciao's Stetson Salad Dressing, and Cornflake Chicken served with potatoes and asparagus casserole.

Happy Cooking!!

Dinners Week 6: Embracing Cooler Temperatures

Chicken Stromboli:
(previously referred to as Chicken Calzone...see this article)
2 large chicken breasts
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 ball pizza dough
1 egg (for egg wash)
pizza sauce of your choosing

Boil the chicken breasts for about 20 minutes until cooked through.  (You can also cook them in the crockpot on low for 4 to 6 hours.)  Let chicken cool slightly then grind the chicken in a food processor.  Place the chicken in a large bowl and add cheese, seasoning salt, and garlic salt.  Mix thoroughly.  Roll pizza dough out into about 12" round.  Place the chicken mixture in the middle of the dough and shape like you would meatloaf. Wrap dough around chicken mixture forming a long rectangular shaped Stromboli.  Turn the Stromboli over so that the seams are down and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Whisk the egg in a small bowl forming an egg wash.  Paint egg onto dough. Cook at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.  Slice into 1/2 " slices and serve with pizza sauce on the side.

SERVE WITH:  Whatever fruit you have on hand!  This is a very kid friendly meal, so why not keep it kid friendly ;)

NOTES:  This is a very full Stromboli, and easily feeds our family with leftovers to spare.  The inspiration for this came from Elizabeth's Pizza where we used to frequent in college.  I always loved their chicken Stromboli and thought I'd try and replicate it.  This is the end result, and it's different, but just as yummy!

Crock Pot Taco Soup: (recipe from Food for the Body and Soul, FBC, Augusta, GA)
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 can Rotel tomatoes (MILD if you're serving to kids or you don't like spicy food)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can shoe peg corn, drained
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1 package dry ranch dressing
1 package taco seasoning

Brown meat with onions.  Add meat mixture and all other ingredients to crockpot.  Cook on low for approximately 4 hours.


SERVE WITH:  all you need to complete this meal are toppings for the soup: tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream

NOTES: This was my first time making this soup.  What is there really to say?  This is about as easy as it gets!!  But, seriously, use the mild Rotel.  The boys ate it but downed about as much milk as they did soup :/

Happy Cooking!

Running...in Every Sense of the Word

This week, I felt like I was running from one day to the next...literally and figuratively.  I am training for my 6th half marathon, and I am realizing, once again, that the more I train, the easier it will be, but finding time to run during the week is presenting lots of challenges :)  As the kids are getting older, they're involved with more activities, I am finding myself with more "time" while they are in school, which ends up getting filled by even more activities, creating less time than I actually started out with at times.  So, I am having to be very intentional in finding ways to get my runs in.

Also, this week was nuts for George in terms of work, meetings, etc.  I knew that I would find myself by myself with the kids most nights, so I tried to make meals that could be eaten by the kids and then reheated once George got home from his commitments.

I posted a picture of the Spaghetti Pie on Facebook and on my earlier blog post because I was truly astonished at the damage that my little family did to that casserole.  What in the world am I going to do when my kids are teenagers!??!  Every person (including the baby) LOVED the spaghetti pie, and it was a great dish to serve at different points in the evening.

I wasn't kidding when I said that I am a morning person.  I can get more done in the hour between dropping one child off at kindergarten and the other one or two, depending on the day, at preschool than I can during any other hour of the day.  I love to get up before my kids do, have my quiet time, and start preparing for the day.  So, when I said that I made the Chicken Corn Chowder before school, those of you who know me probably rolled your eyes with knowing smiles on your faces, with maybe a little voice in the back of your head saying, "well, that's kind of annoying!." ;)

The Shrimp Calzones are oh so delicious.  My 4 year old started calling them "shrimp pies," and asked for one again for lunch the next day.  They don't take too terribly long to prepare, but they are a little time intensive because you have to peel the shrimp, stand over the sauce/shrimp while they cook, roll out the pizza dough, and allow time for cooking so I would not suggest doing these on a day that is super busy in the evening.  You can always use chicken as a replacement for the shrimp in these, but I don't think they would be as good...plus, I have a great "recipe" that I don't even consider a recipe for Chicken Calzones that I'll share at a later date...maybe even this week now that I'm thinking about them!!

So, the Crockpot Green Chili.  You could do SO much with this from eating it as chili to wrapping it up for enchiladas, to making tacos, to piling it on nachos.  This is one of the easiest and yummiest recipes I have ever come across.  George was NOT happy that he was missing this one...don't feel too sorry for him, though, as he was being entertained at Nobles!  Just as a side note, this is definitely GREEN, so I try and hide it with lots of cheese in quesadillas for the kids...you know how funny kids can be about how things look.  We had friends over the night we ate them, and 3 out of 4 kids cleared their plates! (It could have had something to do with the fact that there were Oreos as a bribe for dessert, but I'd like to just think it was my culinary slyness!)

We had leftovers one night this week, and the other two nights were spent in Augusta with my sister, my dad, and my brother-in-law (Papa Johns and Vallarta were the perfect ending to the week!)  We did cook for a baby shower that my sister was helping to throw, so I'll share our artichoke dip recipe with you:

Artichoke Dip: (recipe from my dear friend, Alyssa and her mama!)
2 cans quartered artichokes, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 clove minced garlic
1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved lengthwise)

Mix together artichokes, mayonnaise, cheese, and garlic.  Place in 9x13 glass dish and top with cherry tomatoes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until bubbly.

SERVE WITH: Toasteds crackers and chopped veggies (carrots, celery, peppers, whatever you like!)

We made 1.5 recipes of this, and every bite of it was eaten at the party...which is generally what happens with this dish!!

Up this week are:  Black Bean Burritos, Chicken Calzones (yes, that was just decided as I have the ingredients on hand,) White Bean Chili, and Chicken and Pesto Farfalle!  (Possibly some Crockpot Taco Soup too)

Happy Cooking!!!

Dinners Week 5: Family Comfort Food

Spaghetti Pie: recipe adapted from Woody aka Elizabeth Biber
For crust:
8oz cooked spaghetti noodles
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tsp dried basil
1 clove minced garlic
 For filling:
1 T olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 (26oz) jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I use Ragu Traditional)
8oz sour cream (I use light)
8oz shredded mozzarella

Saute onion in olive oil until translucent.  Add ground beef and brown.  Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine ingredients for crust and press into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish (I usually melt the butter and let it sit so that it cools a bit and run the noodles under cold water so that the cheese doesn't melt.)  Top that layer with layer of sour cream.  Top that layer with the filling.  Top with shredded mozzarella.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until bubbly.

NOTES:  The picture shown is how much of this was eaten by my family plus one extra 5 year old...I hadn't even eaten yet!!  You could half this recipe and put the other half in the freezer, but I'm glad I didn't do that this time!!  I cooked the noodles in the morning and left them out to cool.  Then, around lunchtime I browned the ground beef and let it simmer with the tomato sauce.  I went ahead and assembled the spaghetti pie so that I could just pop it in the oven around 5:00 (aka witching, I mean happy hour.)   You could make this a couple of days ahead as well, as it's one of those dishes that just gets better over time.

SERVE WITH: Proscuitto Wrapped Asaparagus left oven from the birthday party (by the way, these were the only things left besides a little bit of fruit!)



Chicken Corn Chowder: (Recipe from The Perfect Setting, Aiken, South Carolina)
3 T butter
4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups half n half
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
2 (14.75oz) cans creamed style corn
1 (4.5oz) can diced green chiles, undrained
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp salt
2 T chopped cilantro

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add chicken, onion, and garlic, and saute 10 minutes.  Stir in half n half, cheese, corn, green chiles, hot sauce, salt, and cumin; cook over low heat, stirring often for 15 minutes.  Stir in cilantro.  Serve garnished with additional cilantro if you like.

NOTES:  This soup is really pretty quick to make.  I actually made it before school one morning, let it cool a little and popped it in the fridge for later that night. (I am a morning person, so if you are not, I would suggest cutting the chicken, chopping the onion and garlic, and shredding the cheese the night before to make it super fast when it's dinner time.)  You really do have to keep stirring this soup during cooking time, or the cheese will stick to the bottom.  This happened when I was reheating the soup that night because I was distracted chasing kids around :)  My pot is still soaking in the sink 2 days later!!

SERVE WITH: This is a great soup to share with friends, which is exactly what we did (actually the mamas shared it and the kids ate fruit and cheese quesdaillas!,)  so invite some over, and ask them to bring a simple salad to share!!

Mini Shrimp Calzones: Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, found HERE.

NOTES:  If you want to make your own pizza dough like Giada suggests, by all means, go for it! (And bring me some too!!)  I picked up a ball of fresh dough from the Harris Teeter deli section (they also sell it at Trader Joe's and Publix, and I know that most pizza places will sell their dough also.)  I used the whole wheat dough this time, and, I must say, it was good, but it was not nearly as good as the white dough that I've used in the past.  The premade dough will make 4 (4oz) calzones rather than 6, so I kept the recipe the same except for I cut the cheese to 2 cups so that all of the filling would fit into just 4 calzones.  The thing that takes the longest about this recipe is peeling the shrimp, so I would suggest doing that the night before or earlier in the day, so that dinner literally takes less than a half hour to prepare.

SERVE WITH: Your favorite marinara or pizza sauce and Roasted Asparagus:  Cut ends off of a bunch of asparagus, add a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.  Roast in 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.




Crockpot Green Chili (from CovCom Cooks!) Tacos

3T oil
2 lbs pork stew meat, cubed (I use boneless country style ribs)
1 (32oz) jar green chile sauce (I use Rick Frontera's Green Chile Enchilada Sauce)
1 (16oz) jar green chile salsa (I use Herdez Salsa Verde)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish (I omit)

Hard and/or soft shell tacos
Fresh tomatoes - diced
Avocados - diced
Angel Hair Cole Slaw (or shredded cabbage)
Salsa
Whatever else your heart desires for taco/nacho/quesadilla night!

Heat oil in large saute pan.  Brown pork (in batches if necessary - do not crowd) until browned on all sides.  Place in slow cooker.  Add sauce and salsa.  Mix well.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until meat is tender.  Serve garnished with cilantro (optional.)

NOTES:  You can skip browning the meat if you are crunched for time before throwing it the crockpot in the morning, but it will give it a little more flavor if you take the time for the browning step.  This recipe makes a lot of sauce and can be eaten as a stew served over chips and garnished like you would a tortilla soup (sour cream, cheese, etc,) but I use a slotted spoon to serve the meat and serve it as tacos, nachos, or quesadillas.  This is one of my husband's favorite meals, it takes very little effort, it is great as leftovers, and it freezes well.

SERVE WITH:  For the kids, I just made quesadillas using flour tortillas, tomatoes, and shredded Monterrey Jack cheese.  Cook in the oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, until cheese melts. (Make sure you put them on a cookie sheet so that the cheese doesn't run down into your oven...that has clearly never happened to me :)) My husband and I had hard tacos with angel hair cole slaw, diced tomatoes, diced avocado and salsa.  YUM!  This makes enough food for our family for two nights.  It is delicious as leftovers for tacos or even better with lots of cheese melted over the meat as nachos!!



I am writing these recipes out a little earlier than usual because I am heading to see my precious, pregnant sister tomorrow for the weekend (and my brother-in-law and my dad and a few of my best friends)...if we make something fun, I'll add the recipes toward the end of the weekend :)

Happy Cooking!!

Oh so crazy and oh so fun...how we survived the birthday week

On the menu for this week:  Mini Shrimp Calzones, Chicken & Corn Chowder, Green Chile Pork Tacos/Quesadillas, and Spaghetti Pie

This week was oh so crazy and oh so fun.  The big finale was the PINK first birthday party, but we'll get to that.  As far as the rest of the week went...

A friend of mine needed a meal more than my family did on Monday night, so the chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole that was left over in the freezer from a couple of weeks ago went to them, and we ate sandwiches.  Actually, it was a nice change of pace since we very rarely eat sandwiches and chips for dinner.  It was so fast, everyone was happy, and I may just start making sandwich night a staple around this house...probably not, but it's a nice thought.

Tuesday night, we had the Baked Veal...I mean Chicken...Parmesan.  This was really easy and everyone loved it.  This one would be difficult to make ahead because the breaded chicken goes directly into the hot butter when it comes out of the oven, so I suppose I could've breaded the chicken earlier and pulled it out when I was ready to cook, but I don't think that would've saved much time, and dirtying extra dishes just isn't worth it sometimes.  Like I said in the notes, the sauce was a little sweet for my taste, but everyone else thought it was great.  The arugula salad is super fast and easy, and a nice addition to any pasta dinner.

Later that night, things got interesting as one of my children got sick, which meant a day at home on Wednesday.  I had planned on the kids eating at church and feeding my husband the tomato tart after the kids went to bed for a little date night in...well, we clearly weren't at church, so that plan went out the window.   Luckily I had ordered Dinners on the Porch on Tuesday and saved it for Wednesday...it was delicious and we had PLENTY to feed our family and probably another one too!!!

My extended family arrived for the party on Thursday night, and I made the tomato tarts for my mom and my grandmother.  These are seriously so easy and yummy.  You will need to give these a little forethought as there is time involved for thawing the puff pastry and letting it set in the refrigerator.  My grandmother had never seen such a thing ;) so it was really fun to introduce her to something new and simple.  She's planning on serving it to her church Circle group the next time they meet.  I love grandparents!!

Earlier in the week, I made the menu for the birthday party and ordered my groceries online with a pick up time for Friday morning.  I assumed I would have pretty much all day to prepare with my mom and grandmother while the baby slept and the boys were in school...well, you know what they say about making assumptions.  As we were waiting in line to get the groceries, I got a phone call that my child's elementary school was under lock down.  It was short lived, and thank The Lord that everyone was safe.  It was a VERY long morning waiting to hear something, and to say I was a frazzled mess would be quite an understatement.


Luckily, I had my mom and grandmother here to hold everything together, we recovered, and resumed our party planning activities.  We went ahead and prepared the ham appetizer sandwiches, boiled and peeled the shrimp, sliced the fruit, and laid out all of the serving pieces.  That night, we needed a break from the kitchen...my grandmother had picked up Maurice's BBQ in Columbia, SC on her way up to Winston-Salem. It is right off of I-20 right before I-77 (well, the one location we frequent.)  Totally worth stopping and getting some the next time you're headed that way.  We whipped up some coleslaw and some rice, and this fed all of us, my aunt, uncle, mom, grandmother, and dad for dinner Friday night and again for lunch on Saturday...and again for lunch on Sunday.  It's a good thing we love it so much!! 

Saturday, we were all in go-mode for the party.  My mom (who is an excellent baker) had baked the smash
cake and about 60 mini cupcakes before she came up here, so we spent the morning making the frosting, trying to get the perfect shade of pink (we had to toss one entire recipe of frosting because I made it a lovely chartreuse, and we were going for baby pink...clearly I need some lessons in tinting icing!) and icing the cupcakes and the cake.  I must say, they turned out pretty well!  The asparagus and the cranberry brie tartlets were really the only things we had to make at the last minute, which was great because it gave us time to get the tables decorated like we wanted them, put the flowers all in their spots, set up the bar (I found a banquet table at Target for $35 which worked perfectly!) and get the food right where we wanted it.  This would not have been possible if it hadn't been for my family...mom and grandmother helping in the kitchen and with the baby, my aunt and uncle running to get my dad from a golf tournament in Greensboro, my dad making a trip to ChickFilA to pick up the nuggets, my husband and uncle raking and blowing leaves, my mother and father in law entertaining kids, ironing, and helping set up tables.  Thank you to each of you!!!!  It was a great party celebrating with close friends and family, and it was so much fun to watch my daughter prance around in her little pink dress!  Side note...evidently she did not want to mess up her party attire, because she would have NOTHING to do with the smash cake!  Ha!  We even tried again on Sunday, and she wouldn't touch it!!

Sunday night, my mom, dad, and grandmother were still here, and I made the black bean pumpkin soup, which was satisfying and delicious on a cool, rainy evening.  It truly was such a special weekend with family and friends, and dinner last night was the perfect way to end a happy, chaotic week.

Happy Cooking!

Dinners Week 4: Parmesan, Pumpkin, and a PINK Party

Baked Veal Parmesan: (Recipe found in Open House, A Culinary Tour, The Junior League of Murfreesboro)
1/2 cup cornflake crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
2 eggs
4 veal cutlets
1/2 cup butter
2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp oregano
dash of onion salt
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Angel Hair pasta noodles (cooked according to package; about 1/2 of a regular sized box)

Combine the cornflake crumbs, Parmesan cheese, slat, and pepper in shallow dish.  Lightly beat eggs in another shallow dish.  Dip the veal cutlets in the eggs and then the crumb mixture to coat.  Melt the butter in a 9x13 in baking dish in a 400 degree oven.  Place the cutlets in the dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Turn the cutlets over.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Combine the tomato sauce, sugar, oregano, and onion salt in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Pour over the baked cutlets.  Top with the mozzarella cheese.  Bake until the cheese melts.  Serve over noodles

SERVE WITH: Arugula salad with simple lemon vinaigrette

NOTES: Don't let the "baked" part fool you.  This is really not a healthier version of veal Parmesan, but it is a lot simpler than frying the veal in a pan.  Basically the warmed melted butter in the bottom of the baking dish allows the veal to be fried in the oven.  I went ahead and prepared vinaigrette for the salad and the veal (actually I used thinly sliced chicken breasts this week because our grocery store didn't have veal, and I just can't do more than one store at this stage of my life) with the breadcrumb and Parmesan mixture in the morning so that I'd be ready to roll when the butter was melted.  DO NOT use the powdered Parmesan cheese.  Use the grated or shredded Parm in the refrigerated section.  I started boiling the water for the noodles and making the sauce when I flipped the chicken, and everything was done at about the same time.  My guys love this, but the sauce is a little sweet for me, so just beware that if you want a saltier marinara sauce, you may want to cut the sugar by about half.

  

Flaky Tomato & Mozzarella Tart: (Adapted from CovCom Cooks!)
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed and cut in half
1 yellow tomato, thinly sliced
1 Roma tomato, thinly sliced
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each 1/2 of the puff pastry into a 9x6 inch rectangle.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.  Prick all over with a fork and top each half with 1 cup of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the basil, and half of each tomato.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.  Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are beginning to brown. 

SERVE WITH:  Leftover arugula salad from night before.

NOTES:  This is like pizza taken up a notch.  It is totally delicious and super easy.  You do have to make sure that you set the dough out to thaw (which takes about 40 minutes) and allow the dough to set after you roll it (another 30 minutes,) so this is definitely a recipe to start earlier in the day.  This week I used the yellow and Roma tomatoes, but you can also use grape tomatoes, or heirloom tomatoes (these make it really pretty!.)  I usually cheat the recipe a little and just refrigerate it after I put all of my toppings on it.  Cook time is only 10 minutes, so it is a super simply, slightly fancy dinner to prepare on a busy night.


Black Bean Pumpkin Soup: (Recipe found in Open House, A Culinary Tour, The Junior League of Murfreesboro)
3 (15oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup minced shallot
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T plus 2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 cups beef broth
1 (15oz) can pumpkin
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 pound ham, diced
3 to 4 T sherry vinegar
FOR GARNISH: sour cream, toasted pumpkin seeds

Combine 2 cans of the beans and the tomatoes in a food processor and process until coarsely pureed; set aside.  Melt the butter in a heavy, 6 qt pot over medium heat.  Add onions, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper.  Cook until onions are tender and starting to brown, stirring constantly.  Stir in the pureed bean mixture, the remaining 1 can of whole beans, broth, pumpkin, and sherry.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 25 minutes or until the soup is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stirring occasionally.  (May be prepped in advanced to this point and chilled.)

Just before serving, stir in the ham and vinegar.  Simmer until heated through, stirring frequently.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve garnished with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds.

SERVE WITH: Sister Schubert's Rolls!

NOTES: This is such a fun, fall soup.  It is delicious and pretty and is fun to serve on a week night for my family or for a dinner party in a fun pumpkin soup terrine.  I do not normally have sherry just hanging around, so I purchase cooking sherry at the grocery store (or substitute white wine.)  Sherry vinegar is not easy to find, so you can substitute white wine vinegar if you have that on hand.  This is great to make after Thanksgiving and use leftover ham.  If you don't like ham, you can substitute shrimp, chicken, or sausage. 


Pinterest Inspired 1st Birthday Party!!!

I found all of these recipes on Pinterest, so here they are (with their pinned images) to share :)

 
Easy Ham and Cheese Appetizer Sandwiches



Brie and Cranberry Tartlets


 
Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus



Perfect Boiled Shrimp with Ken's Steakhouse Cocktail Sauce

This is the actual smash cake!!!

Smash Cake and Mini Cupcakes made with yellow cake mix and frosted with Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

 NOTES:  I LOVE a good party, and this was such a fun party to plan for.  The only theme to the party was PINK!  After having two boys, I thought I would go all out with the pink food, pink beverages, pink flowers, pink outfits, everything.  Along with the items above, I served watermelon (not the best idea for this time of year!!,) sliced strawberries and grapes, ChickFilA nuggets, and pink lemonade for the kids.  I could not have pulled it off without my family helping, especially my sweet mama, who is a party planner extraordinaire. 

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

After a luxurious 42 hours at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, I am back on track with my meal planning for the week.  This week's menu includes: pumpkin & black bean soup, chicken parmesan with arugula salad, tomato tart, and a special birthday meal for our baby's first birthday, which is yet to be fully determined but will include ham & cheese party sandwiches, proscuitto wrapped asparagus, birthday cake, and lots more goodies.

As you all know, this week was a short cooking week.  The reason behind this decision was that I was using a little bit of self preservation as George was gone, and I was alone with the munchkins for seven nights.  Having the kids pick the dinners ended up being the ticket to surviving the week.  There was no complaining about dinner, and everyone had a nice full belly in time for bed every night.  Also, all of the meals that they picked double as comfort food for me.  It's a win all the way around!!

So, along with the hilarious conversations with my kids, sweet moments during bedtime every night,  and lots of extra snuggles that came from being the only parent in the house this week, there were a few, um, setbacks? hiccups? disasters? (That last one is probably too strong.)  I have told several friends that our family is the family of nothing major but always something.  This week included my Randall's Plaque acting up, two trips to the doctor, picking up a child early from school who was "sick," two trips to the car dealership, a dead battery on the way to pick up George from the airport, and George's flight being delayed so long that he was a day late getting back.  SO, I am VERY thankful that I only planned on three nights of cooking because I probably wouldn't have had time for much else ;)

This entire week, the Beatles song, With a Little Help From My Friends, seemed to be my theme song.  I received many blessings from friends who helped carpool, brought surprise meals, helped me keep my sanity by running with me, and just spent time having adult conversations with me throughout the week...you know who you are!...all because they are kind, thoughtful, and proactive.  Sometimes that's all it takes, you know, is to just DO something rather than asking someone what they need.  I assure you that even when someone says that they're "fine," a helping hand can always make their day a little easier. Also, don't be afraid to say "yes" when someone asks if you need anything.  I let my pride get in the way of that for far too long, and I realized that I missed out on deepening friendships by being a little bit vulnerable.  We all can benefit from a little help from our friends!!

Happy Cooking!

Dinners Week 3 - Kids' Choice

Like I mentioned before, this week was a short week for me in the cooking department.  My husband was gone for 7 nights, so I let the kids pick their dinners.  

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese:  Adapted from a recipe given to us by friends in Nashville :)
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
4 T unsalted butter
2 large eggs
12 oz evaporated milk (reserve all but 1 c) *can substitute half n half
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper sauce
1 tsp dry mustard (dissolved in 1 tsp water)
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Meanwhile, mix eggs, 1 c evaporated milk, pepper sauce, mustard, salt & pepper.  Drain macaroni and return to pain over medium heat.  Add butter and toss to melt.  Pour in egg mixture along with 3/4 of the cheese.  Stir until the cheese starts to melt.  Gradually add remaining cheese and evaporated milk, stirring constantly.  Cook for about 5-10 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.  Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

SERVE WITH: Edamame in the shell.  Just follow package directions :) My kids love these and call them poppers.

NOTES:  This macaroni and cheese is almost just as fast as boxed macaroni and cheese, and it is SO much better.  It is my kids' favorite macaroni and cheese is definitely in my top three. (The others are my grandmother's recipe, which I will share closer to Thanksgiving and Green Chile Mac & Cheese from my favorite restaurant in Nashville, Park Cafe...recipe found here.)

Breakfast for Dinner:  Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Muffins & fruit (adapted from my MIL's Kappa Muffin recipe)
1 roll of 10 biscuits (found in refrigerated section near the cookies)
4 eggs
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 package Jimmy Dean fully cooked turkey sausage crumbles 
(found with bacon)

Spray 2 muffin tins with cooking spray.  Break each biscuit in half length-wise and place in bottom of 20 muffin cups.  Mix together eggs, cheese, and sausage and pour about an ice cream scoop full of the egg mixture over each biscuit half.  They should be about 3/4 full.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes

SERVE WITH:  Fruit salad...sliced strawberries, blueberries, and grapes.  Can also combine this with Greek yogurt and a touch of honey.

NOTES:  My mother-in-law introduced me to these delicious breakfast muffins.  This is a lot easier than preparing biscuits, bacon, eggs, etc. separately, and our whole family LOVES them.  This are super fast to make, but if you want to make ahead of time, they are great reheated too.  They can be refrigerated or frozen and heated in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Pinterest tried and true:
Here a a couple of additional recipes to round out your week. 


Anne Burrell's Herb Roasted Chicken  TOTALLY WORTH THE EFFORT!!!

And make this with the leftovers:

Chicken Curry in a Hurry  So fast and easy, and delicious with a side of edamame.


Happy Cooking!!!