Hotdogs and Cornbread

   Monday was my little man's fourth birthday. Like many people, we let our children pick what they want for dinner on their birthday. Now keep in mind, my now four year old is the pickiest eater out of all three kids. We asked him what he wanted and he said hotdogs in cornbread.

   I wasn't too excited since we had just had it for dinner and I'm not a hotdog fan. I wasn't able to talk him out of it, so that's what I made. At least it was quick and I knew we wouldn't have the fight we have many nights about him eating what is given to him.

   It's rather easy to make. All you need is some cornbread mix and hot dogs.

   Mix your cornbread according to the directions on the box. If you are making it from scratch, make it how you normally would.

   Slice up your hotdogs however you need to according to how old your kids are. Remember, hotdogs can be a choking hazard.

   Mix the hotdogs into your cornbread mix. You only need to mix it enough to get the hotdogs covered in the mix.

   Pour it into a prepared pan and cook according to the cornbread directions. You could also make it in a muffin pan for easier serving.

   You now have some cornbread with hotdogs in it. If your picky eater is anything like mine, they won't be going to bed hungry!

   This meal is super cheap. You can get the ingredients for about three dollars. The kids all love it, especially if you give them a little ketchup. It tastes pretty close to a corn dog but it's cheaper. It's ready in about half an hour and, if you are shopping on a budget, this is a great meal!

Easy Chicken Parmesan

   I am always looking for easy, fast recipes. Some days I don't have time to spend all day in the kitchen making my family a nice meal. But then again, who wants to spend all day in the kitchen anyway? I have found one of the easiest ways to make Chicken Parmesan. It's fast, it's easy and it doesn't cost too much.

   First we buy some chicken patties. You can buy any kind you'd like. We use these since they are pre cooked and only need to be heated through. This makes it even faster to make.

   Cook however many patties you need according to the directions on the package. While these are cooking, make whatever type of noodles you like. You also need to heat up your sauce if you are using a jar. If not, make your sauce. We used a jar of mushroom and green pepper pasta sauce.

   Once your noodles are done, place them on your plate.

   Add a chicken patty

   Pour some sauce over the top and sprinkle on some Parmesan Cheese. Dinner is ready!

   This is one of the best fast and cheap dinners! My family loves it. It only takes about half an hour to make which leaves more time to spend with your family. It's also a great meal to let your kids help put together.

   What is your favorite fast and easy meal? I am always looking for new ideas!

Snicker Doodle Bars

   I love to eat cookies, a LOT. I also enjoy baking when it's not too hot. Usually, when I want some cookies, I will be all ready and motivated for some fresh out of the oven goodness. I will whip up a batch of cookie dough and then, sometimes, I will sit there and look at it. I think about how many cookies I now have to make because I usually double it. Then my feet start to hurt just thinking about how long I will be standing there making little balls of dough, cooking them, switching out pans, waiting for them to cool but not waiting so long they end up over cooked or stuck to the pan all while trying to be at a stopping place when the timer goes off.

   Now, when I want cookies, sometimes if I have stuff going or if I want to eat them but don't necessarily want to make them, I make cookie bars. I have a stone pan that I got for a birthday or Christmas at some point. I love my stone pan! It makes the BEST cookie bars. They are cooked evenly and don't collapse in the middle like I've had them do in glass pans. If you use a smaller glass pan, it seems to still work fine though.

   One day, I decided to try and make snicker doodle bars. My hubby loves snicker doodles and I don't really like making them. You have to put the dough in the fridge (especially in the summer) and you have to roll them and then roll them in the sugar and cinnamon. It's a lot of extra work. So I found a recipe to try. It was rather simple so I gave it a go.

First, whisk together:

2 3/4 cups of flour

1/2 tsp of salt

2 tsp baking powder

   In a large bowl, add:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/12 cups of granulated white sugar

   Beat for a minute or two until smooth

   Add two eggs, beating after adding each one. When you add your second egg, also add in a teaspoon of vanilla. I scrape the bowl and then give it another quick mix at the end.

      Add your dry ingredients and mix well

   Scrape the sides and give it another quick mix.

   Next, take your pan

    I spray mine with cooking spray. Mix together 1/3 cup granulated white sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Then sprinkle some of your cinnamon and sugar mixture on the bottom of the pan.

   You can give the pan a quick shake to help spread out the cinnamon and sugar

   I put piles of cookie dough on different areas of the pan to minimize the amount of spreading.

   Spread the dough evenly into your pan. It's not that easy to spread it. It will pull up and mix some of your mixture into your dough. This will sometimes take longer than making the actual dough so make sure you packed your patience. Just remember, it is totally worth it in the end!

   Once your dough is spread, sprinkle more of the cinnamon and sugar mixture on the top. I put my pan in a cold oven and then set it to 400*.

   20 minutes later, they were done! I check mine by feel. I know if they are a little firm to the touch they are done. You could probably do the tooth pick thing and check it that way. Also don't forget that they will still cook a little once they are out since the pan stays hot.

   Wait for them to cool for a bit, cut them into bars and enjoy! These are a favorite for game nights or when having company over. You can cut them as big or as small as you'd like. Enjoy!

Cinnomon Rolls

   I don't know about you, but I don't think there are many things that are better than some ooey gooey homemade cinnamon rolls. They are very time consuming to make, about 3 hours start to finish, but the end result is well worth the time you put into making them. Especially if part of that end result is your kids jumping up and down with excitement because they get to eat them.

   Take a moment to enjoy the pictures. They were taken by a friend over at Pavement Ends Photography here in Las Vegas. If you're looking for someone, he takes amazing pictures!

   First, gather up your ingredients. For my recipe, you need the following:

  Dough: 1 cup milk, 2 eggs slightly beaten, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 cup sugar,1/4 cup room temperature butter, 4 cups flour, and 2.5 tsp yeast.

  Filling: 1/3 cup softened butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 3/4 cups raisins (optional)

  Icing: 3 oz room temperature cream cheese, 3 tbs room temperature butter, 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and a pinch of salt.

 

   Next, put all of the ingredients in your bread machine. Do them in the order they are on the list. Once it's been going for a few minutes, I like to check it. If it's too dry and a little more milk. If it's too sticky add a little flour. Make sure you scrape the four if there's any hiding in the corners.

 

   While you are waiting for that to finish, make your filling. Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix.

 

   When your dough is done, roll it out into a large rectangle.

 

   Spread your softened butter on your dough. I have found it's easiest to just use my hands. I smash it up a bit for easier spreading.

 

   Next, spread the filling over the buttered dough

   Roll up your dough starting on a long side.

   Cut into pieces. I find it's easiest to just keep cutting in halves.

   Place them in a a greased baking pan and cover. Let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. If you want them a bigger, let them raise longer. I like doing this as it makes them light and fluffy.

   After they are done rising, put them in a preheated 375* oven for 20-25 minutes. While they are baking, you can make your icing. Put all of your ingredients into a bowl and mix. Mine always ends up slightly lumpy unless I use a hand mixer.

   After they are done baking, let cool slightly then spread the icing on the top. It will melt a little and get some inside which is oh so good!

   Then the best part, enjoy!

 

   What are you waiting for? Go make some, you know you want to!

It's Taco Time!!!

My family loves tacos!  Over the last few years, I have developed a recipe for taco meat that EVERYONE in my family loves.  My recipe is a little unusual.  I use lean ground turkey instead of ground beef because I can’t eat beef due to an allergy (Insert happy cow sound here!).  Not only is it tasty, but it is also much lower in fat that your typical recipe made with ground beef. 

 

Here are the ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 packet taco seasoning of your choice
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 can of nonfat refried beans
• 1 cup chunky mild salsa

First, brown the ground turkey, drain, and return it to the pan. Then, stir the taco seasoning into the hot water and let it dissolve.  Pour the liquid into the ground turkey and stir.  Simmer until the water is gone (about 15 minutes).  Add the refried beans and salsa.  Stir and heat until bubbling.  THAT’S IT!  It is so quick and easy.  The refried beans are a yummy addition and make the increase recipe quantity.  It is like you are doubling the recipe without doubling the cost!!!! 

 

Since this is such an easy recipe, I often double it so we can have lunch leftovers throughout the week.  A great aspect of this recipe is that it can be used for more than just tacos! Of course, you can serve it with hard shell tacos or soft tortillas and all the toppings.  Add this recipe to a large tortilla with cheese and it makes a delicious burrito.  This also makes the best taco salad topping (my personal favorite).  It can even be used as just a tasty dip for tortilla chips!  I think the versatility of this recipe is why it is my family’s favorite.   The kids love that they can make their lunch or dinner however they want. 

Give this recipe a try when you get a chance!  If you are running short on time, this is a great option.  Just a note—it freezes well too.  You can freeze your extra batch for another quick dinner later on.  It only takes a few minutes to defrost.  Try freezing it in individual portions to be reheated as needed for weekend lunches or snacks. 

Here is my favorite way to enjoy this recipe.

Enchilada Casserole

   The other night I made a family favorite. I've had a couple people ask for the recipe, so here it is!

   Keep in mind, I always make a lot of food. I never know how much my growing  boys will eat, and I like left overs for lunch. I don't really have exact measurements and you can change the amounts to how much your family will eat.

   I like putting tortillas, meat, rice, corn, refried beans and cheese in my casserole. Here's how I do it.

   I start the rice first since it takes the longest. I used 4 cups water, 2 cups of rice. I add chicken tomato bullion (1 tsp per cup of water) instead of salt and I add a little garlic. I think this gives the rice a nice flavor.

   Next I cook the meat. I usually use hamburger but you can use what you like. This time I used a pound of hamburger, half of an onion, a can of green chilies, pepper, season salt, and cumin. I don't measure any of it. Just add however much you like. Cook it all together and drain it if needed.

 

   Warm up the refried beans if you are using them. It makes it a lot easier to spread. Plus this way it doesn't take as long to warm it all up at the end. I used a big can of refried beans, it was 31oz.

   Cook/warm up the corn. I used a pound of frozen corn.

   Get your tortillas and cut them into squares. I'm sure you can do strips or just cut them to fit in the pan. I like squares because it's easier to scoop it out.

   Take your casserole dish and pour in just enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom. I had a 21oz can of green sauce.

   Lay out the tortillas to cover the bottom.

   Spread out the meat over the tortillas

 

   Carefully add the beans. They will stick to the spoon and take the meat with it.

   Spread out the rice.

 

   Spread the corn.

   Add another layer of tortilla

   Pour the rest of the sauce carefully over the top

   Sprinkle cheese on top.

   Put in a 350* oven. Since everything is already cooked, you are mostly just heating it through and melting the cheese. I believe it took about 20-30 minutes since it was a lot of food. Once it's heated through, take it out of the oven and enjoy! You can top with sour cream, salsa or whatever you like on your enchiladas.

   This is one of the few meals that everyone (besides my picky 3 year old that reminds me every night that he "hates dinner" and doesn't want it) will eat a lot of. Most things there is someone that doesn't like it. I know when I make this, I won't be hearing complaints about not wanting it for dinner. They also like helping me make it. They lay out the tortillas while I'm cooking everything up. They enjoy helping out in the kitchen and dinner time is a great time to teach them how to cook.

   I hope you enjoy this as much as we do! What is your family favorite?

Homemade Rolls

   I was thinking about writing this first post as a little explanation of what this blog was going to be about. Telling you all about how it was going to be about things we enjoy doing. How I love to bake and crochet and pretend I'm crafty. About how I try to keep my kids entertained and how we love having game nights, both as a family and with friends. But then I realized, that's what the little about section is for on the side of the blog.

   Then I was debating what else it should be about. Then it hit me. Thanksgiving is coming up so maybe I would post about my favorite roll recipe. Its so easy! It came with my bread machine I got when we got married. It has become a family favorite. They have been named "Mamy Rolls" because when my niece was little she called me Mamy and they all loved my rolls.

 

 

   Seriously, what's not to love about that? I leave them out to raise for a couple hours if I have the time. It makes them so light and fluffy. That's my favorite!

 

   Ok, so onto the recipe. Here is a picture. As you can see, its well used. I love that it takes all of 10 minutes of actual work and then you have yummy hot bread fresh out of the oven.

 

 

Since it may be hard to read, here's what it says:

 

1 cup of milk

1/4 cup of butter, room temperature

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp bread machine yeast

 

At the end of the dough program, remove dough from the bread machine. Place on a floured counter. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Cut dough in half, then divide each half into 8 pieces. Place in greased pan. Let rise until almost double in size, 45 minutes. Bake at 375* for 15 to 20 minutes or until done.

 

That's it! Easy peasy!

 

Now for a few tips for baking:

 

   Make sure you add the ingredients in order. In this recipe the most important part is to not add the yeast until after you add the flour. Make a little pile of yeast right on top. It shouldn't mix into the liquid until it's mixing together. If you aren't using a bread machine, the order is a little different.

 

   When measuring flour, hold the measuring cup in one hand and use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup. Don't shake it or tap it to even it out. Fill it up until you have a nice pile in the middle. Use the flat side of a butter knife and push that extra right back into the four container. This way it keeps the flour from getting packed in and causing your recipe to have too much flour in it and it wont dry it out.

 

   Once the dough has mixed in the machine for a minute or two, check it. If it's dry, add milk (or water depending on the recipe) a little at a time and wait for it to mix in before adding in more. It should form into a ball but it shouldn't be thumping around. If it's too wet and sticking to the sides, add a little bit of flour at a time and wait for it to mix in. It should be in a ball but not sounding sticky and wet while it's mixing in. It should be in a nice ball shape and be rolling around the edges while it's getting mixed.

 

I hope you enjoy your rolls. I know I sure do!