baked ziti

mmm.... cold leftover pasta

some foods are real winners.  this is one of them because....

1.  it's quick and easy

2.  inexpensive ingredients

3.  i almost always have the ingredients on hand

4.  healthy

     and most importantly...

5.  every single family member, including the picky ones, eat every bite on their plate.  woo-hoo!

the picture makes it look gross, i know!  but trust me it's good, or trust my kids who love it.   now THAT'S saying something.

baked ziti (or penne, or rotini, or elbows)

2 T olive oil

1/2 c onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 15 (oz) crushed tomatoes

2 T tomato paste

1/4 tsp salt

a couple of twists of fresh cracked pepper

1/2 c fresh basil (don't go trying to sub in dried for this, it's just not the same)

16 ox box of ziti, cooked-or whatever shaped pasta you have on hand.  i prefer to use the wheat pasta and even though the boxes are smaller in weight i just use the one box anyways.

8 oz shredded mozzarella

1/4 c parmesan

saute onion in oil over medium to soften.  add garlic and cook for one minute.  stir in next 5 ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.  add basil.

combine ziti and sauce and pour in a 11x7 casserole dish.  sprinkle with cheeses.  bake 20-25 minutes at 375.    sometimes i add in some spicy italian sausage if i'm feeling crazy, you'd need to upsize your baking dish to a 13x9 if you do.

it freezes well and tastes great as leftovers.  when i'm making the sauce it's super easy to throw in some steamed, blended vegetables to boost the nutritional value too.  i try to keep some on hand in the freezer.  i cook the vegetables and freeze them in ice cube trays so i can easily sneak them in.

make this for dinner!

i had a pork loin thawed out yesterday, but i was looking for a different way to cook it then i usually do.  so i headed over to foodgawker.  (have you checked that place out?  i have a huge list of foods i want to cook!)  i found this lovely recipe.  i had to pin that bad boy.

seriously, bacon wrapped pork.  you CAN NOT go wrong, right?  it was so juicy and flavorful.  everyone loved it, even my little girl who could be known as "the world's pickiest eater."  no, your child has not won that award...my daughter totally owns it.

i just served it with green beans and some rolls i had picked up and were surprisingly good.  i was supposed to have rice to serve with it. but apparently i pulled the rice out, brought broth to boil, and then put the rice back up in the pantry.  did you miss what i did?   i didnt' add the rice to the broth!  i didn't notice until i went to spoon the rice on the plates.  i know think my mind is turning to mush.

anyways, go make it.  you won't be sorry.  we loved it.  (you can follow the pin link above to find the recipe.)

Baked Potato Soup

i love when the weather turns cooler and i'm able to make warm and comforting soups for dinner.  unfortunately, when i planned this weeks menu i didn't check the weather report. (i mean, why would i? right?)  that meant even though today turned to a nice warm mid-70ish, my family was going to have to eat the baked potato soup I had planned for tonight.

and, no, i didn't want to rearrange my dinner schedule...tomorrow is supposed to be warm too.  so we dealt with it.  luckily 4 out of 5 of us like the soup.  (the one doesn't like to eat anything, so she just has to deal with it.)

i have no idea where the recipe came from originally, but it is the best potato soup EVER!  i've tried many different recipes, but this one is so good.  now i'm sharing the deliciousness with you, you lucky thing.  one important note, is that it's best served the day of.  it doesn't freeze well.  but if you really do insist on freezing it, or  plan on having leftovers then do NOT add the sour cream in until you eat it.  trust me on this one.  the sour cream turns into just pure grossness when you reheat the soup.

Baked Potato Soup
makes approx. 10 cups

4 large baking potatoes
2/3 c butter
2/3 c flour
6 c milk
3/4 tsp salt or more to taste
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar (or colby jack would be yummy!)
12 slices bacon (yes 12)
4 green onions, chopped  (just the green parts)
8 oz sour cream

bake potatoes @400 for 1 hour, or until done.  cool, and then scoop out the pulp.  mash any large pieces but don't smash like your making mashed potatoes.  you want to leave something to sink your teeth into.

melt butter in large pot over low heat.  whisk in flour until smooth, gradually add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened.  stir in potatoes, salt, pepper, 1 c cheese, 1/2 c bacon, 2 T green onions.  cook, but don't boil!  stir in sour cream, but again DON'T boil.  use the remaining cheese, bacon, and green onions as garnish.

so stinking good.

the crackers are from whole foods.  so much better than the traditional round, buttery crackers you find in most stores.  plus, they do not contain any types of partially hydrogenated oils, unlike the other one.  check the ingredient list.

and don't you love the soup bowls?  they are so pretty.  i love the little cracker pocket.  they make me happy.

homemade pesto

my little backyard garden is pretty poorly this year.  so sad.  the only things that are growing great are my herbs, one of which is basil.   we use a lot of pesto in this house so i wanted to make some fresh pesto with all my basil.  easy-peasy.

2 cups fresh basil

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

toss it all together in your food processor.  give it a good whirl and you're done.  see?  told you it was easy peasy.  freeze your pesto in ice cube trays or small containers if you won't use it right away.

we use pesto all the time when we make pizza.  it's also good topped on a baked potato or mixed with fresh pasta for a simple and quick weeknight meal.

i've made it twice now.  i place my first batch in the fridge anticipating a chance to use it the next day.  i went to bed early that night because i was sick.  i remembered hearing a crash and something breaking in the kitchen where my husband was, but i was too tired to get out of bed to investigate.  the next morning i realized what it was...all my fresh pesto.  bummer.  luckily my basil has been growing so well i was able to make another batch.

Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas

I kinda got lazy in the kitchen over the past several months. You know, I fixed the same ole' same ole'. Baked chicken, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, beef tips, and blah, blah, blah.  I was tired of cooking and I KNOW the family was tired of eating!

This year, or at least for this month, I've been trying to cook new recipes and introduce new flavors. This one is a keeper!  Well, 3 out of 5 said yes.  But my daughter doesn't eat anything that's not a fruit or a bread, and the baby follows her lead.  Frustrating.  Anyways, here's something to try for dinner tonight.

Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas

1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts, flattened
12 oz bottle of chili sauce
4 chipotle chilies & 1 T sauce from a 7 oz can
1/4 c lime juice
1/3 c molasses
1/3 c brown sugar (I know that's a lot of sweetners!!)
1/2 c vinegar
onion, chopped
oil
16 fajita tortillas
pepper-jack cheese, shredded
sour cream

Process chili sauce, chipotles, adobo sauce, and lime juice until smooth.  Use to marinate chicken 1-2 hours.

Remove chicken, scraping off marinade to reserve.  Boil marinade with molasses, brown sugar, and vinegar for at least 4 minutes.

Cook chicken and onion over medium/medium-high heat until onion is soft and chicken is done.  Shred chicken and combine with 1/2 cup of sauce.

Top one half of tortilla with a little cheese, some chicken, and then a little more cheese. Fold tortilla over and brown both sides in skillet over medium-high heat with just a little oil to keep it from sticking.

Serve with sour cream and reserved sauce.  Your welcome!

 Okay, I can't take pictures of food to save my life.  It might look a little..."blech" in the picture, but trust me they were delicious!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I love butternut squash soup!  But, no one else in the family does.  I don't know what's wrong with them.  Instead of forcing it down their throats at dinner amidst crying and whining I made some just for me.  It's SO good.   A perfect fall recipe that's much better than you can buy in the store.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Cut 1 medium squash in half and remove seeds.  Place flesh side down in a roasting pan drizzled with olive oil.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until it's nice and tender.

Let it cool enough so that you can touch it and scoop out the pulp into a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Totally reminded me of baby food!

Pour into a pot over medium low heat and add about 2 cups of chicken broth.  Make sure it's GOOD broth, homemade is preferable.  Make sure not to pour too much broth in or you'll have to add some cornstarch to thicken it back in, I know this from experience.  I also added in about a 1/2 cup of milk and 2 T of butter to make it a little creamy.  I read somewhere to blend in cream cheese and I'm totally trying that next time.

Once you get the right consistency, it's time to play with the spices!  I used salt, pepper, ginger, and garlic powder to taste (I didn't think to use real garlic until I was almost done!).  You could try nutmeg, red pepper or curry powder.  Then just dish it up.  I'm going to freeze the remaining soup in portion sizes so I can break up the stay at home mom lunch monotony.

Don't you just LOVE my soup mug!!  I love the cracker pocket!

Lunch box Solution- Homemade Hummus

Do y'all get in a lunch box rut at your house?  I wish I could pretend school lunches were super healthy and inexpensive and just send them to school everyday eating the cafeteria food.  But I can't.  Even if I did, the kids wouldn't eat everything that is fixed anyways.  So, nearly everyday I find myself preparing lunches for one kid who doesn't eat sandwiches (!) and another who only eats fruit.  I've never encouraged this level of picky-ness, I believe it comes from their father's side of the family.  :)  I lay no claim to that part of their personalities.

My oldest, Caleb, the non-sandwich, non-fruit kid does like hummus, though.  I whipped a batch today to put in his lunch with some crackers for something different.  Because while he eats more variety than my daughter, he doesn't want to eat the same thing too often unlike Natalie who will gladly eat the same three fruits day in and day out.  He gets that from my husband, he really does.  Ask anyone who knows us.

The hummus is SO good and it's terribly good for him.  With the protein and fiber from the garbanzo beans, the oh-so-good for you olive oil, garlic, and fresh lemon juice, I can feel good about sending him to school with this in his lunch.  

Lunch box Hummus

3 cloves of garlic
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained
2 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
dash of hot sauce
2 T olive oil

Mince garlic in food processor.  Add beans and next 4 ingredients, processing until smooth.  With food processor running, slowly pour oil through shoot.  Blend until smooth.

Easy wasn't it?!  Serve with crackers or pita bread.  It takes no time to prepare and I paid $1 for the beans (they were organic, so a little on the pricier side), everything else I had on hand.  There's a good 4-5 servings made from this, so not bad  I say.  I just had some for lunch, so I'm not really sure how long it will last.  For crying out loud, I could whip this up while the kids eat breakfast just in time for the lunch box packing!  Easy and healthy, which makes this mama happy.

*Yes, you can just buy hummus in the store.  However, I prefer to know what is in my food whenever feasible.  I also like this version better without the tahini paste.  Plus, this is less expensive than store bought and taste better.  One day I will find a cracker recipe we all like, until then I bend and hand out store bought processed crackers.*

Pizza Sauce

We are some makers of homemade pizza around here.  I love some delivery from time to time and nothing beats a Mellow Mushroom pizza in my opinion, they are THE best.  But to save on some money, we try and make a lot our pizza.  I thought I'd help curb the cost by going a bit further and whipping up some canned pizza sauce.  (ahem)

Whip it up...what was I thinking?!  It took ALL DAY LONG!

Luckily, I had a handsome helper to chop tomatoes and lovely babysitter to watch the littlest one.

time saver!  teach your kids knife skills young!

At first it was easy.  Just cut your tomatoes up, pop them through the blender, as well as some sautéed onions, green peppers and garlic.  Find your biggest pot in the house to simmer the tomatoes in, as well as all our spices you would normally put in for pizza sauce.  Seems simple right?

The problem is that it took SO STINKIN' LONG to simmer down to a thick pizza sauce.  Even after four hours it was still to watery!!  After that, I added like 3 cans of tomato paste and let it simmer another 2 hours before it was worthy of being called pizza sauce.  SIX hours!  I started early, but it wasn't until after the kids were all in bed before I could can them!!!  Even then, I gave up and just put a bunch of cans in the freezer.

But it's done and we have enough pizza sauce to last us until next spring probably and the box of tomatoes only cost us $10.

there's more towards the back and in the freezer

My favorite crust:
1 3/4 c flour ( I mix white and wheat)
2 1/4 tsp yeast
Italian Seasoning to taste
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
6T warm milk
6T warm water

Combine all ingredients and knead about 8-10 minutes.  Rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour.  Bake @375.
I use my bread machine to make this in which is a time saver.  This is enough for one large pizza, I usually double it for my crowd.  Except don't double the yeast, I just increase it to 1 T.

The best part of a good pizza, spread a dollop of pesto onto the crust before adding your sauce.  But that's just my little secret between you and me!

Blueberry Jam

***If you look to your right, you'll see some super cute jam labels you can download made just for your blueberry jam.  I'm thinking Father's Day Gift! ****

Yes, I know everyone in blogland seems to be making strawberry jam.  And yes, I made my strawberry jam already this year.  I even tried it without pectin, too!   A first for me, and then it turned out to be HARD as a rock…think hard caramels that pull out your teeth.  But, no fear I did it again with more strawberries and now I have nice soft-set jam. :)

But, I think it’s time we think outside of the jelly jar and make something besides strawberry jam!  Who’s with me?  (please, tell me that’s not crickets I hear!)  I made me some blueberry jam and I think you should try it, too.  How’s that for bossiness?

First you need to get all your “stuff” ready.  Sterilize 6 pt jars and their rings and then I like to keep them in hot water until they’re ready to be used in my kitchen sink along with the lids.  Get a big pot of hot water a’boiling.  Make sure the water is deep enough to have 1 inch of water overtop the jars.
Take 3 pts of fresh picked blueberries, give them a nice shower and make sure to remove all the little stems.  Otherwise you might find a surprise one morning eating your bread and jam.   (I LOVE that book!)
Using a handy potato masher, squish up your blueberries inside a pot until there nice and smooshy.   Don’t turn it into juice though, we want to keep some bits of blueberries.  That’s what makes it jam after all.

Combine those crushed blueberries, a little pat of butter (to   reduce foaming), and a box of pectin in a large pot on the stove, bring to a hard rolling boil while you stir constantly.  You can also stir in a little cinnamon.  So delicious that way, but unfortunately I forgot this time.  Oh well, next year!
Stir in 4 cups of sugar, you can also use honey I just haven’t tried it yet.  While stirring the whole time, bring the jam back to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly one minute.  You can test your jam by placing a bit on a plate and placing it in the freezer.  After a couple of minutes, check it and see if it’s  “jammy” enough for you.  Make sure, though, that you remove your jam from the heat during testing.

Oh so carefully, pour your jam into your jars leaving 1/8 in headroom, or space at the top.  Wipe your jars clean, add a lid and then a band.  Once you fill all your jars, carefully lower them into the boiling water.  Bring back to a boil and process for about 10 minutes.  Remove jars and place towels underneath and on top of your jars so they don’t crack in the cool air conditioning of your home.  Then listen for the poppity-pops of the lids telling you their being sealed.  Once they’re cool, you can press down on the center of the lid to make sure they don’t bounce back.  Love the sound of  jars popping!

Reading and Lemonade

I have been reading some books lately!  I really hope I can remember which books I’ve read actually because there’s been so many.   Nothing irritates me more than to get some new books from the library, or heaven forbid to actually BUY a book all to discover later that I had already READ the book!

1.  Ghost Story by Peter Straubb
My in-laws are in the process of moving and gave me a whole gaggle of books they no longer needed.  I’m talking a FREAKING lot of books. :)  I couldn’t have  been more happier if she had brought me a bags full of fabric to play in.  So that’s why I read this book.  I don’t normally read scary books or watch scary movies.  They affect my WHOLE day, I just can’t do it.  At first I thought this book was slow and not at all terrifying.  By the time I got to the end of the book, I was simply skimming because I didn’t want to get to wrapped up in it!  It was just so stinking depressing, all those people died!  Now look, I spoiled the book for you.  Oh well.  I read it, I didn’t enjoy it, but I read it.

2.  The Field Guide to Burying Your Parents
Loved this one.  Who knew a book about burying your parents could actually hold so much humor?!  Don’t be scared off by the title, it’s not all macabre.  I LOVED it!

3.  More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey
We’re huge Dave fans around here.  We are some financial peace enjoying people, let me tell you.  So much so my son thinks he’s brainwashed us.  But he’s just mad we got rid of cable and refuse to buy a new tv to replace our old one that only sometimes work.  Nor are we willing to replace our microwave.  You just have to pop the door back on when you want to use it and we rarely use it anyways.  Great book, great principles, I say  vote Dave Ramsey for President.

4.  Rereading Nourishing Traditions
Yes, I loved it so much and I just had to get it again from the library.

5.  Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult
It’s by Jodi Picoult, of course I LOVED it!  Need I say more?

6.  All this and Heaven too by Rachel Field
This was another one from my in-laws and oh my dear goodness was it ever fantastic!!  I actually stopped midway through the I Jodi Picoult book just to read this one.  That is how good this was!  It was written in the 1930s I believe and is a true account of the authors aunt which I didn’t realize until the end of the story.  Put this one on your list!  Love, love,  love it!
Sit outside with on a warm sunny day with a good book in one hand and a glass of lemonade in the other.  And I’m not talking about that nasty powdered drink mix or lemonade from a bottle.  That stuff is just plain wrong.  I’m talking about MY lemonade.

Take 3 good sized lemons and roll them firmly with the palm or your hand on the countertop to release the juices and pulp.    Cut in half and juice them ‘til they’re dry! :)  In a 2 qt. pitcher combine the juice, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and mix half way with hot water.  Not cold, not warm, HOT water.  Stir until sugar melts and then continue to filling pitcher with more hot water and give it a good stir.  Yes you have to wait until it chills to enjoy it, but the best things in life are worth waiting for!  (A little life lesson thrown in there. )

And yes, I know that you can boil the sugar and water together, but it’s just an extra step that’s not needed.   And I’m all for eliminating the unnecessary.

Eat you heart out

Seriously, don't you just WISH you could make Valentine cookies are lovely as mine!  Don't deny it, you KNOW that these are the most artfully created cookies EVER!

Okay, okay, okay.  I wish I could say these were decorated by my 5 year old, but, sadly, me wielding a pastry bag is NOT a pretty sight.  But, my kids love them.  Especially the baby, whose little hand kept creeping up to the counter top.

These are cookies are not very sweet which is why I added the buttercream icing.  I think these would equally as heavenly sandwiched with Nutella in between.  Is anyone else absolutely addicted to that stuff??!!  I can eat that by the spoonful!

Rolled Chocolate Cookies

Um, yes, usually this is where I would put the recipe.  But, uh, I can't find it all of a sudden!  Really I typed the title, then went to look for the recipe and it apparently walked away.   Okay, if and when I find it I'll post it!


Found it!
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 c butter
2/3 c sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3 c flour
Cream butter, stir in sugar, egg and vanilla.  Add remaining ingredients.  Roll thin (or thick if you like yours soft like me!), but and bake in 400 degree oven for 8-10 min.

Ginger Mound Cookies

Oh, so yummy. Don't hate me when you make these.

3/4 c shortening
1 c sugar
1/4 c molasses
1/4 c yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice

Cream shortening and sugar together. Stir in molasses, yogurt, and vanilla. Combine remaining dry ingredients and add into wet ingredients in 3 portions. Chill dough 1 hour. Form walnut size balls and dip into granulated sugar. Bake @ 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Cookie Recipe...Chocolate Snaps

First off, there is no way I can make this a weekly thing like I first planned! :) But anyways.

I was hoping to show you pictures of this cookie, because it's so pretty. However, they were all ate...ahem. So, I'll show a picture of some beautiful tea towels instead.

1/2 c shortening
1 2/3 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 T milk
1/3 c powdered sugar
Cream shortening with sugar. Blend in eggs, vanilla, and chocolate mixing thoroughly. Sift together dry ingredients and add in alternating with milk. Chill for 4-6 hours. Form into small balls and dip in powdered sugar. Bake @ 375 for 12-15 min.

Enjoy!

a happy, happy birthday

My littlest one turned one yesterday. (sniffle, sniffle, snuck) I tried so hard to get a cute pic of the three kids on his birthday.

That's as good as it got. :)

And I made the. best. cake. ever. I tried to get a picture of it before it was cut. But I think I like this realistic shot better of the cake in all it's yummy glory.

I used this icing recipe. So good, it uses marshmallow fluff! And then this cake recipe. The clincher was that I was short about 1/2 cup or so of cocoa powder so I substituted with a chocolate pudding mix to make up the difference. It was so incredibly moist!

And I just ate a piece right now.

Cookie of the Week...Chocolate Oatmeal Balls

The kids are home sick with walking pneumonia. So they are sick enough to stay home from school, but they don't seem sick enough to stop fighting and bickering with one another. Yeah, fun times here.

I thought I'd try and sweeten them up by making cookies. Which they were very appreciative of!

I figured why not share the love and blog the recipe. Then I thought, hey, let's take it a step further and share a cookie recipe once a week. Okay, I can't promise it'll be once a week, I mean i DO have 3 kids and am desperately trying to lose the baby weight after this last one. (It's amazing what 3 super large kids can do to a body. And I mean that not in a good way.)

So, here's the first one.

3/4 c shortening
1 c brown sugar
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c milk
1 1/2 c rolled oats

Cream shortening until soft. Blend in sugar gradually. Add chocolate, blending well. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk and vanilla. Stir in rolled oats. Use your hands to knead them in, if need be. Form into walnut size balls and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

What's for dinner tonight?

Well, okay, so we had this last night, but you know what I mean! This is is such a simple marinade for chicken I found on the internet the other day. (please forgive, but I can't for the life of me remember exactly where!)

4 chicken breasts
1/2 c buttermilk
2 T fresh chopped dill
2 T lemon juice
1 T zest
3 cloves garlic minced

Marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight and then grill. Delicious!

Blueberry Bliss

If you're not fortunate to live or to have lived in the South, you might not understand me when I say "gotta, wanna, needa, geeta, hava...Bojangles!" I know, I know fast food is not good for and all that jazz, but on the occasion I do like to grab a quick bite. Now, I don't get excited about a McDonalds or a Burger King or anything like that, but there is something about chicken biscuit, seasoned fries and a big sweet tea from Bojangles. That pure Delight with a captial "D". They also have this delcious confection called a BoBerry Biscuit. My daughter and I decided to try and whip us up a batch of our blueberry bliss biscuits.

And they were so good.

We could have ate the whole plateful, but my 4 year old told me we would get sick if we did! So sadly we restrained ourselves. :) I'm going to tell you the way we made them, and then I'll tell you what I'll do next time.

2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c butter
3/4 c milk, more if neccesary
1 c or so of frozen blueberries

Cut the butter into the 1st three ingredients until crumbly. Add milk, stirring just until moistened. Add 1 cup frozen blueberries, I think fresh would be too delicate for the thicked biscuit dough. Gently work them in. I didn't knead the biscuit dough because I was afraid that kneading on top of working in the blueberries would make my biscuits tough. Pat dough to 1/2 in thickness and cut out using a 2 in biscuit cutter. Bake on ungreased sheet @400 for 12 minutes or just until golden. Let cool for a moment and then drizzle with glaze.
Glaze:
1 c powdered sugar
1 1/2 T milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Next time I will switch half the flour for cake flour and maybe add 1 T sugar to the dough. I think they would be equally as yummy with sliced strawberries!

dinner tonight...

First off, I simply CAN NOT believe how long it's been since I posted. We've just been so busy around here. Even now, I'm having to type this out one handed with a baby on my hip!

Meal planning is often quoted by moms as a difficult task. A lot of times it's because they haven't planned at all. I believe in tackling it head on by stocking your freezer and writing down your meals. So often you can double your recipes; marinate twice as much meat, double that casserole, or simply freeze leftovers for another week. It's also important to WRITE down what's for dinner. Whether you jot it down a week, two weeks, or a month in advance, you will know what needs to be taken out of the fridge to thaw or what needs to be picked up at the store.

I personally plan all my meals in advance. When I first heard of people doing this I thought they were crazy! But, I was desperate to eliminate one thing from the daily hassle once I started selling at my etsy shop. I dove right in about a year ago or so and love it! I plan out my meals for the month and all the things I need from the store. Then on Saturday I put Dad in charge, and I get to cooking. Sometimes all I have to do is heat it up, others I have all the prep work done and only have to spend minimal time cooking.

One things I make nearly every month is Macaroni and Cheese because everyone loves mine. So I thought I'd share it with ya'll. Want to make it healthier? Add pureed cauliflower orsweet potatoes, just be careful not to add to much that will alter the flavor. I added cauliflower that had been cooked and merely chopped one time thinking it would look like the pasta. Um, no. The kids and hubby picked up on it right away.

Over medium heat, combine 1/3 c. of butter and flour stirring until melted and smooth. Add 3 cups milk and heat, stirring, until thickened. To that add 1/2 c sour cream and 4 oz of cream cheese. (Don't count the calories.)
 Add 2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Stir in 4 cups of sharp cheddar cheese and 1/2 Parmesan cheese. Use good quality cheese, it really does make a difference. Mix with 1 lb of cooked elbow pasta. Bake in a greased 3 qt dish at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Delicious!

Mmm...Soup

I made the best soup last night! It's actually quite cold here in NC this week, so I'm taking advantage of the weather and making soup to warm us up. It's so good, I wanted to share it with you. I did add a secret ingredient, though. I'm desperate to add more vegetables to my family's diet, so I sneak it in whenever possible. They never noticed the chunks of cauliflower I added. :)

Sausage and Bean Soup
3/4 lb ground sausage
onion chopped to your desired amount
garlic clove minced
can of baby butter beans, drained
can of black beans, drained
14.5 oz can of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
14.5 oz can of beef broth
1 T fresh basil, minced
1 T. Parmesan cheese

Brown sausage with onion and garlic, drain. Add next 5 ingredients and simmer 10 min., sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

mmm... Granola

I love homemade granola. And it's so easy to make.
Here's my recipe: (it makes a lot, but it freezes really well)

Mix together in large bowl:
8 cups oatmeal
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1-1 1/2 c wheat germ
1 c of your favorite chopped nuts (I used almonds today)
1 T cinnamon

Bring to bubbly in pan:
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c honey or maple syrup or combination
1 T vanilla

Pour liquid over oatmeal mixture and bake at 300 degrees for 30 min.
If the oatmeal mixture seems a little dry, add in some more oil and honey.

Oh so yummy!
My daughter's hand sneaking a bite!