Updating

I'll be posting all this week about food.
Just getting my act together!

My baby eating an egg-free, soy-free, milk-free, peanut-free cupcake on his 2-year birthday.

A Change

I love a little change in the meal planning during the week.
Not a change once I've already started preparing the meal, mind you, but a change that I know about ahead of time is always fun. 
This week I'd planned to make a roast for last night.
But I was reminded a few days ahead of time that my mother-in-law was taking my boys to the local circus in town and then out for pizza.
So, I scratched the roast plan and decided to just eat leftovers with My Man.
I forgot that the older two boys had football practice.
So, during the circus, my sister-in-law had to grab the older two and whisk them out so she could get the boys to practice.
They didn't really appreciate not getting to see the whole show.
But football is football and playoffs are coming up and there would be no missing practice.
Once the circus was over, my mother-in-law took the younger two boys to get pizza.
Thankfully, the circus lasted longer than expected and the big boys were just finishing up practice.
So....we all met there to eat dinner!
It wasn't really planned and we had to wait a little while for the pizzas to be ready (Gramma had only ordered two since she thought it would only be her grandboys joining her), but all was good!
She even gave them quarters to get lovely trinkets out of the machines.
Once full, we headed home for showers and bedtime.
I kind of like changes in the meal planning.
Especially if they include ME not cooking - though I love it - who doesn't like a break every once in a while?

Pumpkin Spice Cake

I got this recipe off of Annie's Eats.  She's a doctor with a lot of time on her hands and has one child.  So, most of her recipes are pretty fancy and she throws fun, over-the-top parties for her friends.  Did I say she has a lot of time on her hands?  I thought doctors work all the time.  But she doesn't so I don't know.  However, I've tried quite a few of her recipes and haven't been dissapointed.  They aren't super easy recipes though.

This is a pumpkin spice cake with maple cream.

It had a bajillion steps.

I thought it tasted "professional" and rich.

The boys thought it was okay.

They didn't love it and there were way too many steps to make it again if the reaction I got wasn't filled with "ooohs and aahhhs." 

The cake tasted like exactly what it's called, pumpkin and spice.

It's a two-layer cake with a layer of maple cream in the center.

Ohhhh, how good it was!

The maple cream is mostly butter and the frosting is mostly butter, brown sugar, vanilla and powdered sugar.

It was sooooo good!

So, go check out her blog!

She has fun ideas and her cupcakes are amazing!

Touchdown Taco Dip

This dip is one I got from a friend from my MOPS group (though I think it is a Pampered Chef recipe).

It's soooo good and always a big hit, especially at super bowl parties!

Sour cream, cream cheese, garlic and taco seasoning.

Mix it up and spread it on some refried beans.

Cover the whole things with shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Amazing!

On the Back...

On the back of a Velveeta box is a recipe for a dip.

It's right next to the Ultimate Mac and Cheese recipe.

I never would have tried it if not for a friend of mine making it and bringing it to a gathering I once went to long ago.

It's awesome!

The cast:

frozen, thawed spinach

velveeta

cream cheese

rotel

cooked, crumbled bacon

Melt it all in the microwave and serve with tortilla chips.

Seriously good!

Now I made it for gatherings (in the Crock-Pot) and of course, the Superbowl.

Pumpkin Trifle

When it's Fall, not only do I make 50 different kinds of soups and stews, I also try to find 50 ways to use pumpkin.

One of the faves around here is my pumpkin trifle.

It's a recipe I got  from a fellow mom who brought it to a playdate back when I only had two kids.

And did things like HOST playdates, paint, use Play-doh and make crafts.

Ha.

That doesn't happen now.

But this trifle is really awesome and when I make it, I remember fondly all of those educational things I did with my older two. 

They'll probably be the smartest.

But I breastfed the other three longer so maybe it will all equal out?

Annnnywhoooo...

Start out by preparing a box of instant vanilla pudding (big box).

Mix in a big can of pumpkin pie mix (filling).

1/3 cup brown sugar.

Cinnamon to taste.

Prepare a spice cake.

They layer the pudding mix, spice cake, Cool-Whip.

Repeat.

Repeat.

H.E.A.V.E.N.

Vegetable Beef Stew

Now that it's officially FALL, I am getting my soup, stew and chowder recipes out.

I love to make these because they are simple and usually only require one pot to clean.

One of the staples in our house is beef vegetable stew.

My mom made it a lot growing up and every time she came to stay after having a FALL-time baby, she made this for us at least once.

So easy, so good and so healthy.

Start off by browning some stew meat in butter.

I use a LOT of stew meat because I have five men to feed and they are hungry.

You could flour the stew meat first, but I don't.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour in an entire jug of vegetable juice or tomato juice.

I like to use vegetable juice simply because it's a great way to get a serving of vegetables into my kids.

But honestly, they both taste the same.

Bay leaf is a must here.

Now let that come to a boil and simmer for a good while.

The longer it simmers, the more tender the meat will become.

Then add 1-2 cans of green beans (with juice).

And a bag (yes a bag) of sliced carrots.

I use only fresh carrots.

Canned carrots kind of taste gross.

And add 3-4 small/medium sized potatoes.

And I didn't get a picture of this, but also add in a bag of frozen corn.

You could use fresh, but that would require more work than I have time for.

After adding the fresh vegetables, allow it to come back up to a boil, then simmer for another good while.

Lid on.

This allows the carrots and potatoes to become tender and take on the flavor of the stew.

I like to serve this with cornbread.

I have a great recipe from my dear friend's mom.

Maybe I'll post about that someday.

So easy.

*If you're in a hurry, you could add canned carrots and canned potatoes.  It would lessen the cooking time significantly but may not taste the best.  (My opinion of course).

A Different Kind of Guac.

Last year, around Christmas, our church had a ladies night.

I went for many reasons but a big one was for the food.

You may not know this but we Baptist woman can, ahem (don't wanna toot my own horn here but), we can COOK!

I knew there would be good food and I couldn't pass it up!

Aside from the food, it's very important to surround yourself with fellow women of faith.

To grow, to hold each other accountable to what God has called us to do, to encourage, to serve.

One of the dishes I saw as I went through the line was a guacomole dip that looked different than any I'd ever seen before.

I did what any normal woman would do.

I screamed out my joy over the dip and begged to know who had made it and then cornered her until she gave me the recipe.

So, here it is.

What?  I'm not a bully.

You start out with 1-2 zucchini.

Dice and roast at 375 for 20 minutes.

The secret ingredient!

A pomegranite (sp?)

Oops, I didn't take all the pics I'd planned but here's the finished product.

Two avacados, mushed.

One clove garlic.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Add in the pomegranite and cooled zucchini.

I'm serious.

It's awesome!

We eat it with Fritos big scoop chips.

The one catch is that pomegranites are a seasonal fruit.

So, we went all Spring and Summer without it.

But last week I found them out at a local grocery store.

YAY!

Mummy Munch

My oldest boy likes to help in the kitchen, occasionally.

I found this really fun recipe called Mummy Munch online and he was reading it over my shoulder.

He asked if he could make it together and I agreed.

So, as we got started, I realized that I'd like to record this memory in photos and told him to smile.

He said, "Here, let me get cute first."

(Eat your heart out girls)

So, in the blue bowl above, this is what you've got.

Now, somehow my pics got out of order but you melt some white chocolate bark and mix it up in the cereal mixture.  Once everything is coated, pour it onto a cookie sheet lined with something like parchment, wax paper or my personal fave, a Silpat.

With a wooden spoon (I dk why it has to be wooden) spread the mixture out evenly.

You might have noticed above that the first mixture had peanuts in it.

And you might already know that #3 is ALLERGIC.

So, we made a special Mummy Munch just for him!

Here's his all spread out in the pan.

Okay, here's that pic that was out of order.  This is the white chocolate in the first mixture as my strong little guy tries to mix it up.

And here's that first mixture all spread out in the pan.

Once the munch has had time to harden, you break it up into chunks and disperse into little cupcake liners.

So incredibly cute!

#3's all had the Happy Halloween stick so he knew which were HIS!

This was so easy and fun!

I think all of the boys would have enjoyed making this with Mom but one-on-one time is a rarity with my kids so it was perfectly fun with only one child helping.

If you want to see it made on another blog, I found this on Picky Palet.

Garlic Shrimp

One of the staples I buy when I make my monthly trip to Costco is a big bag of frozen shrimp!

I get the raw shrimp that is already shelled for me (tails are still on).

My family loves shrimp sauteed in butter and garlic.

Sprinkle a litte parmesan, salt and pepper when it's cooked and call it good!

Serve over spaghetti noodles or if you're more "la-ti-da" use linguine.

PS - if you're feeling really crazy, you can pour in about 1/4 cup of cream.

Lasagna

Something my family loves is my lasagna.

It's so simple and easy.

I make it about once every two weeks.

I don't do anything fancy, mind you.

My kids don't like "busy" foods.

Here's the cast.

*Note* - on this particular day, I had Garozzo's sugo sauce in the pantry.  I love their sauce!  But I usually just saute some garlic in olive oil and pour in two cans of crushed tomatoes to make my own sauce.

Brown up some hamburger and mix it with the sauce

Layer it in the bottom of a 9x13.

Top with a mixture of cottage cheese, mozzerella and parmesan (plus some italian seasoning, salt and pepper).

(I don't use eggs in my cheese mixture, though some do)

Depending on how crazy you want to get, you can repeat the layering 2-3 times.

Sprinkle extra parmesan on top.

Bake 350 for 30-45 minutes, covered with foil until the last 10 minutes of cooking time.

My boys like it served with garlic breadsticks and broccoli.

Ok, I lie.

They don't like the broccoli.

But the breadsticks are a hit!

What Did You Have For Breakfast?

Remember a few days ago when I made the PW Chocolate Chip sweet rolls?

Well, I used the leftover dough to make PW's cinnamon rolls with maple icing.

Fab-u-lus!

When my children grow up, this is one of the things I hope they remember their mommy baking for them and request them when they come home from college.

P-Dub and RR

Pioneer Woman's ginger steak (with dressing) and Rachael Ray's fried rice.

Seriously, you could have ordered this in a restaurant.

Amazingly good!

The meal was a bit too busy for my boys.

So I whipped up some awesome frozen pizza for them!

But oh, how My Man and I enjoyed this wonderfulness!

I think you can find both recipes on PW's website and Food Network's website.

Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies...

are...

wonderful...

and...

heavenly...

and...

I...

might...

have...

eaten...

eight...

of...

them...

in...

two...

minutes.

This is a new recipe I found online but they all seem the same pretty much.

Basic cookie ingredients and then some pumpkin, cinnamon and fresh grated nutmeg.

The icing is a maple, brown sugar, powdered sugar, milk concoction.

They were really awesome!