Oops

Well I didn't post my menu for this week and guess what?  I didn't take a single picture of my preparations either! 

I know you are devastated.

So, today is Friday and it's an Early Dismissal for my children. 

They are inviting two more kids over to play this afternoon (God help me).

I'm going to have a pizza here for them to tear into when they get off the bus.

The oldest boy has football practice tonight and we might be going to the Rooster football game.

Hopefully, I won't be required to prepare a meal tonight.

I'll let you know!

Lemon Chicken

This is my children's absolute favorite meal.

It's yet another one that I inherited from my mother-in-law.

Except for the side dish, that is.

I got that one all by myself thank you very much.

Ta-da!

And you'll never guess the lengths I go to to prepare it!

Ready??

Ta-da!

Okay, here's the line-up for the LEMON CHICKEN recipe.

Note the brown rice.

You could use white rice, but why would you?

Brown rice is so much healthier and so much better!

My best friend, the rice cooker.

It's awesome and makes rice cooking a cinch!

Not that cooking rice is hard or anything but with this lovely gadget you simply pour in the rice and water and push start.  It cooks the rice perfectly and keeps it warm until you're ready to use it!

Here's the Lemon Chicken right out of the oven.

There's lemon juice infused with butter and wonderful seasonings.

It is sooo flavorful!

Please note the amount of chicken here.

I have five children to cook for but you must remember that they are young children.

We should have leftovers, wouldn't you think?

Nope, not a crumb left!

Not even any rice and I cooked 8 servings.

And here's My Man's plate.

Now, onto dessert!

Remember a few posts ago I told you that my children love box mix brownies?

If I ask them what they want for dessert, 99% of the time, that's what they ask for.

So, on this night, I was sneaky and changed up the brand.

This brand is a bit more expensive but hello?  it's Ghirardelli.

Yum, right?

Here's the usual brand.

So, I prepared the Ghirardelli brownies and waited to see if I got any feedback.

(note, I tasted them beforehand and about swooned)

"Mom, these brownies taste kind of weird."

No one asked for seconds.

I guess I'll stick with the old Duncan Hines stand-by.

Kohler Enchiladas

Kohler Enchiladas is one of the recipes I was introduced to when I married into the family.

My Man's mom has been making it forever and so I was encouraged to carry on the tradition.

It's extremely easy and basic.

It's by no means authentic mexican but I do encourage you to try it for it is good!

/Start out browning some hamburger.

(I like to use my electric skillet)

Next add these little gems.

Now here's where I sometimes change things up..

After you add the chilis and sauce, you can either add the evaporated milk OR you can add two cans of cream of chicken soup.

Either works but just know that the sauce with the soups will be much thicker.

Actually, as I type this the idea of mixing the two just came to me.

Throw the olives in there too.

Next add...gasp...this entire container of sour cream.

Here is the sauce...getting all good and bubbly.

I let it gel for about 10-15 minutes while I get the kitchen cleaned up.

Next, add the tortillas.

I usually use flour tortillas but I've used corn tortillas as well.

Both are good but the corn tortillas, though they make the dish taste more authentic, don't hold up as well in the sauce.

Roll each tortilla like so.

And place it into the sauce, seam side down.

Scoop a little sauce over each tortilla as you lay it in there so it stays put.

Like this!

Next sprinkled cheddar all over.

Please grate the cheddar yourself.

I learned from PW that you should NEVER use the pre-shredded stuff.

Pop a lid on so the flavors can "develop" and the cheese can melt.

I like to use my electric skillet for this reason.

The "warm" setting.

Now I can run up to football practice with the rest of the kids and let them run wild.

 

When you get home, the enchiladas are warm, cheesy and melty.

Top them with these toppings and serve!

Oreo Cupcakes

I made oreo cupcakes.

Delish!

Take a vanilla cake mix and add a few extra things to it like vanilla and oreo crumbs.

When spooning the batter into the cupcake papers, put an oreo in the middle and spoon more batter on.

What a surprise for the kids when they bite into it!

I made a vanilla buttercream frosting and crushed up some extra oreos before piping it on!

Peach Pie

There is a small town not far from my hometown that has a wonderful peach orchard. 

My wonderful parents were on their way to meet me to exchange a certain 20-pound princess and on their way they stopped by the peach orchard and got me some BEAUTIFUL peaches!

We had a lot to eat so I gave some thought to making my first ever peach pie.

One afternoon while the kids were out of my hair, I went for it!

I used the recipe that was in my red and white checked cookbook (possibly Better Homes and Gardens?)

Anyway, here's the cast!

And normally I would have used real almond flavoring but I've got a nut allergy in my home!

Slice up the peaches and cover them with all the stuff pictured above.

Roll out your bottom crust and pour in the peaches.

Be sure to let the peaches sit for a bit so they get good and gooey!

Top with your top crust and cut some holes to allow for the steam to escape while baking.

Oops - I should have left the foil bits on the edges a bit longer!

Still tasted heavenly though!

And I'd planned to take a picture of a piece on a plate so you could see how thick the peaches were packed in there. 

But surprisingly, I didn't have any left to photograph once my family dug into it!

And yes, those are finger holes done by my favorite 2-year-old!

My Man said it was the best peach pie he'd ever had.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

This recipe has been in my head for about 10 years now.

It's one of those that I have memorized.

It's so easy, so good and my family loves it!

Start out by chopping up a package of mushrooms and half an onion.

Saute in a 1/2 stick of butter.

Here's how I make green beans.

It's the only way to eat them.

What?

You don't know what that white stuff is?

That's bacon grease my dear friends.

I keep a little pot of bacon grease in my fridge.

Don't you?

My family plows through at least one pound of bacon a week. 

Usually two.

Brown a package of stew meat in the other half stick of that butter.

Butter = good.

After the meat is browned, add the mushrooms and onions.  After a couple of minutes, add two cans of cream of mushroom soup.

Stir until bubbly.

I had a little helper!

She's already quite gifted in the kitchen!

Now add some wine to the sauce.

I don't really drink red wine.

But I try to get a wine that is good and costs about $15.

You could stop here and just simmer the sauce for a bit but if you really want to make it good, do this:

Yes, add the whole thing.

Mmmmm....

Now this is heavenly!

I serve it over penne.

With some kind of bread.

And those greased-up grean beans!

Monday

On Monday I made PW's Chicken w/ Olives.

Here's the cast:

minus the little puff thingys (those are my girl's).

Oops!

My canned tomatoes are in my trusty Tupperware.

You brown up some chicken.

I used thighs and legs.

Because they are the best part of a chicken.

I realize I probably should have waited and taken the picture once the chicken was a bit more browned to save you from looking at raw chicken.

Sorry.

You throw all othe other ingredients into a big pot (basically) and let it simmer with the chicken for about an hour.

Serve over linguine (or spaghetti noodles if that's all you've got).

Review:

It was just OK.

No one ate the olives.

And the chicken didn't taste like I'd browned it first so it mostly tasted baked.

We aren't big baked chicken fans here.