Fresh Italian Salad

This is one the lightest and freshest salads you will ever put in your mouth. Now depending on your child they may or may not eat it and you may have to omit some things. For Kiddo I have to omit lettuce on his and add pasta instead. Kiddo does not like lettuce. Honestly it is one of the few things he will not eat despite my begging. Your child may eat lettuce and not like the onions, so go ahead and leave them out in that case. Be sure to put them in for yourself though. You won't want to miss one taste in this salad. All of the ingredients work together in perfect harmony.



What you need:

1 bunch of romaine lettuce, rinsed and chopped in large pieces

1/2 red onion sliced thin

1 can of canellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 jar of kalamata olives, drained and rinsed

The juice of 2 lemons

3 tblsp Olive Oil

Parmesan cheese (as much as you want shredded on the salad)

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste

What you do:

Mix everything up, dress the salad with the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Eat it! I promise you will love this salad. It is full of good things that taste good and are good for you.

This post has been linked up to Melt in Your Mouth Mondays

http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com/melt-in-your-mouth-monday-26/#comment-29997

Southern Potato Salad

This is such a simple potato salad recipe. My Grandma has been making this recipe for years and it is the best. I have tried many others but this is the potato salad I always come back to. Honestly I could put my head in this bowl and not come up for air until the bowl is empty.

What you need:

1 bag of potatoes (I like Idaho potatoes)

1-1/2 onion (I used red because that is what I had but you can use yellow or whatever you have on hand)chop it finely or in larger pieces, whatever you prefer.

1-1/2 cup of pickles chopped (dill pickles)

1/2 cup of mayo (add more if you like, but start with 1/2 cup and add more later)

1/4 cup of mustard (like the mayo start with this and add more later)

1/4 cup pickle juice (dill pickle juice)

6 eggs

salt and paprika to taste


What you do:

Peel and chop your potatoes. Place them in a large pot of water, put your eggs in too. Add a few generous pinches of kosher salt to your water. *Potatoes really soak in salt* Cover and boil for about 15-20 mins or until your potatoes are fork tender.



Remove the pot from the stove and drain the eggs and potatoes. Place them in a large bowl. Peel and chop your hardboiled eggs. Add your mayo, mustard, pickles, pickle juice and onions.



Mix it all together well, add more mayo, mustard and salt if you would like. Be sure to taste it before adding more of anything. By the way I like to add a little more pickle juice to mine, I love the taste of pickles.

Now sprinkle the top of your potato salad with paprika and enjoy!



This would make a great side for your 4th of July celebration. I know it will be at mine.

Greek Pasta Salad~Kiddo's Favorite

Its no secret around here, Kiddo loves cucumbers and tomatoes. They are his all time favorite veggies. But don't tell him that because he will tell you, 'no they are fruits because their seeds are inside.' My little wealth of knowledge he is...he loves correcting you and being right about everything. I wonder where he gets that from? *wink wink*

Here is what you need to make the salad:

1/2 a box of pasta cooked and drained (I used whole wheat rotini)

1/2 cup of olive oil

garlic salt and pepper to taste

3 chicken breasts cooked and diced. (It doesn't matter how you cook them. I coated mine with olive oil and garlic sauce. Then I grilled them until the juices ran clear on med/low heat.)

3 tomatoes cut into large pieces

1-2 cucumbers cut in large pieces

1 container of feta cheese

What you do:

Combine everything in a large bowl and toss to coat with the olive oil. Season to taste with the garlic salt and pepper.



Voila! There you have it, a simple and tasty pasta salad for a hot summer day.

*If you want it to be vegetarian you could leave out the chicken or leave it out and add some white cannellini beans in place of the chicken.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Dutch Baby

I got this recipe from 10 Dollar Dinners on Food Network.

The minute I saw Melissa making this I knew it was something I had to try, so I did. My family loved it. This is a wonderful and easy treat to make for breakfast. It really changed up the same old same old idea of pancakes.

What you need:

3 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk, heated 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the butter in a large saute pan and place in the oven to melt.

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the eggs, flour, hot milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt, and blend on medium-high speed until uniform. Cook's Note: If mixing by hand, combine the eggs with the milk until the mixture is light yellow and no longer stringy, about 1 minute. Add the flour, sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt, and whisk vigorously to remove the lumps, about 30 seconds.

Carefully, remove the hot pan from the oven.
***YOU want your pan REALLY HOT
The butter should be melted. Swirl the butter around the pan to coat completely, and then pour the remaining butter into the batter and whisk to blend. Pour the batter into the hot pan and return the pan to the oven. Cook the pancake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pancake is puffed in the center, and golden brown along the edges.

*DO NOT open the oven while your Baby Bakes.

While the Dutch baby bakes, in a small bowl combine the fresh blueberries, 1 teaspoon sugar, and lemon zest. Stir to coat, and set aside to marinate.

Using a spatula, remove the entire Dutch baby from the pan and place on a cooling rack for a few minutes to allow the steam to escape without condensing along the bottom and rendering the pancake soggy. Slice the pancake into wedges on a serving platter or cutting board and sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar through a sieve. Serve with the marinated blueberries.

Here is the link to the Food Network Site...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/vanilla-dutch-baby-puffed-pancake-recipe/index.html

Enjoy!!! I follow the directions to a T and it was wonderful. We had ours with maple syrup though because I didn't have any berries at the time.

I am linking this up to Mommy's Kitchen Potluck Sunday.

Extra Tasty Cornbread~Aunties Recipe

My kiddo does not like cornbread, never has and until this weekend said he never would. I was making a big pot of chili and when I told him I was making cornbread to go with it he said very sadly, 'well I guess all I'm eating is chili.' He changed his mind very quickly. I could not keep him out of it once he had a taste. He finished the last piece this morning with some strawberry jam on it.

What you need:

2 cups of self rising flour

1 cup of self rising cornmeal

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup milk

1tsp of sugar

8 oz of sour cream

1 stick of butter

***I'm on weight watchers so I used light sour cream and 8 tbsp of Smart Balance spread in it, couldn't tell a difference, it was great.***

What you do:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees, while it is his heating put your cast iron skillet in the oven so it heats up too.

Combine your dry ingredients and then cut your butter in the dry mix. I use my hands to mix it in, I just work it until the butter is in pea sized balls. Set this mix aside.

Beat the two eggs and sourcream together in another bowl, then add milk.

Slowly add your wet mixture to your dry mix. Stir it until just moistened.

Take your hot cast iron skillet from the oven, spray with non stick spray and pour the cornbread mixture in the skillet. Do you hear it sizzling? That's why you want the skillet hot. The crust is forming on the cornbread and it will be so perfect. Put it in the oven and bake for about 20-23mins or until golden brown on top and a knife comes out clean in the center.

This is so light and tasty. We enjoyed ours with chili, had some honey on it at one point and then ate the rest with strawberry jam.

Enjoy!

Sunny Carrot Muffins

Kiddo and I just whipped these up for breakfast this morning, we can smell them in the oven right now. These tasty little muffins would make a great quick breakfast or a delicious lunch box treat. The recipe is from the Southern Living Kids Cookbook.



Sunny Carrot Muffins

What you need:

2 cups of self rising flour *I used non self rising and used 1 cup of regular flour and 1 cup of wheat flour. To make your own self rising flour add 2 tsps of baking powder and 1/2 tsp of salt for ever cup of flour*

1/3 cup sugar *I also added 1/4 cup of brown sugar*

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup milk

1/4 cup veggie oil *I used canola*

1 large egg

1/2 cup shredded carrots (I used matchstix cut carrots)

1/2 cup raisins

*I added 1/4 cup of chopped apple

What you do:

Mix together your dry ingredients, set aside.

Mix together your wet ingredients then combine with your dry ingredients. Now add your fruits and veggies. Mix well.

Spray muffin tins (this recipe makes 1 dozen muffins) and pour the batter in the tins. We use an ice cream scoop to put our batter in the tin.

Bake at 400 degrees for 18mins.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits for Christmas Morning

I have made these several times and they are always a hit. I think they are the perfect recipe for Christmas Morning because they are so easy to make. I found the recipe on www.tammysrecipes.com, I found several recipes while searching and this one is by far the best.

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

What you need:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
1/2-1 cup milk* (you may need less than this, just enough to make a biscuit consistency)
1 cup raisins

What you do:

Mix together your dry ingredients and cut your butter into them. I like to dice my butter up then use my hands to mix it in the dry ingredients. I just work it in until the butter bits are the size of peas.

Now add your milk and mix, then stir in your raisins.

Put your dough on a flour service and pat it with your hands out till its about 1/2 inch thick. Use a floured biscuit cutter (or a glass in my case) and cut out your biscuits. Place them in a sprayed baking pan (be sure they are touching)

and bake them at 450 degrees for 10-13 mins.

Mix up this yummy glaze and drizzle it over cooled biscuits.



*Glaze

3 Tablespoons softened butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons milk

Mix together 3 Tablespoons softened butter and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Add 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar and stir. Add about 2-3 Tablespoons of milk and beat with electric mixer on HI for a minute or until light and fluffy.

These are so yummy, so light and so fluffy.
Enjoy!

Banana Cookies

My sister made these and took the picture. I have not tried one yet but she and my brother-in-law say they are wonderful! She says they are not like at typical cookie and almost have a 'muffin like' consistency. I have a few bananas in the kitchen right now. I am thinking I might give them a try.



What you need:

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of flour
* I would do one cup of regular flour and one cup of wheat flour*
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips would be good too)

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes about 30 cookies.

(She got the recipe from www.simplyrecipes.com)

Enjoy!

Sharing this on Mommy's Kitchen Potluck Sunday.

Johnny Appleseed Toast

This is another Kids in the Kitchen recipe and of course another apple themed recipe for apple month. The recipe is from 'Cooking with Kids Can Be Easy' and it has always been a winner around here.

What you need:

1 apple

Honey to drizzle

2 slices of cinnamon raisin bread

Butter to spread

Cinnamon to sprinkle


What you do:



Slice your apples thin and spread butter on your bread. You can use any kind of apple you like.



Place your apples on your buttered bread like so. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Place your bread slices on a baking sheet and toast them under your broiler for about 30 secs. Keep an eye on them!



Don't they look yummy? Believe me they taste yummy too!



Do you have a yummy apple recipe of your own posted to your blog? Link it up here!

Applesauce Parfaits

YAY for Apple Month! This is one of my favorite apple recipes. It is so quick and easy. It is a great afternoon snack or breakfast. My son loves it for breakfast with his hardboiled eggs. I hope you and your kids like it too.
By the way, this is a great recipe to get your kids in the kitchen and helping.

Applesauce Parfaits

What you need:

*Applesauce

*Cinnamon

*Honey

*Graham Crackers

What you do:

Crush your graham crackers until they are fine. I love using my rolling pin for this but a glass would work. I use 4 crackers for one parfait. My son loves this part. Pour part of the cracker crumbs in a glass.

Add a few tablespoons of applesauce to the glass.


Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with honey, looks good so far. Now keep layering until your glass is full. Top with the rest of your crumbs, honey and cinnamon.

Here is the finished product...

So fun to look at, fun to make and fun to eat! Now get your kids in the kitchen and start cooking!

Linking this up to Mommy's Kitchen Potluck Sunday. Come on over and share a dish!





Got some of your own yummy apple recipes? Link em' up below!

Sally Lunn Bread, My Kitchen Smell's Heavenly!

It really does, right now. at this very moment. 9:20pm at night. my kitchen smells like bread heaven! Oh yes it does.

I don't have a picture yet because the bread maker has 10 mins left to go but I'm going to go ahead and post the recipe now, the picture will come later. Kiddo helped me put this bread in the bread maker, he loves to stand and watch the bread maker knead. Its like watching TV or something to him. But now he's tucked away in bed. My husband and I have been circling the bread maker like vultures and we are ready to dive in when it beeps.

Sally Lunn Bread - I got this recipe from my friend Lynn's Blog. www.punkaroonie.blogspot.com

What you need:

2 eggs plus enough water to equal 1 1/3 cups
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast


What you do:

Dump all of the ingredients in your bread machine in the order the bread machine asks for. *I'm gonna be honest here, I just dump it all in as listed. Its never made a difference for me.

Set your machine to a White Bread Setting. This recipe makes a 2lb loaf but I don't have that setting on machine, I just set it to 1 1/2lb and it does fine.

Hit start and watch the magic unfold.
This is a seriously wonderful bread everyone. Even Kiddo agrees and like I've said before, he isn't much of a bread man.

Oh, I just heard the timer go off! Time to go slice the bread and slather a piece with butter. Yummy!

Kids In The Kitchen: Welsh Rarebit

This is another one of the recipes my son made in the Kids Cooking class he took at my school this past summer. When he first told me the name of this recipe I have to say I hesitated for a second, I could have sworn he said 'rabbit' instead of 'rarebit.' I was a little freaked out for a brief amount of time. I realize some people love eating rabbit, I am not one of those people however.

But I digress, I do that often, here is the recipe for Welsh Rarebit from his cookbook he brought home. We have made this several times and he loves it.

WELSH RAREBIT

2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Few grains cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dry mustard or prepared mustard
1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, cut in cubes

Melt butter; add flour, cheese, seasonings, in double boiler. As cheese melts, gradually add milk. Stir until thickened. Serve over toast or saltine crackers.

*We serve ours over toast, he likes sliced french bread with his.

Oh and just for fun here is the Welsh Flag.



Kiddo loves this, but then most 9 year old boys think dragons are cool.

Leggo My Eggo for Breakfast...So Many Possibilities!

I love making things from scratch, I do. I prefer having something homemade instead of something store bought. But I'm a realist and I know I don't always have the time, or let's face it the movitivation, to pop out something homemade all the time. If I can't get something homemade for breakfast I love turning to the NutriGrain Whole Wheat Eggo Waffles.



Here are some of my favorite ways to serve them for breakfast. My son loves them all!

Eggo waffle toasted, spread Nutella on the top and slice bananas, top with another waffle and make a sandwich.

Eggo waffle toasted and topped with peanut butter and bananas or apple slices, top with another one to make a sandwich.

Eggo waffle topped with syrup and bananas.

Eggo waffle topped with cream cheese and strawberries.

Eggo waffle topped with cream cheese and jelly.

Eggo waffle topped with peanut butter and jelly.

Eggo waffle topped with bacon, apple and a slice of cheddar cheese, put another waffle on top for a sandwich.
*You could even use sliced ham with this, but we use turkey bacon.

So yep, leggo my son's Eggo because he loves them almost anyway!
I hope this gave some other mom's some great ideas on how to mix breakfast up with a simple Eggo waffle.

Sausage Cornbread Breakfast Muffins-Vegetarian

In my last post I rambled on and on about 'Back to School'. Being a working mom with a kiddo in school and trying to get something good in his tummy every morning, well it can be a challenge sometimes. I can only imagine what moms of more than one kid go through! My rules are simple, it has to taste good, it has to stick to his gut, be healthy and I like for it to be something warm, especially when cold weather comes.

I came upon this recipe a few months ago and we have had is several times since then. I found it in one of my little Everyday Food magazines. I did make a few changes to the recipe, but I will post the original recipe here as well.

What you need:

1 8oz package of Morning Star Veggie Breakfast Sausage Patties Cooked and Crumbled (**I did not use Morning Star. I actually bought uncooked turkey sausage, cooked it and crumbled it up) But I think it is a great idea for a vegetarian meal if you use morning star.

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

1 cup of frozen corn, thawed

3/4 cup of pepperjack cheese (I used cheddar)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins w/ papers and spray with non stick spray.


What you do:

combine dry ingredients and set aside



combine wet ingredients then fold in cheese, sausage and corn, add to the dry ingredients.





spoon into muffin tins and bake for 18-20mins. These were super good and super easy! They keep for up to 3 days in the fridge or you can freeze them.



They keep in the fridge really well. We popped them in the microwave for about 15 secs and they were even better the second time!

Linking this post up on Potluck Sunday! Come on over and see what everyone else is bringing.

Watermelon Mint Smoothies: Kids In the Kitchen

Welcome to Kids In The Kitchen! Over the next few weeks I am going to share some great recipes that are easy and get your kids in the kitchen. Now onto today's recipe...Watermelon Smoothies! Yes, you read that right and they are delicious. Watermelon is one of the best parts of the summer and any way I can make it is bound to be a good way.



My son took a cooking class at my school a few weeks ago. In the class he made a Watermelon Mint Smoothie. This smoothis is so refreshing and wonderful! I urge you to give it a try ASAP.

Watermelon Mint Smoothie

2 cups diced peeled seedless watermelon
1 1/2 cups diced strawberries, frozen
1/4 cup chilled guava juice or guava nectar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Combine diced watermelon, frozen strawberries, chilled guava juice, and chopped mint in blender. Puree until smooth. Pour smoothie into 2 glasses.


My son made several other kid friendly cooking and kid friendly eating recipes while he was in cooking class. He also made his very own cookbook. I cannot wait to share some of his recipes with you over the next few weeks.

I am sharing this in Potluck Sunday @ Mommy's Kitchen.

Pop over and see what everyone else is bringing to Potluck Sunday.

Peachy Keen Smoothies

These are so good! A yummy, frosty, and cool summer treat. My son has been enjoying these smoothies for breakfast all summer. I found the recipe in the summer issue of Food Network Magazine.

Peachy Keen Smoothies

What you need:

2 ripe peaches pitted and cut into chunks (the recipe says you can leave the skins on but I prefer to take off the skin. If you want an easy way to do this check out my peach cobbler recipe post)

1 cup of 2% or 4% cottage cheese

1/2 cup of milk

3-4 tablespoons of honey

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

pinch of salt

pinch of nutmeg (sprinkle nutmeg on the top too)

2 cups of ice

*puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth and sprinkle extra nutmeg on top.

I'm linking up to Mommy's Kitchen Potluck.



Enjoy!

Orzo Salad with Dill, Chickpeas and Lemon

I have had this recipe for awhile now. I got it from a fellow boardie on my Kids Eating Healthy message board and it is wonderful. Please note that the picture is not mine, as many times as I have made this pasta salad I still do not have a picture of it. Maybe that is because it is always gone so fast.

This recipe is from Cooking Light, as is the picture.



1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions *I tend to omit this
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 (19-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic *If I do not have this on hand I have used garlic salt.
***I like to add cucumber to mine.



Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

Combine pasta, onions, cheese, dill, and chickpeas in a large bowl, tossing gently to combine.

Combine juice and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat.


We love it, so easy, quick and great for a hot summer day!



I am linking this up to Mommy's Kitchen Potluck Sunday.