The non-existent gummies

My kids are smarter than I am.

It's true and it's scary.

I say a thing, and suddenly we're talking about an entirely different thing (usually which isn't even in existence in the logical realm). Today, amid dozens of things, we had a long chat about who WOULD get the last bag of gummies if I had any gummies in the car. Which I didn't. And I said four times we weren't going to have the conversation before they finally stopped.

You see, the other day, while Natalina was eating other food, Dulce asked for gummies and I gave them to her, unbeknown to both of us that it was the last bag.

This made Natalina very sad, as you can imagine, but she got over it fairly well.

Today, Dulce asked for gummies in the car, and I reminded her that we were all out.

Natalina piped up that if we DID have any gummies, they'd go to her.

Dulce disagreed.

I said we weren't talking about it.

Natalina explained her side of the story (which I already knew). That she had had one less gummy bag than Dulce, AND that Dulce had agreed she should get an extra one later, so therefore, it should be hers.

I said we weren't talking about it.

Dulce explained her side of the story (which I already knew) which was that it's a totally different day, and Natalina had had other food at the time that one day, and she really wanted gummies right now so why should her previous gummy consumption matter.

I said we weren't talking about it.

The girls continued in their separate lines of thinking until they were ready to basically kill each other and I had to be like, "Girls, you are fighting over something that does not exist. There are no gummies."

And the whole thing would have been fine if it sounded like it reads, but don't for one second think they said any of these things calmly or in an inside voice.

And I'm just over here like, WHAT IS GOING ON. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING. LET'S JUST NEVER EAT ANYTHING AGAIN. I CAN NO LONGER TAKE THIS.

It's been a long day.

If anyone knows how to make kids who do this, um, not do this, I would be eternally grateful.

Good thing they're cute.

Recipe: Vegan French Toast -- Guest Post

Photo by PianissAmma

For years, I have been a fan of brunch. I love the idea of getting together with friends and family to commune with a tasty late morning meal. Perhaps a Belgian waffle, or a spicy potato quiche served up with juice and sunshine on a Saturday morning.

One dish I have loathed since becoming an adult however, is French toast. Restaurants often serve them too soggy with egg batter, or they’re much too dry and flavorless. Even one slice can be heavy enough to make me regret getting out of bed for the rest of the day.

This spring, I challenged myself to revisit the concept of French toast on my own terms. I wondered if it was possible to make the dish without eggs. I had already began removing eggs from many dishes with a bit of success. So would it work with a brunch staple like French toast? To my surprise, the answer was ‘yes.’

Now that we are facing another egg shortage in much of the United States courtesy of a particularly bad avian flu outbreak, I wanted to share this recipe.

Vegan French Toast

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana
1/3 cup apple sauce (I used Mrs. Gooch’s, because there is no added sugar)
3/4 cup milk of your choice (I have plain soy, but I think oat milk would work well here too).
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
oil or margarine for griddle as needed (I use Earth Balance)
8-10 slices of stiff bread of your choice
Note: You can use fresh bread, but lightly toast it prior to dipping in batter

Ingredients used. Photo by PianissAmma

Directions:

Preheat the griddle or skillet.

Beat or puree the fruit, milk, vanilla and cinnamon until it reaches the consistency of a smoothie. Add mixture to a plate or shallow bowl.

Dip the bread into the batter, soaking up to seconds per side. Don’t let the bread get too soggy.

Place on heated griddle or skillet, and cook until both sides are browned. This particular mixture takes a little longer to cook than it’s egg enriched counterpart. Allow for about five minutes on the griddle.

Serve as you like.


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Jill Redding blogs at Pianissamma. You can find this recipe and many others there!

Mom tips for eating at birthday parties

Like I said last time, we're still at the age where you usually stay at parties unless you're specifically told you can drop and go, and when this happens, you know you're signed up for 2-4 hours of spellbinding fun watching your kid do nothing particularly interesting.

During that span, there is bound to be pizza, cake and ice cream, or as I like to call it: the highlight of the party. But before you grab your three slices and stuff your face with cake, here are some tips to make you look like the gosh-darn adult you are and not the hungry, half-angry, bored panda you've become over the past ninety minutes or so.

1) Pick a spot on the side.

If you are too close to the table, you'll end up serving, and you'll probably accidentally tumble the cake upside down and make someone's kid cry because you obviously mushed theirs on purpose.

Still, you don't want to be in the back. You want full-on access to that food when it's the parents' turn to grab a bite.

2) Don't grab a plate.

It's way too obvious, dudes. Just wait patiently for the servers to do their thing. Stand there with your arms folded, and make witty banter with the poor schmucks who made the mistake of standing too close to the table. At the very least, you'll make their job less pressure-filled with your reminder that adults also exist in the room.

3) Don't be the first grownup in line.

If you can manage third or fourth, you've got it made. Still plenty of pizza (even though the little buggers probably grabbed all the cheese), and you don't look like you've been waiting for this moment your entire life.

4) Take one piece, two tops.

It's more important to be a conscientious adult and save some for the kids who are getting big enough to need two pieces than it is to feed your facehole. Trust me on this, I know it's hard. I want three pieces, too. Just remind yourself that there is cake coming.

5) Resume your exact position.

You want to be in the same spot when it's grownup time for cake. This way, you're still ideally positioned, but it looks casual. Like you are a creature of habit. What, me? Oh, I was just standing here before. This is my standing spot. Do not make the mistake of sitting down. In the three seconds it takes to get your butt off the chair, that kid's dad is totally going to snarf down all the cake. Remember, third or fourth in line. ONE PIECE. You got this.

6) If the party people ask you if you want pizza or cake and you DO, then just say yes.

If you say no to look polite, someone further down the line is going to say yes, and then you have to look at their food with the same longing your first graders is casting upon that huge pile of presents over there.

7) If you DON'T want pizza, that's okay.

It's not rude to politely decline, but absolutely no shade thrown at the poor parents whose only joy in life at this moment are the four slices of pizza they grabbed from their crying child's hands (we're assuming they haven't read this list yet).

8) Don't take the food home.

Even if it's offered, remember how much more painful it is to throw a party than to go to one. All the pain you are feeling times a thousand. Those parents deserve the leftovers. This step doesn't count if it's like your best friend offering it and you know she's legit, or if the food is offered more than once. If that's the case, and it's going to go to the garbage anyway, it may as well find it's new forever home with you, no?

Good luck and good eating!

Bacon Bites Fail ala Drunk Kitchen

I've got petulant bacon curling up, and angry bacon grease spitting at me as I try to push it down. It's like parenting all over again.

Go subscribe to the channel though. All the funny fails every time I'm in the kitchen. For real.

Recipe Monday - Easy and Incredible Lasagna

Cooking is generally hard for me, but one thing I've got down is lasagna.

You really can't fail at this...it's that easy.

Lasagna noodles

Sauce

Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Ricotta Cheese

Ground beef

Spinach

1) Start boiling a lot of water and cook 9 noodles

2) Preheat oven to 350

3) Brown the ground beef until cooked through

4) Add sauce to the beef and turn heat to low

5) Mix together all the cheeses, saving some of the mozz and parm.

6) Rinse spinach

7) Put a thin layer of sauce on bottom of lasagna pan

8) Layer three noodles across

9) Put a layer of beef / sauce there

10) Layer of the mixed cheese

11) Layer of spinach

12) Repeat all layering until last noodles are on top and all ingredients used.

13) Sprinkle sauce on top

14) Spinkle rest of mozz and parm on top

15) Bake for 30-35 minutes.

DONE.

Eat for a week.

 

Recipe Monday - Hawaiian Ham Quesadillas

I felt like mixing up my quesadillas, so I gave this a try. Not half bad for a really quick meal, and, honestly, great for kids.

Ingredients
8 oz. cream cheese (I used ricotta)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
3 sliced green onions
⅛ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 (15 oz.) can pineapple chunks in juice (I used fresh pineapple)
½ lb. smoked ham
1 pkg (of 8) 8 inch flour tortillas

tablespoon of vegetable oil

Instructions

Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature before you begin. Combine the cream cheese, shredded mozzarella, sliced green onions, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Stir until well combined.

Drain the pineapple chunks as much as possible. Roughly chop them into smaller pieces. Roughly chop the sliced ham into small pieces. Add both to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.

Place ¼ to ⅓ cup of the filling in each tortilla and spread to cover half of the surface. Fold the tortilla in half to close. Cook each quesadilla in a skillet over medium heat in oil until brown and crispy on both sides.









 

French Meatpie - Guest Post

We all know by now that I'm not much of a cook, nor can I take pictures. But Sarah over at The Answer Is Garlic can do BOTH. Amazingly. Here's her awesome recipe for French Meatpie. I'm laughing just thinking about how my pics of this would have turned out.

...

One of the reasons I love cooking is that food is very nostalgic to me. This recipe is one that's been passed around my family for a long time. I always think back to a few years ago, when my parents and I were making a trek to Wegman's to get supplies for Thanksgiving dinner. My mom asked me to call her mother (my Memere) to ask if she had any requests. She asked me to make a "meat stuffing". Confused, I asked her what was in a meat stuffing. She said "Oh, you know. Beef, and pork. And potatoes. And those spices, and onions and garlic." I said that it sounded like the base for meat pie, and she said "Yes! That's what you make out of the leftovers. I'd like a meat pie." We laughed, because according to my mom, they'd never made stuffing like that, but they sure did make meat pies for holidays.

This is the ultimate in comfort food, for me. It may sound weird to you if you've never had a meat pie, but trust me, it's wonderful. Spicy and homey, and it will certainly fill up your belly. Peasant food is good that way.

Full disclosure: I cheated with this and used a pre-made pie crust from the refrigerator section of the grocery store. I know, it's shameful. I really am not fantastic at making homemade pie crust, no matter how easy everyone tells me it is. I'm working on it. In the meantime, there really are tasty pre-mades out there. You don't even have to tell anyone.

I think one of the keys to this pie (and most ground meat dishes, really) is using both ground beef and ground pork. Ground pork doesn't have a ton of flavor, but it's lighter, and really adds moisture. I use equal parts here, about 3/4 of a pound of each. You can also substitute ground turkey, chicken, veal, bison, lamb or meatloaf mix here. Just be sure to use a combination.

Another key to getting the perfect texture to this pie is one I almost forgot about. When I was pulling this together, there was a flurry of emails with my cousin Nicole and her mom, my Aunt Sue, as well as my own mom, about ingredients, proportions, timing. It's such an old family recipe that none of us (save maybe my Aunt Sue) has it written down anywhere, we make it from memory and asking each other the parts we forget. Nicole and I both forgot that one of the most important binders in this recipe is very, very finely diced potato. It's diced so small that it all but disappears into the filling, but it's essential in holding the pie together and thickening it up. I used a few Yukon golds, but a russet would work nicely as well.

It's also important, when browning the meat, that you break it up as finely as you can get it. You don't want any chunks of meat OR potato, you want it to be wholly incorporated and broken down. Sometimes I cook the meat first, pull it off into a bowl, and then cook the diced onion and garlic. Then I add the meat back and cook in the potato. Sometimes I saute off the onions and garlic first and then cook in the meat (it really depends on if I am feeling ambitious enough to drain off some of the fat. This time, I did not feel so ambitious).

Once this is all combined, it's just adding the liquid and the spices and really developing the flavor before baking it off.

Cook it all down until the potatoes are soft, then break them up. I think an important step at this point is pulling the meat off the heat and giving it time to cool before adding it to the pie crust. This helps ensure that the bottom crust cooks up crisp and not soggy. No one wants a soggy bottom crust.

This is an excellent time for a glass of wine. You can't make a French dish without a glass of wine, am I right?

I like to egg wash the bottom crust before adding the filling as well as the top crust.

Bake and enjoy!

French Meat Pie
double pie crust (homemade or store bought)
1 large white or yellow onion, diced
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced or grated (my preferred method is grated)
3/4 pounds ground beef
3/4 pounds ground pork
3-4 Yukon gold potatoes, very finely diced
1/2-1 teaspoon ground clove (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground allspice (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or more to taste)
1-2 cups stock or water
1 egg, wisked with a few TB of water to make an egg wash
3 TB butter or olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
ketchup, for serving

Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 350°. Prepare and set aside pie crusts, or take out pre-made crust and bring to room temperature.

Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and add butter or olive oil. Add in onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and saute until soft, 5-8 minutes. Add in ground beef and pork and cook, breaking down, until all the pink is gone and it's very combined and fine, about 10 minutes. Season with clove, allspice and cinnamon and stir to combine (note: clove is a strong spics. I go heavier on the cinnamon and allspice to start, and then adjust to taste). Add in finely diced potato and the water or stock (the liquid should just about come up to the level of all the ingredients in the pan, use as much as is needed to do that) and simmer until potatoes are soft and the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. When soft, mash a bit with the back of a fork to break up the potatoes. They will still be visible but start to combine, and will break down fully when baking. Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning as needed.

Move the mixture to another dish or allow to cool, stirring to help it along. This should take about 15 minutes, but it's a crucial step to the ever-important non-soggy crust.

Roll the bottom crust into a 9-inch pie dish. Brush with the egg wash. Spoon the filling mixture into the crust and smooth out so it's even. Roll the top crust over the filling and crimp the edges. Egg wash the top, and cut a few slits in the crust for the steam to escape.

Bake at 350 for a half hour, or until golden brown. You may need to use foil or a pie crust protector to prevent the edges from getting too brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting, to let the filling set.

Slice and serve with ketchup. Trust me on this one.

Comfort food defined

Notice how broken down the potato gets

Mmmm flaky crust

I know it sounds weird, but the sweet/tang of the ketchup is perfect with the spice of the filling

For more real recipes and mouthwatering pictures, stop by The Answer is Garlic!


 

Kindergarten Kids - Eat your Food!

Problem:

Sometimes, kids are picky eaters. And sometimes (like in my case) they just don't like to eat at all. At 5 and a half, my kids stand at 44 and 43 inches respectively, and weigh 40 and 35 pounds. They're not in danger, healthwise, but they are thin.

And they don't like to eat.

Doesn't matter what it is. Their favorite food, their least favorite food. The most you can get out of them willingly is a few bites.

In fact, up until way past when I should have (think 3), I was feeding them. Because somehow, getting that fork from the plate to the mouth is the longest, most arduous journey that has ever been undertaken. And it happens at least three times a day.

The joy!

Solution:

What I've taken to doing is giving them more than I would normally give them. Because my kids exist to make my life miserable, so as long as they feel like they're getting one over on me, they're more likely to do what I need them to do. Like eat.

So that as long as they get to leave half their food on the plate, they don't care how large that half is. To them, they've won the battle of whether or not they have to eat their whole dinner. And to me, I've won the battle of getting them to eat just as much food as I would have given them normally.

Then I make a show of not wanting to let them leave the table because there's still food on their plate (because if this were too easy, they'd get suspicious). And when I let them get up "after two more bites" they are pleased at their will being indulged.

Only not. Because I win again, you fools!

Sometimes, anyway.

The extra food I either eat or pack it up for the next time, because, honestly, we're not rich enough to just waste a whole bunch of food to play a game like this when I really should just force my kids to eat what's on their plates.

Whatever. I do what I've got to do. It's working, so far.



 

Thanksgivukah Advent-ures: How to Celebrate the "Season" before You Celebrate Christmas - Guest Post

Resident Thealogian Kate Allen who can be found at Life, Love, Liturgy, preps for the holidays in amazing ways. (as always).

If you're like me, you're just not ready for the red and green and tinsel cropping up at Target, Starbucks, and the grocery store.  I want to go, "Hey, don'tcha know there's all kinds of cool stuff that goes on for a couple of months before Christmas ever arrives?"

I invite you to try out the following this year, not to ditch your family traditions, but to expand them.

Thanksgiving/Chanukah: This year, for the first time (and the last time for 77,000 years, according to one source, Thanksgiving and the first day of Chanukah coincide.  This year, as you finalize your Thanksgiving day menu, consider a few Jewish specialties, like latkes 

Courtesy: All Recipes

or matzo ball soup.

Courtesy: Food Network

(Pro-tip: matzo ball soup can be made in minutes using a handy-dandy pre-made dry mix in the Jewish section of your grocery store.)  When you and your family and friends are gathered around the Thanksgiving dinner table, share the story of the miracle of Chanukah, in which an oil lamp with only enough oil for one night lasted eight nights, providing ongoing light in darkness.  Chanukah is an eight-day Jewish feast of enduring, miraculous light--telling this story is is a great time to light the first candle of eight of your menorah, if you have one, or perhaps the first of other candles you have on your table.  Allow this to be your segue into a giving of thanks by each person around the table.

Then, when you awake the day after Thanksgiving, consider just staying home.  Really.  Eating latkes with cranberry sauce for breakfast while sipping home-brewed coffee and wearing fuzzy slippers is a far gentler holiday practice than trampling your neighbor at 3 a.m. to get through store doors.  Consider continuing your candle-lighting through the eight days of Chanukah, saying a silent prayer as you light them if you aren't familiar with the Hebrew prayers.

Next, Advent, as in, advent-ure!  

That's right--before you pull out your tubs of Christmas glitz, try cutting a few boughs from an evergreen (places that sell Christmas trees may give these away for free, if you don't have any evergreens of your own) and fashion an Advent wreath with your kids.

Courtesy: Happy Home Fairy

Each Sunday, beginning December 1, light one of the candles.  Sing a verse of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" or "People Look East" with your kids. Invite them into conversation about what the dawning of light means.  Refer back to the Chanukah ritual, if you used it.  You might ask:

Why do we want light when it's dark?  

What are examples of darkness we experience?  

What are ways that we can bring light to dark places?  

Allow Advent to be the season of quiet, pregnant anticipation that it's intended to be--because if you do, the glimmer and dazzle of Christmas Eve's light and the bright clamor of Christmas morning will shine and ring out for you in a whole new way.

 

Recipe Monday - Easiest Fudge Ever

If you need a holiday snack and you've got no time to prepare, this fudge is for you.

Two cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
One can of condensed sweetened milk
One teaspoon vanilla

Melt the chips and milk over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Add in vanilla. Pour into 8x8 baking pan and put in the fridge for two hours.

You can substitute orange flavor for the vanilla, add raisins, nuts, cranberries or anything else you want. In the pictured fudge, I skipped the vanilla entirely and made it with one cup semi-sweet, one cup butterscotch.

You can do anything you want with this.


 

Preschool Pointers: 10 - Plan your Snacks

Problem: Your kid wants a bite of cereal, then a bite of peanut butter, then half a string cheese. Sounds like last week's problem, right? Well, there's another half to the solution of wasted food, and whining over snacks.

Solution: Plan your snacks ahead of time. Have them ready for when your kids are typically hungry so that before they can set their mind on a snack like, say, ice cream, they've got good food right in front of them. If you can beat them to the punch, they're less picky. When you lay out these snacks, give a variety. In the afternoons, we try to go for a protein, a fruit, and a carb. Sometimes I'll throw some junk on there for them. Because I'm a rockin' mom. Or whatever, pick your reason. In the mornings, it's more breakfast-based.

Yeah, that's a half a cinnamon roll on that plate. Come at me. The catch is, if the girls want anything else to eat, they can make all the requests they want. But they have to finish the whole first plate first. No halfsies. No eat the cinnamon roll, then ask for another roll without eating the fruit attached. No getting something else entirely. There's your snack. You've got three things to choose from, and if you eat them all, you get another snack full of wonder and surprise.





 

Preschool Pointers - 9: Portion Control

Problem:

Your kids want crackers. Then peanut butter. Then apples, candy, pretzel, cereal. In that order and right away. Obviously they're hungry, but if you listen to each of their demands, you'll have food sitting all over the place because they'll take one bite each and leave the rest.

Exhibit A:



For me, a tablespoon of peanut butter is the appropriate amount of dip for six little graham cracker squares. Not so for a four year old.

I also have bowls of lonely dry cereal and salty snacks strewn about my house.


Solution:

Offer your kids a choice between two of the things they asked for. When they pick one, give them a smaller amount than you think they need. If they finish it, you can be sure they'll ask for more, and if they want something else instead of that, they'll let you know. Tell them they can't change their mind after you've poured the snack, and make sure they put a good dent in it before considering giving them something else. Otherwise, you're teaching them that it's okay to be wasteful.






 

Guest Post - Recipes for Busy Parents

Today I'm lucky enough to have a guest post from Nancy, helping in the kitchen, which after last week, you all know I truly need. Hope these recipes strike your fancy!

Life is going so fast these days the last thing most of us want to do is stay in the kitchen all night creating meals. Most of us save the cooking all day for Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays. I’ve been trying to find recipes for my family that they will enjoy but that don’t keep me chained to the kitchen. I’m going to share some of the recipes I’ve found with you. We need to stick together in this parenting business so that we can find more time to spend relaxing with our families.

1. Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce (http://joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/white-chicken-enchiladas.html) – It sounds complex from the title but it’s really very easy. For those of you who are concerned about the green chili’s the woman who posted this recipe assures us that there is no concern needed as they are not hot and both of her children like them. It’s a very simple recipe using soft taco shells and chicken topped with a creamy sauce. It sounds delicious and like something my family will love. If your family enjoys enchiladas then you’ve found an easy recipe in this one.

2. Chicken Enchilada Puffs (http://tidymom.net/2011/chicken-enchilada-puffs-recipe/) – Here’s another kind of enchilada dish. Not your traditional enchiladas but sounds like a fun recipe. Its crescent rolls filled with chicken, cream cheese, Mexican blend cheese, taco seasonings, and enchilada sauce. They are baked with a little more cheese on top. For those of us who love crescent rolls I think this one is worth a try. It seems like everything tastes better with crescent rolls.

3. Moist Cheddar-Garlic Oven Fried Chicken Breast (http://www.food.com/recipe/kittencals-moist-cheddar-garlic-oven-fried-chicken-breast-82102) – This is one of my personal favorites. Unless you are one of the rare people that don’t like cheese or garlic this recipe is a must try. I’ve made this one a couple of times already. I’m not a big chicken breast fan because they seem to always come out dry… it could be my cooking, but we won’t go there. This one has cheddar and parmesan cheese, with bread crumbs, and dipped in garlic butter. Then you bake it. Only one word to describe – YUM. Add some mashed potatoes and a veggie on the side and you are good to go.

4. Jen’s Incredible Baked Meatballs (http://cookwithhoney.blogspot.ca/2012/04/jens-incredible-baked-meatballs.html) – I know at my house spaghetti is always welcome. Most kids I know love it and meatballs are such a treat. These meatballs are baked, not fried. Sort of like mini meatloaf. Full of flavor from the addition of parmesan, garlic, onion, bread crumbs, and spices these won’t fail to please the meat eaters in the family. We have to watch my son so that we all get some meatballs; he’s been known to eat several before they hit the table.

5. Hamburger Steak with Creamy Onion Gravy (http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2009/02/hamburger-steak-with-creamy-onion-gravy.html) – The name pretty much says it all. Make patties out of ground chuck or whatever grade of meat you like, coat in a little flour and then brown them, sauté some onion, thicken it into gravy and simmer your patties for a little while. Served with rice or mashed potatoes and mmm, a nice comfort meal. It’s quick and tasty.

6. Parmesan Chicken Bake (http://www.mykitchenescapades.com/2012/07/parmesan-chicken-bake.html) – This one is fast and easy. Six chicken breasts covered with either light mayo or Greek yogurt and fresh parmesan cheese, add to this a little garlic, salt, and pepper and pop it into the oven to bake. The recipe cautions to make sure you cover all exposed chicken with the sauce to keep it from drying out. The blog that this recipe came from said that it’s even good the next day. Many times I’ve used the frozen chicken breasts for dishes like these. They are good to have on hand, just defrost and you are ready to throw this meal together.

7. Million Dollar Spaghetti  (http://ashleykaitlin.blogspot.com/2011/01/million-dollar-spaghetti.html) – This is super easy and is along the same lines as very easy lasagna. Cook your hamburger and add the spaghetti sauce while cooking your pasta. Mix together your cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese. I have made this recipe and it calls for an entire stick of butter which I did not use. I did coat the bottom of my baking dish with butter. I was glad I did not use it as it is already very rich and it would end up swimming in butter. You layer the spaghetti, meat sauce, and then the cheese mixture, then the spaghetti and meat sauce again. Top it with sharp cheddar or the cheese of your choosing and bake. It really is very tasty.

8. Hawaiian Baked Ham and Swiss Sandwiches (http://www.navywifecook.com/2011/11/hawaiian-baked-ham-and-swiss-sandwiches.html) – When I saw a picture of these I knew I had to make them. If you’ve never had King’s Hawaiian Rolls then you don’t know what you’re missing. One of these heated with butter…*sigh*. Anyway… these just look delicious. From time to time it’s nice to have something out of the ordinary for a meal. These are ham and Swiss sandwiches on special rolls with what sounds like a wonderful sauce. A sauce consisting of butter, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion, and poppy seeds. It says to put some on bottom of baking dish before you put in the rolls and then pour over the top and bake. If this doesn’t sound good to you I think you need to go to the blog and look at the picture. That may just convince you, it did me!

9. Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-grape-pasta-salad-50400000115388/) – I thought I’d offer up a nice pasta, veggie, and fruity salad for you as well. This one is just too good to pass up. It does have pecans so if you have any nut allergies at home you may want to leave them out or pass this one by. It has red grapes, red onion, and bow tie pastas; it’s a very pretty salad. A nice sweet/tart dressing tops it off. There are many broccoli salads out there on Pinterest, I think what drew me to this one was the pecans. (Or it could have been the picture; I’m a very visual person, especially when it comes to food!)

10. Bacon Egg Breakfast Casserole (http://www.grouprecipes.com/1462/bacon-egg-breakfast-casserole.html) – Here’s a breakfast idea for you, something you can make the night before and toss into the oven in the morning. It starts with sliced bread on the bottom then it’s covered with pound of two different cheeses and a pound of bacon! Sound good so far? It’s not for the faint of heart. Then you mix together your eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and pour it over the top. It says you can freeze it or put it in the fridge over night. It bakes for 45 to 50 minutes. This would be nice to have when you have guests and don’t feel like flipping pancakes or scrambling eggs the next morning. I’m a terrible breakfast cooker… everyone’s starving and everything has to be done at the same time. Is anyone else like me? By the time I sit down everyone else is done. This sounds much better to me!

11. Delicious Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/delicious-raspberry-oatmeal-cookie-bars/detail.aspx) – I wanted to share a couple of quick dessert recipes that looked good since this is my favorite part of the meal. These sound almost healthy with the oatmeal and the raspberry filling. All there is to it is brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, oats, and butter mixed to make the crust and topping. Press two cups ofthis mixture down on the bottom of the baking dish, spread with seedless raspberry jam, and top with the remaining crumb mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes and let it cool before slicing it into bars.

12. Cherry Cheese Delight (http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cherry-Cheese-Delight#.UBBtGL-pLNY.pinterest) – I love cheese cake and cherries and this recipe looks like a close cousin. The crust has pecans in it which makes it a selling point for me. You need to bake the crust for 20 minutes and then you just mix up the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and whipped topping and pour on top of cooled crust. Add two cans of cherry pie filling on top and refrigerate for two hours. It’s very simple to put together and if you put it together before your evening meal it will be ready for dessert and coffee time later.

I hope some of these recipes will work well for you and be a good fit for your family. It’s always nice to have a simple yet delicious dinner or dessert idea on hand.

Author Bio

Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, Babysitting, nanny, www.enannysource.com/ etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com