BBQ Meatballs

This is the Pioneer Woman's recipe for BBQ meatballs. She describes this dish as "comfort food to the max" and she is not kidding! Holy cow!! This is tasty, filling and yes, total comfort food. Serve this up with mashed potatoes,fresh green beans and a roll...Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!

For those not familiar with PW, she is a very popular food blogger named Ree Drummond. Her blog is an award-winning website,which showcases her photography,recipes,and documents her hilarious transition from city life in California to ranch wife living in Oklahoma. Ree just published her first cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks:Recipes from an accidental country girl.

Ingredients:

Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup oats
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons very finely minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
plenty of ground black pepper

Sauce
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
4 to 6 tablespoons onion
Dash of Tabasco

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.
Remove from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.
Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.
Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty french bread.

Baked Rice Pilaf

Here is a wonderful baked rice pilaf recipe you'll want to bookmark. I found this on Annie's Eats and it is fantastic!

This would work great as a side dish to just about any type of meal. The rice is so light and fluffy. Plus, it was a snap to prepare (just note that it bakes for about an hour). I'm a little bummed that I didn't get a better picture. By the time dinner was ready, it was almost 6PM and the light was quickly fading, so this was the best I could get.

Here is a look at the rest of dinner. The flounder was kind of blah and not really "blog worthy". The spinach was frozen and from a box, again nothing special...but the rice...that was the star!

And now, on a completely unrelated, non-cooking note....some pictures of my daughter taken this afternoon. *Please scroll all the way down for recipe.*






Waving hello to a neighbor.

"Hey, we are wearing the same outfit today!"

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Ingredients:

2 tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup long-grain white rice
2½ cups chicken broth, divided
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
Squeeze of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Have ready a covered casserole dish. In a saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and rice to the pan and cook until both are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth,salt, pepper and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish, cover, and bake for 25 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1½ cups chicken broth and bake, covered, for another 45 minutes. About 15 minutes before it is finished baking, stir in a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Note: This recipe can be doubled without increasing the baking time.

Chicken Parmesan (Giada's recipe)

I love one pot (or pan in this case)dishes! Less stuff to clean up afterwards is always a very good thing. The other great thing about this classic from Giada,is that it tastes a little lighter than traditional chicken Parmesan recipes that are dipped in egg and breaded.

This dish works well for a weeknight meal. Just be sure to check that your cookware is safe for high oven temps. I use Calphalon Tri-ply stainless steel, which are oven safe up to 500 degrees. If your cookware isn't rate for high oven temps, you can always transfer the chicken to a baking dish after cooking it on the skillet.

Click HERE to see video of this dish.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 (3-ounces each) chicken cutlets
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce,homemade or purchased marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
16 teaspoons grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Stir the oil and herbs in a small bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Brush both sides of the cutlets with the herb oil. Heat a heavy large oven-proof skillet over high heat. Add the cutlets and cook just until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Spoon the marinara sauce over and around the cutlets. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of mozzarella over each cutlet, then sprinkle 2 teaspoons of Parmesan over each. Sprinkle the butter pieces atop the cutlets. Bake until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Hawaiian Pizza

A couple of weeks ago, when we were at Wegman's for the Paula Deen book signing, my son had Hawaiian pizza for the first time and LOVED it! I wasn't surprised since he is a huge fan of pizza (what kid isn't?)and also likes ham and pineapple. So, the combination was a big hit with him and I was happy to replace his usual (greasy) topping of pepperoni with something a bit healthier (lean ham and pineapples). I told him we could make this at home too and he was one happy camper.

I had intended this to be totally from scratch, so the night before I made the pizza dough (recipe below)but I never got a chance to make the homemade pizza sauce. Instead I just used a good quality jarred pasta sauce and pureed it for a smoother texture. The pizza dough was make with both regular and whole wheat flour. It would normally yield enough for a large pie. However, I divided into four equal parts to make individual size pizzas...a very kid friendly size!

My son had so much fun making the pizza and was so proud of himself for doing all the assembly. Needless to say, he also loved how it tasted and quickly ate it all up!

Crucial to any kid's cooking project...all the ingredients and tools are at hand!

Step 1: roll out the dough

Step 2: spread on sauce

Step 3: add toppings

Step 4: top with cheese


The finished product!

And the best part...eating it of course :)


Ingredients
pizza dough (either store bought or homemade)*Click HERE for the recipe **see note below**
pizza or marinara sauce (either store bought or homemade)
mozzarella cheese, shredded
lean, low-sodium ham, diced
fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks
Italian seasoning, dried
olive oil

**The pizza dough recipe calls for 2 cups of bread flour. When I did this it left my dough still too sticky, so I added another 3/4 of flour (whole wheat this time) and it was perfect**
Preheat oven to 385 degrees.
Start by dividing the pizza dough into four equal parts (about the size of a tennis ball each). Then on a floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough, till it is about 1/3 inch thick. Then roll about 1/2 inch of dough to form the outer crust. Transfer the rolled out dough to a cookie sheet. Lightly brush entire pizza dough with oil and spread sauce so all of the surface is evenly covered.
Add the topping and sprinkle with a generous amount of cheese. Add a small amount of Italian seasoning on top. Place prepared pizzas in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until all the cheese is melted and it looks hot and bubbly.

Pork Tenderloin

This was Sunday night supper. Roasted pork tenderloin with pan sauce, roasted sweet potato wedges and sauteed green beans....so,so good!

The pork tenderloin recipe comes courtesy of Fortheloveofcooking blog. To make the sweet potatoes, I peeled them, then cut into wedges and simply seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. These cooked in the oven along with the tenderloin for about 30 minutes, turning over half way. The green beans were first cooked in boiling water till tender crisp, then sauteed in a little butter and seasoned with salt and pepper.

This was a wonderful Fall meal and one good enough to serve company. I also love that it's healthy (pork tenderloin has about as much fat as a chicken breast), easy to prepare and so flavorful. We all loved this dish!

Ingredients
1⁄2 cups olive oil
1⁄3 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp dry mustard
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1-lb. pork tenderloin

Combine all ingredients and marinate for at least 3-4 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a hot skillet over medium heat, sear each side of tenderloin for 2-3 minutes. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the meat has reached 160 degrees (check with your meat thermometer because one of mine said 145 degrees for pork and the other said 160 degrees). Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Pan Sauce:
Pan scrapings from pork tenderloin
1/2 cup of chicken broth
2-3 tbsp of pork marinade (thoroughly mixed)
1-2 tsp butter
Meanwhile, place the skillet back on the stove over medium heat. Add the chicken broth and scrape up all the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan. Add the marinade and let it boil down for 2-3 minutes. Add the butter and remove from heat stirring until butter has melted. Pour over the pork tenderloin.

Minestrone

What are you going to do on a cold, rainy day like today? My answer...stay home and make a big bowl of veggie filled soup.

This is my version of the classic minestrone. It has lots of seasonal vegetables, beans and pasta. This is a very healthy soup and while I didn't calculate WW points my guess would be 1 to 2 per 1.5 cup serving.

Go ahead and serve this soup up with some crusty bread and it won't matter that it's cold and dreary outside.

How we spend a cold and rainy day...looking up animals on Wikipedia.
and wearing our pajamas all day (brother's hand-me-downs never looked so cute).

Ingredients
1.5 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
1 (14oz)can petite diced tomatoes
1 cup canned great northern beans, drained
3/4 cup green beans, cut
1 cup green cabbage, rinsed and shredded
1 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup small pasta, such as ditalini
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping

In a large stock pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic and onions for 2 to 3 minutes. Add celery and carrots, saute for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add broth, water and tomatoes,green beans and zucchini, bring to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for 10-12 minutes. Then add beans,pasta, cabbage, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 14 to 16 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Alton Brown Book Signing

So today, I got to meet Alton Brown at a local book signing. This came about very last minute though and I'm still surprised that I actually pulled it off.

This morning, after dropping my son off at preschool, I rushed home to meet the plumber. Our garbage disposal was broken and had clogged up the kitchen sink as well. Anyway, as the plumber worked on our broken disposal, I decide to log onto Facebook. That's when I saw that a friend had posted a status update that he was on his way to Sur La Table in Arlington to see Alton. Alton Brown has a new cookbook/coffee table book called Good Eats: The Early Years.

I love Alton and really wanted to see him but it was already 10:35am and the event started at 11:30am. Plus, I still had the plumber here, I was in my workout clothes and hadn't showered yet, my daughter needed a snack and I had to pick up my son by 12:15 and drop him off by 12:25 at his afternoon preschool....how the heck was I going to get myself to Arlington to meet Alton???!!!!

Well, luckily the plumber finished up quickly and I threw my daughter and myself in the car as fast as I could. I drove us to the gym so I could take a shower while she played in the nursery. After that, I made a quick stop at a local coffee shop and we both ate a much needed snack. Then, I picked my son up from AM preschool and dropped him off at PM preschool. After that, I hopped on the highway and made it to Arlington (a 20 min. trip from my area of Alexandria)in record time. We got to the book signing just before 1pm.

Lucky for me, they had extended the book signing time a little longer. So, I purchased my book and waited about 45 minutes in line to meet Alton Brown. It was so worth it too! I only got to speak with him briefly, while he signed my book but he was so,so nice. And it was such a treat to meet him in person. His show on the Foodnetwork is one of my favorites. I just love his nerdy science teacher like personality.

Next month, Giada! Yep....I'm a crazy, celebrity chef stalker :)

Meeting Alton...he was so nice!

Alton signs our book.

My daughter, so happy to be out of her stroller.

My daughter and I with our copy of "Good Eats".

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I got this recipe for chocolate chip pancakes from AllRecipes.com and made them for dinner tonight. Yes, it was that kind of night...breakfast for dinner.

I did alter the recipe slightly to try and make it a little healthier. I used half whole wheat flour and half unsweetened applesauce (in place of only oil). After cooking, I topped the pancakes with just a few extra chocolate chips and some fresh banana slices.

I also did make the cinnamon honey syrup that is in the recipe. I only made half of the recipe for this which was fine b/c a little of this goes a long way. The syrup was good but I didn't love it. Next time, I will omit it and just stick with a pat of butter and some good maple syrup.

My attempt at an action shot.


INGREDIENTS

Pancakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 all-purpose flour & 1/2 whole wheat flour)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/2 unsweetened applesauce & 1/2 veg. oil)
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips (I used regular size semi-sweet chips)

Cinnamon Honey Syrup:
1 cup honey
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cubed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine eggs, milk and oil; add to dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until second side is golden brown. Keep warm.
Combine the syrup ingredients in a 2-cup microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high until butter is melted and syrup is hot, stirring occasionally. Serve with pancakes.

Pasta Art

Here is another easy kitchen craft the kids can work on (independently) while you prep and cook dinner.

You should already have all the supplies in your house. Just look through your pantry and grab a bunch of different types of pastas. If you have colored pastas, even better! Then get some glue and construction paper...and let the kids do their thing!

For our pasta art, I found bow ties, mini penne, campanella and wagon wheels.


Supplies Needed
assorted dry pasta
construction paper
Elmer's glue
marker

Directions
Give kids the supplies and have them glue the pasta on the paper to make designs or anyway they want. You can also make a simple picture or even letters and have them trace that with the pasta.

This activity is good for 3 year olds and up.

Baked Mac and 4 Cheeses

You know what?...I really stink at meal planning sometimes. Every Sunday morning, I plan my meals for the entire week. Then later in the day I go to the grocery store for one big food run. However, many times after a day or two of pre-planned meals, I get cravings for something completely different. That's how this mac and cheese dish came about.

Today, I got a craving for mac and cheese. So I started browsing through FoodNetwork.com and found this one by Ellie Krieger. What really appealed to me about her recipe is that she started off the cheese sauce with pureed squash! Sneaking in the veggies...yeah, I'm all about that!

Now, I will admit that this is not my favorite mac and cheese recipe. It tasted a little bland to me. Maybe it's b/c I only used sharp cheddar instead of extra-sharp or the ricotta somehow muted some of the other flavors...I don't really know. However, BOTH of my kids really liked it and happily ate all of their dinner...yes, squash and all:) So, if you are looking for a way to get your kids to eat more veggies, you might want to give this recipe a try.

Click HERE for a video of how to make this dish.


Ingredients
Makes 8 servings (I only made half the recipe)

Cooking spray
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash
2 cups 1 percent lowfat milk (I used 2%)
4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/3 cups) (I used sharp cheddar)
2 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the Cheddar, Jack cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned. Be sure the pasta is not too close to the broiler or it will burn the toppings instead of browning them.

Baked French Fries

Dinner tonight came together very easily. I made Boca burgers (original variety) with cheese and homemade baked french fries.

These baked fries are not only easy to make but they are also healthy b/c they are baked and not fried. They taste much better than the frozen variety too.

Ingredients
Makes 4 servings

2 large baking potato
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dry basil
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash and dry potatoes. Cut potatoes into wedges or thinner. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Mix olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, basil and onion powder together. Brush potatoes with oil/spice mixture and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn over potatoes. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.

Black Bean Salsa

Black bean salsa recipe from Paula Deen....yes, Paul Deen. No, don't worry it doesn't contain a stick of butter silly :) This is a classic black bean salsa with avacado, onions, tomato and lime juice. So easy, so good!

Great with chips

And over chicken


Ingredients
Makes 12 servings (I only made half)

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (17-ounce) package frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 large avocado, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1/8 to 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Cover and chill overnight. Taste and add salt, pepper or more lime juice as necessary.

Chinese Meatballs and Rice

Let me start with a disclaimer...this is not Chinese food for grown ups. It is instead, a very kid friendly Chinese style supper. Meatballs (with water chestnuts, soy sauce & scallions), rice (with toasted sesame seeds and scallions) and green beans with a peanut butter dipping sauce. I think this could easily get dressed up with some extra spices or sauce for the grown up palate though.

I got this recipe from C is for Cooking....Recipes from the Street. If you're in the market for a kids cookbook, this Sesame Street cookbook is a good one. It's well organized, has lots of useful tips and wonderful recipes (Cookie Monster's me-love-mini-meatloaves are great too).

My son really liked this dinner, especially since he got to use chopsticks!! The only thing missing were the fortune cookies....next time.

Close-up

My son's plate

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 pound ground pork or turkey
6 water chestnuts, finely diced
2 scallions, minced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. roasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

In a large bowl combine the first five ingredients. Shape the meat mixture into small balls. I used a Tbsp. to scoop out even amounts. This will make about 24 mini meatballs.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Then add the meatballs, stirring often, till browned on all sides. Cover and cook until meatballs are no longer pink in the center. Keep warm till ready to serve.

Scallion Rice

1.5 cups jasmin rice
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Cook rice according to package directions. Add scallions and sesame seeds. Toss well to combine.

Green Beans with Peanut- Soy Dipping Sauce

1 pound green beans rinsed and trimmed
1/3 cup smooth natural peanut butter
2 tsp. soy sauce
3/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

In a large pot, steam or boil green beans til tender crisp. drain.

In another pan combine peanut butter, soy sauce and water. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until sauce thickens. Just before serving, sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the sauce.

Food Collage

The time just before dinner at my house is probably the toughest part of my day. It is usually just me, trying to get dinner made and 2 tired and cranky little kids. So, I often have a quick activity they can do at the kitchen table while I cook.

My criteria for this and any other pre-dinner activity/craft is that it can not make a big mess and must be done independent by the child. This craft fits both. Plus it also teaches them about sorting and they get to work on fine motor skills by cutting and pasting.

There were a lot more "likes"...phew!

Peaches, avocados, peppers are a definite "don't" for my son.


Supplies Needed
pictures of different types of foods (cut from magazines)
scissors
glue stick
2 pieces of construction paper
marker

How To
Earlier in the day, clip out pictures from a few magazines of foods (the more the better). If your child is a little older, just give them the magazines and let them cut out the foods themselves. Then label two pieces of construction paper. One is the "like" sheet the other the "don't like" sheet. Then let the kids glue the pictures to the sheets.

This activity is good for 2.5 year olds and up.