What's for Dinner. . .

SUNDAY - Birthday Party (Pizza)

MONDAY - Chicken Tenders / Mac 'n Cheese / Green Beans - the kid's favorite meal

TUESDAY - Italian / Spaghetti / - Ground Beef / Wheat Pasta Shells/ Jar Spaghetti Sauce (with a little cream cheese added for a tomato cream sauce)

WEDNESDAY - Quiche (Bacon / Tomato / Cheese)

THURSDAY - Dinner Out at Johnny Carino's (with the grandparents and Ian let me eat my meal in peace - he stayed in a high chair without making a fuss.)

FRIDAY - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches & Amy's Spaghetti O's (another kid favorite)

SATURDAY - Takeout Pizza

Donut Muffins

My grandmother used to make a cake donut from scratch that were delicious, so when I saw a recipe for Donut Muffins, I had to try them.

INGREDIENTS -

3/4 cups butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup milk

TOPPING -

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS -

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners or grease well. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well between additions. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Add half to the creamed mixture with half of the milk. Gently fold the ingredients together before incorporating the remaining flour and milk. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan, filling each hole to about two-thirds full. I got about 18 muffins out of the recipe. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the muffins are lightly brown and firm to the touch. For the topping, mix the sugar and cinnamon together. While the muffins are still warm from the oven, brush lightly with melted butter and sprinkle over the cinnamon and sugar mixture. I dipped mine in the melted butter and then dipped in the bowl. It was less messy. Eat warm or cold. Don't expect a moist muffin. These are very much like a dry cake donut, but they were very yummy! And, they weren't fried, so maybe a "little" healthier!

What's for Dinner. . .

The BIG dilemma around here is always "What's for Dinner?". It's not always easy coming up with something quick, easy, and YUMMY on school nights. And, I attempt to make it healthy or semi-healthy. I also have a hard time pleasing a VERY picky husband and picky children. Then there are times that I make something that was a "HIT" with us, and then I forget about it and forget to make it again. So, I decided to start keeping a weekly blog of what we have for dinner in our house. Here are our dinners from last week. I can't believe we didn't eat out once! What did you have for dinner last week?

SUNDAY - Turkey Chili Dogs (very quick and easy - I used Turkey Chili in a can.) The sodium is not the greatest, but we had just come back from a trip.

MONDAY - Taco Cheeseburger Macaroni - I use whole wheat pasta / lean ground beef or turkey / cheese sauce is made with a little Velveeta, mild taco seasoning, and chicken broth

TUESDAY - Chicken Stir Fry with Rice - I brown chicken with onions and make a sauce with soy sauce and broth. I then throw in whatever frozen vegetables I have on hand and serve with rice.

WEDNESDAY - King Ranch Chicken and Black Beans made with this recipe

THURSDAY - Breakfast for Dinner (Eggs & Toast)

FRIDAY - Leftovers

SATURDAY - Grilled Fajitas and Bean Salad - We grilled at my parent's house, and I made this yummy salad (see recipe here).

Yummy Bean Salad

I found a similar recipe at MckMamma's blog. I changed a few things to suit my taste and for things I had on hand.

1 can of garbanzo beans, drained
1 can of pinto beans, drained
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of yellow corn, drained

1 can of shoepeg white corn, drained
2 cans Rotel Mexican flavored with cilantro and lime
6 green onions, chopped finely
2 Tablespoons Zesty Italian Dressing
dashes of chili powder, cumin and garlic powder
Juice from 1 fresh lime
fresh cilantro* (optional)
salt to taste

Drain all the cans of beans and corn and dump into a LARGE bowl. Add the 2 cans of Rotel (juice and all). Add the green onions, dressing, seasonings, lime juice, and cilantro*. Blend together and refrigerate. The recipe said to refrigerate overnight and then serve. I ate mine right after I made it, and it was delicious. It is very yummy with Multigrain tortilla chips or Fritos. It does make a LOT. This would be great for a picnic or potluck.

*I read or heard somewhere that only 1/3 of the population likes the flavor of cilantro. It is not my favorite thing, although the last couple of years, I started using a small amount in cooking. A little goes a LONG way. I don't seem to mind a little bit, but I can't stand it when it overtakes the entire dish. I put a very tiny amount in this dish.

Berry Crisp

I bought some raspberries and blackberries, but they were a bit too sour. So, I decided to make this Berry Crisp. I changed a recipe I found in a cookbook. It was delicious! I ate way too much of it, but I keep trying to tell my self it was healthy. It has oatmeal in it! Maybe the oatmeal cancels out the butter?

1 cup fresh blackberries (you could also use blueberries)
1 cup fresh raspberries
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cups butter


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, gently toss together blackberries and raspberries with white sugar. Allow to sit while you are making the crisp.
In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture in the bottom of a 9x9" pan. Cover with berries. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over the berries.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Sneaky Chef Monkey Bars

I haven't posted a recipe in a while. . .I just haven't made anything that I was really excited enough to post about. But, I decided to go ahead and post these. I made this recipe from Parents.com. Now that we have baby food in the house, I thought it was worth a try. It was pretty good, and definately healthy. The kids liked it, too. It is like a very dense banana bread to me, but I always think that anytime you put bananas in something, the banana flavor takes over.


Makes 1 dozen.
•Cooking spray
•5 Tbsp butter
•1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
•1/2 tsp salt
•1/4 cup sweet-potato baby food (stage 1 or 2)
•1/4 cup carrot baby food (stage 1 or 2)
•2 large bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
•1 tsp pure vanilla extract
•2 egg yolks
•1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking) I did use quick cooking oats.
•1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
•1/2 cup white-chocolate chips (optional)
Note: Carrot and sweet-potato baby food can be used interchangeably; use one or the other, or both, as long as it totals 1/2 cup.

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray the bottom, not the sides, of an 11 by 7-inch or a 9-inch-square pan.

2. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, sugar, and salt. Remove from heat, and allow mixture to cool about 5 minutes.

3. Whisk in the baby food, bananas, vanilla, and egg yolks. Add the oats and flour, and mix until just combined. Pour the entire mixture into the prepared baking pan, and bake for 40 to 43 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

4. Allow to cool completely in pan before cutting. If desired, melt the white-chocolate chips in the microwave (on high for 15-second intervals), then drizzle across the bars.

Pop Up Pancakes

I tried the following Pop Up Pancake Recipe – I found the recipe at Makes and Takes.

1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
dash salt

Preheat oven at 400
Makes 24 in a muffin pan or 9" x 13" pan - greased.

Mix all ingredients in a blender. You definitely need to use a blender. I first tried to whisk the ingredients together, but the batter was very lumpy. Also, the blender makes it easy to pour right into the muffin tins.

Bake them for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. They should pop right out.

I will say they are very eggy. One of my kids liked them, and the other did not. I'm a big time pancake girl, and these are by no means a traditional pancake. I still prefer regular pancakes over these, but it's a cute idea. We topped ours with powdered sugar and syrup. They definitely need some sweetness.