Buttered Apple Slices

This is a simple side dish--goes well with fall menus, especially with pork chops or baked chicken. It's also a great way to use up some of those apples lingering in your crisper! Keep this in mind, too, for those toddlers who are not adept at using utensils yet (and therefore can't eat applesauce well), but don't have enough molars to eat a hard, crunchy, raw apple.

Recipe based on one in Joy of Cooking, 1997 edition

apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
butter

In a cast iron skillet (or other heavy skillet), melt a generous layer of butter. When hot (don't let it burn!), lay apples in skillet in one layer. When apples are softened on bottom, flip. Remove from skillet when cooked to your liking! (Harder apples will take longer; tart apples will benefit from a sprinkling of sugar)

Chicken Tucson (Casserole or Quesadillas)

This recipe is really for a Tex-Mex casserole, but we like it better made into quesadillas. I'll include those directions at the bottom. It's a great way to sneak some extra veggies into the diet, and it's simple to assemble. If you go the quesadilla route, it takes up less space in your freezer.

Recipe from Meals for a Month

• 20-oz. salsa (your choice)
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
• 6 corn tortillas*
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream*

*If making quesadillas, see below for ingredient substitutions

Casserole Directions

1. Spread 1/2 cup salsa in a 9x9-inch baking dish and set aside. In large bowl, combine remaining salsa, beans, chicken, and pepper. Mix well.
2. Place 3 tortillas on salsa in bottom of baking dish. Top with half of chicken mixture and sprinkle with half of cheese. Top with 3 more tortillas, then remaining chicken mixture. Wrap and label. Reserve sour cream in refrigerator. Place remaining cheese in zipper-lock bag; attach to baking dish and freeze.
3. To thaw and cook: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Place small dollops of sour cream on casserole and stop with reserved cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until hot and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 4

OR...
Quesadilla Directions
You will need 8 or more flour tortillas for this and no sour cream (unless you like to top your quesadillas with sour cream). We also use more salsa.

Combine filling ingredients (using only 16-oz. salsa). Freeze in ziploc bag. Attach bag of cheese and another bag of tortillas. Label and freeze.

To assemble, thaw all ingredients and proceed as you would normally with quesadillas!

Mediterranean Fish

This is yummy! It's a nice change from my usual fish repertoire.

From Saving Dinner

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with roasted garlic, onion, and oregano (I used stewed tomatoes)
• 1 4.5-ounce can sliced olives, drained
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 pieces of white fish (fresh or frozen--whatever is available)
• 2 T. lemon juice

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and saute onion, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Add the tomatoes, olives, and salt and pepper; heat to boiling. Arrange fish fillets in single layer in tomato mixture. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice; reduce heat to medium high. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
   

Serves 6

Succotash Soup

This is a simple, fresh-tasting soup, and it makes a pretty, cheerful-looking bowl. It freezes well!

From Saving Dinner

• 1 bag frozen limas (I used baby limas)
• 1 cup water
• 2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 1 c. chopped onion
• 3/4 c. chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 c. chopped celery
• 3/4 c. chopped green onions
• 2 1/2 t. dried whole thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• dash cayenne pepper
• 1 14.5-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped (I used a can of petite diced)
• 1 11-ounce can whole kernel corn

1. Place beans in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans, bring to boil, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour (I don't think this is necessary if using baby limas.)
2. Drain beans; add 1 cup water and broth. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes or until beans are tender.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and celery; saute 2 minutes. Add green onions; saute 1 minute. Add onion mixture, thyme, and remaining ingredients to bean mixture; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Serves 10

Rosemary Chicken Breast Halves

From Saving Dinner

• 5 T. olive oil
• 3 T. lemon juice
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 1/2 t. dried rosemary
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. In a big ziploc bag, combine 4 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and rosemary. Place chicken in the bag and refrigerate. (You could freeze it at this point...). Do this in the morning to have it perfect by dinnertime. If you can, turn the bag a few times during the day.
2. In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining olive oil and cook chicken for approximately 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 6

Crock-Pot Chicken Stew

From Saving Dinner

• 1 16-ounce bag baby carrots
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 t. rosemary, pressed
• 2 c. apple cider
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 T. flour
• 1/4 c. cold water

1. In a Crock-Pot, place carrots on the bottom, then onions. Layer chicken on top, salt and pepper to taste and crush the rosemary over the top as well. Add cider and broth. Turn Crock-Pot on low and cook for 8 hours.
2. When carrots are tender and all is cooked, drain cooking liquid into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until reduced. In a cup, add 1 tablespoon flour and 1/4 cup cold water and blend to make a paste, using a fork. Make sure there are no lumps, then add to simmering cooking juices, blending the entire time with the fork to incorporate flour mixture with the cooking juices. When sauce has thickened, serve over chicken.

Serves 6

Toddler Smoothies

My boys (17 months) are very interested in learning to eat with utensils. This is theoretically great because it means one step down the independence-from-mommy road. However, after a recent attempt to eat yogurt, I not only took lots of funny pictures, but I stripped them down and sponged them off pretty thoroughly. Hmmm... Cottage cheese, oatmeal, mashed potatoes--these sorts of foods provide great learning experiences. Something "thinner" like soup or yogurt presents a problem. Then, the lightbulb went off: my boys love drinking through straws! (So does my daughter). So I'm now giving them yogurt via smoothies! They love them, it's an easy way to get a little fruit and plain yogurt into their little tummies, and the cleanup is minimal. If you have a toddler (or a grown up--we all like these) in the house, you might consider the following easy smoothies (I've included some from Wholesome Baby Food.com that use pumpkin--one of our favorite yogurt mix'in's!):

Berry Smoothie

2 c. plain yogurt
1 very ripe banana (I stick bananas in the freezer when they start getting ripe and use them for smoothies)
1/2 c. frozen berries (blueberries are a must; others can be added in as well)
squirt of lemon juice or spoonful of orange juice concentrate

Blend it all up and serve! This makes enough for each of my kids to have about 1/2 cup and me to have a bit more. If I'm serving all five of us and it's a significant part of breakfast, I'll double the recipe.

Autumn Smoothie

1/2 cup plain, vanilla or banana yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of ginger
1 frozen banana

Combine in a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
Serves one grown-up and one baby.

The Autum Spoon A new twist on the Autumn Smoothie

1/2 cup plain, yogurt
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of ginger
1 banana

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until a thick consistency is created. Add some wheat germ for even more cling!

Banana Pumpkin Smoothie

Ingredients:
1-cup milk or plain yogurt
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
(or homemade puree pumpkin)
1 banana
dash of cinnamon

Directions:
Blend in blender until smooth and foamy.
Serve immediately.

Bulk Cooking Line Up #2

I decided to see how well I could do my bulk cooking this time around by spreading it over the course of one week instead of 2 full days of cooking. The last round got me 7 weeks' worth of meals (dinner entrees)! We consider 4 servings to be a meal, so some recipes automatically made 2 meals' worth before they were doubled. I also was able to give some away to needy families and had a ready made church potluck dish. This time, I had a broader range to fill (some breakfast stuff for my husband, a birthday cake, some fall desserts for company coming, and general weeknight fare). I also was going to attempt this with my children running around... well, really using their naptime. How did it go? Hmmm... It's definitely easier to devote an entire, kid-free day to this sort of thing, but I managed to get a lot done in one week. I also did some meal starters instead of whole entrees.... This will get us to around Thanksgiving! Not bad for a week or two's worth of work. I will definitely be posting the recipes for most of these things. Some of them are our family's favorite, favorite, favorite things to eat.

Key:
SS=Space Saver (fits in a ziploc bag instead of a casserole shape)
SSS=Super Space Saver (fits in a quart-sized ziploc bag!)
MS=Meal Starter (as opposed to finished entree; needs veggies and/or pasta/rice/etc.)
TS=Time Saver on Bulk Cooking Day (pretty much just dump ingredients into ziploc bag)
*Recipes I'm going to make this coming week--easy ones that don't have to be cooked before being frozen...

Chicken Dishes:

Red-Roasted Whole Chicken (prepped the chicken--we'll see how this goes!) TS
Herb-Roasted Whole Chicken (prepped the chicken)
Herb-Roasted Chicken Pieces (2 recipes) SS
Italian dressing marinated chicken (self-explanatory) SSS, TS
Chicken for Stir-Fry (in its marinade) MS, SSS, TS
Cherry Chipotle Chicken (3 recipes) SSS, TS

Pork Dishes:
Lemon Pepper Pork Roast (basically prepped it for cooking later) SS, TS
Prepped Pork Chops (packs of 3, trimmed, etc.) SSS, TS
Pork for Broccoli with Meat and Noodles (2 recipes) MS, SSS, TS

Beef/Combo Dishes:
Apple Meatloaf (2 recipes) SS
Easy Bierrocks (1/2 recipe) SS

Soups/Stews/Chilis:
Tomato Basil Soup (5 recipes) SSS
White Chicken Chili (2 recipes) SS
Black Bean Chili (2 recipes) SS
Butternut Squash Soup (3 recipes) SS* (our family's all-time favorite soup!!!)

Breakfast Treats:
Egg McMuffins (16) SS
Sausage Scones (16) SS
Breakfast Burritos (12) SS*

Desserts:
Baby Food Cake (2 recipes=4 loaf cakes) SS
Pumpkin Cake (1 recipe=2 loaf cakes) SS

Ingredients now on hand/in freezer/pantry (this means the ingredients can keep for a few weeks or longer--these don't need to be made this next week):
Red Beans and Rice
Famous Chili
Chicken Korma (sauce in pantry)
Pad Thai (sauce and noodles in pantry)
Pork Dumplings (Chinese dish)
Spanokopita* (a Greek spinach pie with phyllo dough)
Chipotle Cheddar Chicken Cakes*
Salmon Cakes*
Apple Dumplings* (actually, I'm making these for company this weekend and will just double the recipe to freeze half)
Tuna Sandwiches (for when we run out of Lean Cuisines!)
Chicken Tucson*
Black Bean and Rice Salad (yes, all the ingredients can be frozen!!)

Herb Roasted Chicken

This is a tasty way to preserve the taste of fresh herbs after your herb garden succumbs to colder weather since this recipe is a "freezer meal." It is also quite economical if you have an herb garden and buy chicken leg quarters or cut up a whole chicken. To make this with a whole chicken, see below--both for preparation and slow cooker directions.

Recipe from Meals for a Month

• 4 pounds chicken pieces
• 2 T. finely minced rosemary leaves
• 2 T. finely minced marjoram leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (or crushed)
• 2 t. salt
• 1/8 t. pepper
• 3 T. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 2 T. olive oil

1. Gently loosen the skin from the flesh of the chicken. In small bowl, combine herbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise, and rub this mixture between the skin and flesh of the chicken. Smooth skin back over chicken pieces.
2. Flash freeze chicken in single layer on baking sheet. When frozen solid, pack in zipper lock bags; attach small bag with chicken broth. Label chicken and freeze. Reserve olive oil in pantry.
3. To thaw and cook: Thaw chicken overnight in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Place chicken, skin-side down, in pan and brown for 4-5 minutes. Turn chicken over and pour chicken broth in skillet. Place skillet in preheated oven, and roast for 30-40 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender, basting occasionally with pan juices.
4. To cook without freezing: Refrigerate chicken for 3-4 hours (after putting herb mixture on it). Then, proceed with browning....

Serves 6-8

To make with a whole chicken for the crock pot:

Follow process for making herb-mayonnaise mixture and rub under skin of whole chicken (make sure you've taken the giblets out). Place whole chicken in gallon size ziploc bag, squeeze air out, and seal. Place inside another bag for added protection.

Thaw chicken overnight (or longer--depends on your fridge!) in the refrigerator. Place several foil balls in bottom of crock pot. Place chicken breast-side down on foil. Cook on high for 4-6 hours.

Cherry Chipotle Chicken

I adapted this recipe from a Saving Dinner menu-mailer. It was originally designed to be a simple marinade for grilled chicken. I used the same sauce recipe, cut my chicken up into pieces, and made it a stovetop recipe. If you'd like to grill it, simply leave your chicken breasts whole, grill the chicken, and cook the marinade on the stove as directed below.

3/4 c. fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries, pitted and chopped
1/3 c. low sodium chicken broth
1/4 c. ketchup
1/4 c. cherry jam (I used "all fruit")
1 1/2 T. cider vinegar
1 t. minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or more to taste
1 t. dried thyme
1/3 t. dried allspice
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (sliced for stovetop method)

Combine all ingredients in ziploc bag (for stovetop method, a quart-size will work). If you're freezing it, then you're done! Just throw it in the freezer. If not freezing, marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably up to 24.

Throw bag's contents into a saucepan/skillet on the stove. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is done and sauce is reduced by about half.

(To grill, simply pull chicken out of marinade, grill, and cook marinade separately.)

Serves 4-6

Red Roasted Chicken

This is a Weight Watchers recipe and is delicious! It's also easy and economical.

Recipe from Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight!

• 1 T. packed light brown sugar
• 1 T. paprika
• 1 T. red wine vinegar
• 2 t. dried oregano
• 1 garlic clove, mashed or crushed
• 1/2 t. ground cumin
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 3.5-pound roasting chicken*
• 1 onion, quartered

*I have trouble finding them this small; the paste is enough for a chicken 5 pounds or so--you'll have to adjust the cooking time below a touch.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray rack of a roasting pan with nonstick spray and place in the pan; set aside.
2. Combine sugar through salt in a small bowl; mix well.
3. Rub paste between skin and flesh of chicken--all over the breast and legs (don't worry about the wings). Place onion inside the cavity of the chicken. Truss legs if desired, and place breast-side up in pan.
   
4. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 180 degrees, about an hour and 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Remove and discard onion; carve and serve.
   

Serves 6

Citrus Glazed Chicken

This is a simple, tasty dish that is easy to assemble in bulk for your freezer. Keep this in mind next time you notice boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale!

Recipe from Meals for a Month

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 c. honey
• 3 T. lemon juice
• 2 T. orange juice
• 1 t. dried tarragon

1. Place chicken in ziploc bag. Mix remaining ingredients in medium bowl to make marinade and pour over chicken. Seal bag, label, and freeze.
2. To thaw and cook: Thaw chicken overnight in refrigerator. Uncover and bake chicken at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, basting frequently, until chicken is thoroughly cooked and glazed.

Serves 4

Easy Bierrocks

(Sorry the picture is flipped on its side--it's oriented correctly on my computer, so who knows...) These little things are usually made with homemade roll dough, but I took a shortcut and used some tubes of pizza dough (3 for the filling recipe) to save some time. My children loved them! It's a great way to sneak some cabbage in/use some up (for some reason, every time I buy a head of cabbage, I always have more than I can use up). My husband says they taste like egg rolls with pizza crust. Hmmm.... Anyway, if you'd like to make the dough from scratch, pretty much any hot roll recipe will work.

Filling recipe from More-with-Less

1 1/2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey (I used turkey)
1/2 c. chopped onion
3 c. cabbage, finely cut
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
dash Tabasco

Brown meat and onion. Add remaining ingredients. Cover skillet and cook over low heat until cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally. Do not add water/liquid. Cool slightly.

Roll dough out and cut into 5-inch squares. (Or, unroll pizza dough from tube and cut into 6 squares.) Place 2 tablespoons filling in each square, pinch edges together, and place pinched sides down on greased cookie sheet (I left mine pinched sides up). If using roll dough, let rise 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Makes roughly 18 little bierrocks if using pizza dough; recipe says it serves 10

Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits #5

(See here for an explanation of Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits)

This will be my last regular Toddler Tidbit menu. I'll still focus on toddler meals on Tuesdays, but don't have time to record every little bite we eat every week (you'll notice some gaps on this menu...)! We'll be eating lots of apples and butternut squash in the coming months, so I'll post some of our favorite Toddler Gourmet recipes on Tuesdays. Serving sizes, where applicable, in parentheses. Remember, these are my offerings to the little toddler tummies...when food offered is not consumed and I know they've eaten it in the past, I assume the tummies are still full from the last offering. Here's the lineup:

Sunday:

• Breakfast: , milk to drink
  
• Lunch:
  
• Dinner:
  

Monday:

• Breakfast: Cheerios, cheese, mandarin oranges, milk
  
• Lunch: 1/2 peanut butter-and-honey sandwich, banana slices, milk to drink
  
• Afternoon Snack: water in their sippy cups; 3 animal crackers
  
• Dinner: Vegetarian Chili with cheese on top, ?, milk to drink

Tuesday:

• Breakfast:
  
• Lunch:
  
• Afternoon Snack:
  
• Dinner: Creamy Peanut Chicken on rice, mixed frozen vegetables (mixed into peanut sauce...they gobbled it all up!) milk to drink

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Pumpkin Pancakes, milk to drink
  
• Lunch: leftover vegetarian chili with cheese on top, plain yogurt, 1 oreo cookie, milk to drink
  
• Afternoon Snack: none
  
• Dinner: Citrus Glazed Chicken, curry rice, Creamed cabbage, cantaloupe chunks
  

Thursday:

• Breakfast: hard-boiled eggs, Sweet Quesadilla Muffins, peach cubes, milk to drink
  
• Lunch: peanut butter on crackers, banana, juice
  
• Afternoon Snack: none....
  
• Dinner: meatloaf, Easy Roasted Potatoes, broccoli, milk to drink
  

Friday:

• Breakfast: leftover pumpkin pancakes, cottage cheese, milk to drink
  
• Lunch: 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cheese cubes, peach cubes, broccoli and dip (for oldest), water to drink
• Snack: Hinkelsteins!
  
• Dinner: leftover meatloaf, peas, leftover potatoes, leftover curry rice, milk to drink
  

Saturday:

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs, toast, peaches, milk to drink
  
• Lunch: peanut butter and jelly, ?
  
• Dinner: pasta with cheese and broccoli, fruit (can't remember), milk to drink
  

Garlic Lime Chicken

This is a tasty, easy chicken dish from Saving Dinner. My daughter loves it (always a plus).

1 t. salt
3/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. paprika
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. thyme
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
4 T. lime juice
1/2 c. chicken broth

On a dinner plate, mix first 7 ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts. In a skillet, heat butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side (more if you're using chicken breasts on steroids). Remove chicken and add lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.

Serves 6

Oven-Fried Fish

A great basic fish recipe that is kid-friendly, easy on the budget and your schedule, and tasty!

From Saving Dinner

4 T. butter
1 c. Italian bread crumbs, crushed
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
6 fish fillets

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a saucepan, melt butter and spread on the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish. (I melted my butter in the microwave.)
   
3. To crush bread crumbs, place in a ziploc bag and roll a rolling pin over them. Pour contents onto a pie plate. Add cheese and salt and pepper and blend well.
4. Dip the fish first in the butter, then into the crumbs. Place the fish in the baking dish after it's coated with the crumbs.
5. Bake fish for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.

Serves 6

Italian Turkey Meatloaf

This is a nice twist on traditional meatloaf. It tastes a lot like pizza. It would be a great freezer recipe since you're only using 1/2 of some ingredients--double it and freeze the other loaf. Then, you'll have a meal in the freezer and will use up the entire can of tomatoes, package of sausage, etc.

Recipe from Saving Dinner

1 large egg
1/2 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1/3 c. minced fresh parsley
1/2 c. oats (I grind them in a blender)
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 package Italian turkey sausages (removed from casings; about 4 sausages*)
1/2 pound ground turkey
1/3 c. spaghetti sauce

*My package only had 5 links in it to start with, so I used 2 1/2....

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the egg and stir in tomatoes, onion, parsley, oats, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Then mix in by hand the sausage and turkey until blended. Make into a large meat loaf on a baking sheet (like a jelly roll pan--I actually prefer to use a broiler pan), patting to remove any air spaces. Bake for one hour. Top with spaghetti sauce and continue baking 10-15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4-6

Blog Award

Erin, over at $5 Dinners, has given me a blog award! Thanks! So, I'm to pass this on to a few bloggers I read.... I suppose I should pass this on to blogs that are more than merely personal friends/their lives.

1. My Favorite Things (Bridgette's favorite products and "things" as she raises her first toddler)
2. The Grocery Cart Challenge (I enjoy reading about Gayle's attempts to live within the budget and am constantly amazed at her ingenuity and inspired to try the recipes she links to)
3. Dust and Clay (my friend from college--love her thought-provoking posts)
4. Jill's Crazy Life (fun entries related frequently to food)
5. Always Alli (another college friend--her pictures are awesome!!)

Hinkelsteins

These are little "oat sticks" that not only are healthy and good "keepers," but are very easy for little hands to help make. The dry ingredients are fun to mix by hand; when you add the wet ingredients, there are no raw eggs involved, so little fingers that might get licked later are not a problem. There are also no pieces to roll out or cut--just mash everything in the pan and bake! The recipe can be halved easily.

Recipe from More-with-Less

• 3 c. whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 c. oat flour (process about 3 cups oats in blender)
• 1/2 c. soy flour (can use an extra cup whole wheat flour instead)
• 2 t. salt
• 2 c. chopped dates (or craisins, raisins, etc.)
• 3/4 c. coconut
• 1/2 c. sesame seeds
• 1/2 c. sunflower seeds
• 1/2 c. chpd. nuts
• 1/2 c. oil
• 4 1/2 T. honey
• 1 1/8 c. milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl, making sure dates are coated with flour mixture.
3. Add wet ingredients and mix well.
4. Divide into two greased jelly roll pans (if using stoneware pans, no need to grease). Pat firmly and evenly into pans. Cut into 1 x 3-inch pieces with pizza cutter. Bake 15-20 minutes or until browned. Remove sticks from around the edges if they brown before center is done.

Makes roughly 100 sticks

Website/Blog Review: $5 Dinners

I thought it would be fun to showcase some of the other blogs I look at that are about food. This is my newest discovery (and the first I'll showcase): $5 Dinners. Erin, the blogger, has young kids that seem to be about the ages of my own children, so her meals are very kid-friendly. She includes simple recipes and breaks down the cost per item. Check it out!

Gourmet Fall Salad

This is one of my husband's favorite salads. It makes a great salad for fall because it goes well with the heartier meals we start having as the weather cools. If you need to make it up ahead of time, chop everything and hold separately. Toss at the last minute (toss the pears earlier with a bit of the dressing, and the acid in the dressing will help keep them from turning brown). A bit more gourmet than my favorite everyday fall salad, it's still easy to fix for a weeknight meal.

Inspired by America's Test Kitchen Family Favorites Cookbook

Romaine or other salad greens of choice
Toasted walnuts
Chopped pears (skin left on)
Gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled
Basic Vinaigrette

Toss together and serve! (Amounts are completely dependent on number of servings needed. Just use your best judgment and go with it)

Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits #4

(See here for an explanation of Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits)

We were in town this whole week, so this is a more typical week (we eat seasonal produce when possible and I also lean heavily on those veggies my kids will eat--so you'll notice a lot of those if you follow this menu week after week: broccoli, spinach, peas, sweet potatoes being the top choices). Serving sizes, where applicable, in parentheses. Remember, these are my offerings to the little toddler tummies...when food offered is not consumed and I know they've eaten it in the past, I assume the tummies are still full from the last offering. Here's the lineup:

Sunday:

• Breakfast: nutrigrain bars (1/per toddler), cheese cubes, chopped peaches, milk to drink
  
• Lunch: chicken nuggets, cantaloupe, milk
  
• Dinner: toast, steamed peas and carrots, milk (can't remember what else)
  

Monday:

• Breakfast: Cheerios, cheese, mandarin oranges, milk
  
• Lunch: 1/2 peanut butter-and-honey sandwich, banana slices, milk to drink
  
• Afternoon Snack: water in their sippy cups; 3 animal crackers
  
• Dinner: chicken nuggets (unexpected company, so the kids didn't get the good chicken... oh well), baked potato (1/4 large potato), peas
  

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Microwave Poached Egg on Toast with 1 slice cheese on top, 1/4 of a GINORMOUS peach, milk to drink
  
• Lunch: Cottage Cheese and Spinach Gratin, leftover baked potato (1/4 potato), peas and carrots
  
• Afternoon Snack: water and some Cheezits
  
• Dinner: beans, green beans, roll (1/2 per toddler), cottage cheese (for older toddler), corn on the cob (for older toddler), sausage patties, brownies, water to drink

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: leftover cottage cheese and spinach gratin, mandarin oranges, Life cereal (dry), milk to drink
  
• Lunch: 4 Ritz crackers with peanut butter on top; watermelon; milk to drink (had animal crackers at the store to tide them over so they weren't very hungry...)
  
• Afternoon Snack: none
  
• Dinner: hot dog, peas and carrots, cottage cheese, oyster crackers, nutrigrain bar, milk to drink (they were hungry and this was the fastest dinner I could get on the table after an afternoon outside)
  

Thursday:

• Breakfast: blueberry muffins, pumpkin yogurt, leftover cottage cheese and spinach gratin (wee bit), milk
  
• Lunch: peanut butter and honey, grapes, carrot sticks (oldest toddler), cheese cubes, water
  
• Afternoon Snack: none....
  
• Dinner: Beef and Potato Pie, sweet potatoes (1/3 large per toddler), apple chunks, milk to drink
  

Friday:

• Breakfast: hard-boiled eggs (1/toddler), blueberry muffins, 1/4 ginormous peach, milk to drink
  
• Lunch: Pumpkin Yogurt, can't remember what else!
  
• Dinner: Beef and Potato Pie, green beans, chopped plums, milk to drink
  

Saturday:

• Breakfast: nutrigrain bar, cheese cubes, chopped peaches, milk to drink
  
• Lunch: grilled ham and cheese sandwich, cantaloupe and watermelon chunks, milk to drink
  
• Dinner: Hot dogs*, cantaloupe and watermelon chunks, hash brown casserole, green beans, chocolate pound cake (for oldest toddler), and milk to drink (*it was my father-in-law's birthday dinner and the grownups had beef tenderloin; we opted not to sacrifice any to the nondiscriminatory palates of the under-three crowd!)
  

Creamy Peanut Chicken

This is a great way to introduce people to ethnic flavors; inspired by the Thai use of unsweetened peanut butter, this chicken dish is served over rice and is AMAZING. My children INHALED it--really, they did. I couldn't keep their plates full. It's a freezer meal (even better!), and works especially well when tripled because the ingredients are used up more efficiently. If you choose to triple it, simply divide it between three different sets of bags and freeze.

Recipe from Meals for a Month

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 c. chicken broth
• 1/2 c. peanut butter (I used natural, unsweetened)
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 1/2 c. evaporated milk
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/8 t. pepper
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 2 T. honey
• 1/2 c. chopped peanuts (I used unsalted, dry roasted)

1. Freeze chicken for 1 hour so it's easier to slice. Then cut chicken into 1-inch strips and refrigerate. In heavy skillet, saute onion in olive oil until crisp-tender. Cool in refrigerator. When cool, place chicken strips and sauteed onion in zipper-lock bags and place in freezer.
2. In medium bowl, combine chicken broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, evaporated milk, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and honey and mix well to blend. Pour into another zipper-lock bag and attach to chicken along with small bag of chopped peanuts. Label bags and freeze.
3. To thaw and reheat: Thaw all bags overnight in refrigerator. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy skillet. Add chicken mixture and cook, stirring frequently, for 7 to 8 minutes. Add sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer chicken and sauce for 10 to 20 minutes, until chicken is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Sprinkle dish with copped peanuts and serve (I serve it over brown rice).
4. To cook without freezing: just follow cooking directions without going to the trouble of chilling everything and placing in ziploc bags!

Serves 4-6

Favorite Fall Salad

This is inspired by a combination of salad ingredients given in America's Test Kitchen Family Favorites Cookbook. It's easy to whip up if you have the dressing on hand. I make it for myself for lunch frequently if I'm already cutting up apples and cheese cubes for the kids because the rest of the ingredients are just tossed in. Enjoy! (It's also very good with turkey lunchmeat chopped up and mixed in)

Spinach or other salad greens of choice
Apple, peel on, chopped into bite-size pieces
Craisins
Cheese cubes or crumbles (Cheddar is best)
Basic Vinaigrette

Just toss and serve the amounts of your preference (and number of servings needed). It also makes a great side salad if you're having pork roast or turkey.

Basic Vinaigrette

This is my standard vinaigrette recipe. It's especially good on salads which involve some sweet element (apples, pears, raisins, cheese). If I'm in a hurry, I pour in a small amount of onion powder and/or garlic powder. Not as good, but still better than most store bought dressings! I nearly always use dried oregano as my herb of choice.

From America's Test Kitchen Family Favorites Cookbook

3/4 c. olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
2 t. minced shallot or red onion (I often just use yellow onion)
2 t. Dijon mustard (optional--I never use)
1 1/2 t. minced fresh tarragon, dill, basil, or oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake! (Cover tightly before shaking) Keeps a week or so in the fridge--bring to room temperature before using (I've sometimes stuck the jar in a bowl of hot water to help it warm up faster).

Makes about 1 cup

Basic Muffins

This is a basic muffin recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (11th edition). I make mine with white whole wheat flour and usually do the blueberry variation. These are normal-sized, not-too-sweet muffins (these are not your Otis Spunkmeyer or Panera Bread types!). I'm thinking these would be very easy to make up as a mix ahead of time, particularly if powdered milk is used. When I get around to that experiment, I'll let you know! For now, here is the basic recipe:

1 3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. oil

Combine dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients all at once and mix (don't overmix--just stir until dry ingredients are no longer dry or the muffins can be tough). Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until tops are browned. Cool in pan 5 minutes; serve or remove to a rack.

Makes 12

Variations:

• Blueberry: add 3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries and (optional) 1 t. lemon zest
• Cheese: stir in 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar or Montery Jack cheese into dry ingredients
  

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Try these mashed potatoes out next time you are planning to pull something out of the freezer; make them earlier in the day or the day before and they can reheat when the frozen entree is also in the oven. These are especially nice for Sunday lunch or sometime when you have company over and won't have much last minute time to fool with regular mashed potatoes.

Recipe from a family cookbook (my hubby's family)

3-4 pounds potatoes, cooked and smashed/mashed (I didn't peel mine, either)
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 c. half and half (or milk and cream)
1 stick butter
salt and pepper to taste

Beat butter, milk, and cheese into warm mashed potatoes (I did this by hand with a potato masher). Put in greased 2-quart casserole dish. Refrigerate until needed. To bake, put in a few pats of butter on top if desired, sprinkle with paprika, and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly hot (can also be reheated in microwave).

Simple Sauteed Chicken Breasts

This is a simple recipe--might even seem boring at first glance. However, the chicken is tender and juicy and provides a great base for sauces if you choose. It's also a good candidate to serve plain to young children and then jazz up for more grown up palates. If your husband is coming home late, fix the chicken part first for the kids and the sauce later for him when you reheat his chicken!

Recipe from Joy of Cooking

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup flour*
1 1/2 T. unsalted butter
1 1/2 T. olive oil

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Trim fat if necessary. Pour some flour and salt and pepper into a ziploc bag or brown paper bag. Put chicken pieces in (one at a time) and shake to coat well. Shake off excess. Place coated chicken pieces on a plate.
2. Heat butter in a heavy 8- to 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it is fragrant and nut brown. Add the oil and swirl butter and oil together (I had to turn my heat down significantly--almost medium-low).
3. Arrange the chicken tenderloin side down in the skillet and saute for exactly 4 minutes, keeping the fat as hot possible without letting it burn. Using tongs, turn the chicken over and cook until the flesh feels firm to the touch and milky juices appear around the tenderloins, 3-5 minutes more. Serve immediately, or remove to a platter and keep warm in a very low oven while you prepare a sauce (such as the Tomato, Caper, and Basil variation).
   

Serves 4

Tomato, Caper, and Basil Sauce for Sauteed Chicken Breasts

(Recipe updated 8/15/13)
This is a superb sauce for simply prepared chicken--especially if the tomatoes and basil are fresh from your garden or your CSA basket! It doubles easily if you're serving some pasta on the side (as shown in the picture).

Tomato, Caper, and Basil Sauce for Sauteed Chicken Breasts
Recipe from Joy of Cooking, 1997 ed.

• 1/3 c. minced shallots or scallions (or finely chopped regular onions)
• 1/4 c. dry white wine or vermouth, optional
• 1 pound tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons capers (optional--I left out)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely shredded
• salt and pepper to taste

Assuming you have just sauteed chicken breasts in a large skillet, pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the pan drippings/fat and proceed. If not, pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil or butter into a pan and proceed.

Heat fat/oil over medium heat and add shallots or scallions. Cook, stirring, until the shallots are softened, about 1 minute. If using the wine or vermouth, increase heat to high and add wine or vermouth. Boil, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon, until the wine is almost evaporated. Stir in tomatoes, capers, and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until the tomatoes have given up their juice, creating a thick, chunky puree, about 2 minutes--longer if your tomatoes were in bigger chunks. Add any accumulate chicken juices (if you have chicken breasts being kept warm--you will have some juice accumulating on that platter) and boil the sauce until thick. If you don't have chicken juices, don't sweat it. Remove from heat and stir in basil and salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Chilaquiles

A great use for leftover corn tortillas (or even tortilla chips) and/or salsa/canned tomatoes. These are kind of like skillet nachos--thrifty Mexican style. Don't let the eggs throw you--you don't notice them in the final product really. You could also add leftover beans--just put them on the chips before you sprinkle the cheese (pintos, black beans, refried beans, etc.).

Original recipe from Extending the Table (notes/variations are mine)

12 5-inch corn tortillas*
1/2 c. oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 eggs, beaten
spicy tomato sauce ** (recipe below)
1 c. mild cheddar or Monterey Jack, grated

1. Tear tortillas in 1-inch strips, then tear each strip in bite-size triangular or square pieces. Heat oil in large skillet (I used a 12-inch skillet). Fry small batches of tortilla pieces until golden brown, 3-5 minutes (took me 4 batches). Drain on paper.
   
2. Remove excess oil from skillet. Saute onions and garlic briefly.
3. Add tortilla pieces to onion/garlic and pour eggs and tomato sauce over top. Cook over low heat 10-15 minutes, stirring as little a possible, until liquid is absorbed and mixture appears fairly dry.
4. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover until cheese melts.

*I think you could use about half a bag of tortilla chips, broken into smaller pieces. Then, you'd skip step 1. Cookbook notes that, if you don't mind a soggier texture, you could also simply stir-fry the tortilla pieces with the onion and garlic if you want to skip the frying (use 4-6 T. oil).

**Spicy Tomato Sauce (you could also puree one cup of stewed tomatoes or salsa instead of this)
Whirl together in blender until smooth:
2 medium tomatoes or 1 c. canned tomatoes
1-2 fresh green chilies or several drops Tabasco pepper sauce or 1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. salt

Serves 4

Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits #3

(See here for an explanation of Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits)

This past week, we were out of town AGAIN, so once again, I altered food options where needed. In fact, for a couple of days, we existed on convenience foods entirely (sigh). Serving sizes, where applicable, in parentheses. Remember, these are my offerings to the little toddler tummies...when food offered is not consumed and I know they've eaten it in the past, I assume the tummies are still full from the last offering. Here's the lineup:

Sunday:

• Breakfast: 2 slices cheese, dry Cheerios, scrambled eggs, milk to drink
  
• Lunch: cheese toast, hot dog, milk
  
• Dinner: chicken on cornbread, roasted carrots, steamed peas and carrots, milk
  

Monday:

• Breakfast: Cheerios, cheese, mandarin oranges, milk
  
• Lunch: watermelon cubes, macaroni and cheese, few Cheetos! milk to drink
  
• Afternoon Snack: water in their sippy cups; 3 animal crackers
  
• Dinner: milk, chopped cooked broccoli, Black Bean Lasagna (no one ate ANYTHING...)
  

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: cottage cheese pancakes (1/3 recipe each!), 1 large sliced banana split 3 ways; milk
  
• Lunch: 1/2 peanut butter-banana-and-honey sandwich, watermelon, broccoli with cheese (a little over kill on the broccoli these last 2 weeks...), water to drink
  
• Afternoon Snack: just a cup of water
  
• Dinner: milk, chopped cooked broccoli, Black Bean Lasagna (no one ate ANYTHING...)

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Banana Pancakes, milk to drink
  
• Lunch: 4 Ritz crackers with peanut butter on top; watermelon; milk to drink (had animal crackers at the store to tide them over so they weren't very hungry...)
  
• Afternoon Snack: none
  
• Dinner: Cincinnati Chili (kids each ate 1-2 tablespoons), some green veggie--can't remember
  

Thursday:

• Breakfast: strawberries, dry Cheerios, scrambled eggs, milk
  
• Lunch: chicken nuggets, Goldfish crackers, milk
  
• Afternoon Snack: none....
  
• Dinner: can't remember
  

Friday:

• Breakfast: Pop tarts! scrambled eggs, mandarin oranges, milk to drink
  
• Lunch: hot dogs, fruit cocktail, chocolate chip cookies, milk to drink
  
• Dinner: peanut butter crackers, cheese stick, water to drink
  

Saturday:

• Breakfast: pancakes, cheese stick, mandarin oranges, milk to drink
  
• Lunch: Goldfish crackers, canned peaches, milk to drink
  
• Dinner: Rotisserie chicken, broccoli (yea! A veggie enters the food chain again!), cantaloupe (yea! A non-canned fruit!)