What's For Dinner?

Wish I'd Done That: Plan meals out for a week or two. That way, you will have all ingredients on hand, and there won't be that mad scramble to think of what to make. You could make a whole month's worth, and keep repeating it over and over. Stock your pantry with items you always use: pasta, rice, canned tomatoes, soup base, potatoes, etc. Meals will be a cinch!


On that note: What's for dinner at your house?


We're having a great stir fry. In my quest for better health, I'm using different veggies. Tonight, I'm adding zucchini to the mix, along with the traditional broccoli, carrots, onions, etc. Rather that the rice, I'm serving mine over spaghetti squash.

If you haven't tried this, I really recommend it. Slice the squash in half from stem to end, place face down in a microwaveable dish, add a bit of water, and micro 10 minutes on high.

Take it out, and remove the seeds. The rest of the squash can be pulled into spaghetti strings by using a fork run through the pulp.

Amazing, and really good!

The squash is also great served with grated Parmesan with chives or chopped green onions.

New Year Smoothie

Wish I'd Done That: When you assign your kids their chores, once in a while give them a great surprise! Tape $1 to the EndDust can, put cash in the dishwasher, tape money to the vacuum. Not every time, but enough that they may not whine when assigned a chore. If they whine, take the $ away before they get there. Or, have a rule about surprises, cash and whining.


In my quest for better health, here's my breakfast solution. This gets more calcium into me, and I love it. It's always been a great thing for me. I got this recipe years ago while on Weight Watchers, although I've put my own spin to the recipe.

1 cup skim milk
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 pkt. Equal (or like)
Blend all in a blender. This will be thick, like a milkshake. Low fat, low cal and yummy.
Variations: frozen peaches, half a banana added to the strawberries, 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (love the texture that adds), blueberries, mangoes. Protein powder is great to add, as well as a few pecans or walnuts.

Another List; and Soup!

Wish I'd Done That: Develop a real talent for listening to your kids. You know them better than anyone, and it's vital you listen carefully to what they tell you: both verbally and physically. LA was complaining about something one time, and I said, "That's not important." She replied, "Well, it is to me." I learned a valuable lesson that day: LISTEN. Really engage in what your little one is telling you. It's a great investment in your family, and those listening skills might come in handy in other places, too!

Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup

Here it is, Pam and Sally!

2 lbs Italian sausage

2 medium onions, chopped fine

5 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, peeled and diced

4 small zucchini, diced

2 green bell peppers, diced

11 cup chicken broth

2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes

2 tsp. dried basil, crumbled

1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled

1 cup uncooked orzo (cooked according to pkg. directions)

1 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Brown the sausage in a heavy Dutch oven until no longer pink. Remove sausage and drain. Spoon out most of the sausage fat and discard. In remaining fat, add the onions and garlic. Cook until soft, but not brown. Add the carrots, zucchini, peppers, broth, tomatoes, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. When soup is boiling, add the cooked orzo and cook for 20 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, put in soup bowls and top with Parmesan. This soup is best if cooked the day before serving. May also be frozen. Makes 12 - 16 servings.

Where to Go Next

1. Grand Canyon

2. Australia

3. San Francisco

4. Yellowstone

5. Washington, D.C. (again)

6. New York (again)

7. New England

8. Charleston, S.C.

9. Mediterranean

10. ITALY

Where would you go, if you could go anywhere?

Mom's Famous Sugar Cookies

Wish I'd Done That: From my friend, Linda, at the Taste & Spit: keep a bucket in your car with kitty litter, your scraper, icee defroster stuff, a candle, matches, flashlight and small camp shovel. You are ready for winter's worst!

Mom's Sugar Cookies

Yes, I know. You have the best sugar cookie recipe. However, trust me when I say that I've got that one covered. Mom made these for us for every holiday, and she brought them to school on our birthdays, too. She shaped them with a big coffee can, so each kid got a really big cookie. Since I had only 13 kids in my class, Mom personalized each one with their name. She was famous in Mullinville for those things. The cookies roll out amazingly well because they use powdered sugar, rather than granulated.

1 Cup oleo, softened

1 1/2 Cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 Cup

1 tsp soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

Cream oleo and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; blend well. Chill covered until very firm. (Don't skip this step) Overnight is best. Roll out to desired thickness. Cut into shapes. Bake at 400 degrees for 6 - 8 minutes, until very slightly browned. You may also roll dough into walnut-sized balls, roll in sugar and flatten with a glass bottom. Bake as before. Frost the cutout cookies.

Start a tradition with your little ones this year. Let them in the kitchen to decorate, eat the dough, and generally make a big mess. You won't be sorry!

Christmas Goodies

Wish I'd Done That: While traveling to Grandmother's house for Christmas, give kids an old "pocketbook". When LA and Double A were little, my Grandma would get her old "pocketbooks" and fill them with all sorts of goodies. (I suspect this is how she cleaned out her junk drawer, but anyway....) She stuck something in every pocket, nick and cranny. The kids spent hours digging through those things. It really works, and Grandma had a blast doing it.


Here's a simple appetizer to take and serve anywhere. My "foodie" friends at the Taste and Spit were impressed with this, and that's saying a lot! Enjoy!

Terri's Crostini

One loaf french bread - the very small diameter ones

Slice thin and toast slowly in a 300 degree oven, about 10 minutes.

Feta cheese (or blue cheese, or Gorgonzola, etc.)

Honey

Toasted pecans (or walnuts or almonds)

Top crostini with cheese. Sprinkle on nuts and drizzle with honey. Be prepared to accept compliments! Very simple, but really great! Merry Christmas!

Counting Down......

Wish I'd Done That: Take advantage of your local library's story hours. You'll get a break (of sorts) and your kiddos will learn how fun books are. Let them check out several afterwards, and spend an hour going through them. You're promoting reading, and they'll sit in your lap!

Three days until the Open House! We've done a TV ad, and put an ad on the Women's Page of the B'ville paper........Planning the goodies today, and decorating tomorrow. Gosh, what fun!

LA is home, and that's so much fun. She's on trimesters at DePaul, so she's off til after the New Year.

I came home from a haircut, and walked in to a house that smelled fabulous! I didn't realize what a blessing that is! I guess I haven't experienced that since I lived at home and Mom was cooking. I could really get used to this.....

She's making my brother's famous soup: Headrick's Hamburger. It's great, filling, and smells terrific!

Headrick's Hamburger Soup

1 lb. hamburger

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup cubed carrots

1 cup cubed potatoes

4 cups tomatoes (2 cans)

1/4 cup rice

3 cups water

Italian seasonings, to taste.

(LA adds corn, and green pepper; whatever she has available)

Salt and pepper

Brown hamburger with onions. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 1 hour. Enjoy!

Holiday Beginnings

Wish I'd Done That: A hint for the holidays.....Let your kids help with giving to those less fortunate. Have them shop for the Salvation Army angel, or let them choose items to fill the Samaritan's Purse Christmas boxes. Find out info for the Christmas boxes at: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/. Kids will love picking out stuff for others, and it's a great way to show children their blessings. Use it for a geography lesson, too!

I'm beginning to think about holiday cooking. Less than 2 weeks 'til Thanksgiving! We have a smoked turkey (Ace is in charge of that), cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, etc. Something my mom made was a frozen cranberry salad. I love it for the holidays, but it's also really great in the summertime.

Mom's Cranberry Salad

1 can cranberries (jellied, or with whole berries)

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1 - 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Whip cream cheese until smooth. Add other ingredients. Pour into 9 inch freezer-proof dish. Freeze. Before serving, set out of freezer about 15 minutes to soften slightly. Great!

Warm Up with Soup

Wish I'd Done That: If your little one is teething, freeze a good-sized carrot. Let them hold it and chew on it. The cold will calm down their aching gums, and they will get a little nutrition to boot!

Tortilla Soup

The weather has turned colder here, so I thought I'd share a favorite soup with you. My company has a 10th anniversary cookbook, and it's filled with marvelous stuff.

Since we are all in some degree "foodies" this cookbook is filled with our family favorites.

This soup, from the lovely Roopa (also her husband, Bijon) is enjoyed at our house several times during the cold months.

The addition of refried beans gives a great thickening texture I really like.

Bijon's Easiest Tortilla Soup

1 30 oz. can refried beans (I use non-fat)

1 can chicken broth (or equivalent)

1 10 oz. can Ro-Tel

1 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes with onions & garlic

3/4 Cup water

6 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 Cup cooked, shredded chicken

1/2 Cup sour cream (room temperature)

1/2 Cup grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

1 avocado, peeled and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Warm tortilla strips on a cookie sheet until lightly browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool. In a big saucepan, combine beans, chicken broth, Ro-Tel, canned tomatoes, water, cumin and cayenne pepper; heat to just under boiling. Pour into bowls; top with tortilla strips, grated cheese, sour cream and avocado.

Soup for Friends

Wish I'd Done That: Organize your toys in clear plastic tubs you can see through. Make a game of putting away their toys while they are young, and they'll develop that habit before you know it. Do the same with craft supplies and sewing stuff, too.

During times of grief and stress, I cook. Maybe you do, too. A group of friends gathered to comfort one of our own, and I made this soup. It's a stick-to-the-ribs sort, but you'll have most of the stuff in your pantry.
Make a big pot of this and invite the neighbors over so they don't have to cook. Get a tub of ice cream, make some bread in your machine, and you are all set!


BC Mac & Cheese Soup

1 c. pasta, uncooked
¼ c butter
½ c finely chopped carrot
½ c finely chopped onion
½ c finely chopped celery
4 c milk
1 ½ c Velveeta
2 tsp chicken base
1 c frozen corn
½ c frozen peas
1 cup frozen broccoli (cut small)
1 mild Rotel

Cook pasta to al dente, drain, rinse. Melt butter and saute carrot, onion, celery and broccoli. Cook until tender. Combine milk and cheese – cook until cheese is melted. Stir in chicken base. Add pasta and veggie mixture. Heat. If too thin, thicken with a little cornstarch and water.

Rotato Express

Wish I'd Done That: Have a craft box available for your kids. Include the usual, but also add felt, glitter (don't laugh) old magazines, foam sheets, fabric scraps. Create an area that is easy-to-clean (or just relax and clean it up when the kids are done...), and let them at it. It's important to encourage that creativity, and it keeps them busy for quite a while!


I love to cook. I don't, however, love to peel potatoes. When my kids were at home, they consumed large amounts of said potato. Since I love my progeny (good word, huh?) I would break down and peel away.
Every summer for 10 years or so, I've gone to Falls Creek, a Baptist youth encampment. I have cooked for 60 - 100 people, 3 meals a day for 6 days. It's quite an undertaking, but I've always enjoyed it so much.
Once during that week, we would serve baked turkey and all the trimmings. This includes LOTS of mashed potatoes. That takes lots of time, but we did it, because nothing is like homemade.
One summer, my friend Kendra brought her Rotato Express for peeling potatoes. I must admit, I laughed to myself. How would it work, and is she crazy?
Well........It worked so well, we had kids vying to operate the crazy thing. It makes quick work of something messy, and your kids might actually want to operate it. Even your husband...

Rotato Express

We found out last year, that if we washed the potatoes first, we could use the peel for a super snack of fried potato skins. Serve them with seasoned salt, and ranch dip and your family or guests will think you are all that!

They are only $20, and Thanksgiving is coming. Google "rotato express" and it will come up.

Just trying to help; you know me!

Jana's Peanut Butter Popcorn

Wish I'd Done That: Play lots of games with your kids. Start when they are very young: Candy Land, etc. As they grow older, they will learn to lose gracefully (!) and to win in a nice way, too. It gives the family opportunities to talk about serious stuff without having a dramatic sit-down, and the great dialogue that develops is vital for families and for kids. Your kids will know that you value them when you spend time with them.



I was talking to Jana the other day, and she was going to a card party. She had to take a snack, and this is what she made. Again, the ingredients are in your pantry, and it is fabulous. It's also a great fall snack.

Jana's Peanut Butter Popcorn

1 C sugar

1 C white Karo syrup

Cook until it reaches a boil.

Add 1 C peanut butter and 1 tsp. vanilla.

Pour over 2 bags popped microwave popcorn. Stir and cool. (I added 1 C peanuts, and it was great!)

We took this to the TU game on Saturday (we are now 4-0!) and it was a hit. Great for tailgating..

Terri's Toffee

Wish I'd Done That: Iron and lay out all of the Sunday clothes on Saturday night. Gather all your Bibles, offering, shoes, etc. together. It makes Sunday morning so much more pleasant if you don't have to scramble around.


For a quick treat, or if you need a dessert to take somewhere quick, you can't beat this one. I'll bet you've got everything in the pantry right now. They are quick and fabulous!

Terri's Toffee

1 C butter (don't substitute oleo, either!)

1 C brown sugar (either dark or light)

Boil these two together for 3 minutes.

Line a jelly roll pan with saltines. (You may also use graham crackers or club crackers. I think chocolate grahams would be great, too, but I've never tried those....)

Pour the butter mixture over the crackers.

Bake at 400 degrees for 5 - 6 minutes.

Take out of the oven and top with 1 package of chocolate chips. I used semi sweet, but you could use dark or whatever.

Let the chips sit on the crackers for 5 minutes and then spread the chocolate out.

Sprinkle with 3/4 C chopped pecans or whatever nuts you want.

Chill. Break apart and serve. Yummy

Thanks to Pam for bringing these last week to the tailgate. Remember, if you make them, be sure to take them somewhere to serve or you won't be able to stay out of them......

Have a great weekend! Tulsa plays at home again, and my kid at U of Arkansas is coming home! Yea!