Broccoli Casserole

2 TBS margarine
1/2 C onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 C broccoli, chopped
1/2 C water
1/2 C cheese, cubed or shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (optional)

Saute onion and garlic in butter. Add broccoli. Add water and simmer, covered for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add cheese and soup. Stir until cheese starts to melt. Place in a greased oven safe pan. Cook uncovered at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Make sure the casserole is one inch lower than the top of the pan, as it sometimes boils over.

Italian Dressing Soup

1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1/2 C-1C italian salad dressing (fat-free works great!)
1 can sodium free chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 C-1C elbow macaroni , uncooked
italian seasoning (about 1 TBS, to taste)

Place chopped chicken in large pot. Cook on medium heat with half of the Italian dressing until chicken is cooked all the way through. Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, zucchini, macaroni, italian seasoning, and rest of italian dressing. Heat on medium heat until noodles are cooked. Serve.
*Thanks to Maren for this recipe

Award-winning Mexican Chili

Makes a large batch-you'll need a 6-8 quart saucepan.
3 C dried black beans, cooked
3 cans diced tomatoes and juice
2 cans corn and juice
3 cans tomato sauce
1 can diced green chilis
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 onion, diced
2 tsp beef boullion
2 TBS parsley
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
salt
pepper
2 TBS Worchestershire sauce

Saute garlic and onions in large saucepan. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer for 1 hour. Serve.
*I tweaked a soup recipe from Rob's Granny and won the best symphony of ingredients at our ward chili cook-off this year!

Yummy salad

This is what went in our yummy salad today:
grilled chicken
avacado
tomatoes
carrots
green onions
romaine lettuce

I think the avacado and home-grown tomatoes made it so yummy.

Artichoke heart soup

*This soup fits in a regular pan (2 quart)
2 TBS margarine
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp thyme
7 oz can/jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
14 oz can chopped tomatoes, with juices
2 C chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
dash pepper
1 TBS sour cream per bowl

In a regular sauce pan, heat butter and saute onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add garlic and thyme and saute another minute. Add artichoke hearts, tomatoes chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Divide into bowls and stir in 1 TBS sour cream in each bowl. Serve.
*Thanks Mary Irene for this recipe and Maren for the ward cookbook.

Bean Goulash

1/2 lb hamburger, cooked
2 cans pork n beans
2 cups or cans of other beans (I used black beans)
1 can corn
1 can olives (optional)
1 can stewed tomatoes (optional)

Stir all ingredients, plus a little ketchup and garlic powder and heat.

*From someone in my ward at an enrichment activity

Sheperd's pie

8-10 medium potatoes, peeled, diced, and boiled
1 -2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (or shredded) and cooked
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2-1 can chicken broth
1 can french style green beans
grated cheese
green onion for garnish

Mix chicken broth and chicken soup together to make gravy. Set aside. Make mashed potatoes by mashing boiled potatoes, milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Layer ingredients in glass 9x13 pan. Layers should be from bottom to top: green beans, cooked chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, cheese, and lastly green onions. Bake in 350 degree oven until cheese is melted and heated thoroughly (15minutes or so).

Fresh tomato Spaghetti Sauce

5 C diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp salt, oregano, and marjoram
1/4 tsp pepper and crushed bay leaves (or 1 whole one...removing when done)

Cook ground beef, garlic, and onion. Add spices and tomatoes. Simmer all ingredients and medium-low for 1 1/2-2 hrs until desired consistency. Serve with noodles of your choice.

Masaman Chicken

1 can coconut milk
2 TBS Masaman paste
4 TBS sugar
1/2 TBS Tamarine paste (liquidy-watch out)
1/4 C water
3 TBS peanut butter (mild) or Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce (spicy, but good)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, raw, cut in bite-sized pieces
4 small/medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small bite-sized pieces
1/2 yellow onion
cashews (optional, I left these out)

Mix first 6 ingredients in pot (everything's going in it, so it might need to be big...allow stirring room). Once it's boiling, add rest of ingredients. Boil at least 10 minutes so the chicken will be cooked all the way through. Make sure potatoes are done too. (I cooked my potatoes separately because I was afraid they wouldn't be done quick enough. But I cut them smaller and I think they would have been fine in the mixture. Next time I'll try cooking the potatoes in the mixture...I just have to get some coconut milk.) Serve over rice.

*Thanks Jenny for this recipe! It tastes like Bombay house and was really easy. The down side is there are 4 ingredients that you wouldn't normally have in your fridge. The good thing is 3/4 have plenty making this multiple times.

Grandma's Casserole

1-2 C elbow macaroni noodles
1/2 lb ground beef, cooked
3 cans tomato sauce
3 TBS italian seasoning, to taste
1 can corn, drained

Cook noodles. Mix tomato sauce and italian seasoning. Mix all ingredients together. Serve. (Usually the heat of the noodles heats up the corn and tomato sauce). Tastes great the next day.

*I named this Grandma's Casserole because my Grandma made it for us when my mom was in the hospital having my little brother. She added zucchini to it and baked it in the oven with cheese on top. I'm too lazy.

Yummy Chicken and Smashed Potatoes

Yummy Chicken
1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 C flour
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1 TBS oil
1 C chicken broth (I used 1 C water+1 tsp chicken bouillion)
4 oz (1/2 of 8-oz pkg) cream cheese, cubed

Mix flour and dried parsley with a little salt and pepper. Coat chicken in flour mixture. (I just press flour on to all sides of chicken in a bowl. You could put everything in a plastic bag and shake until coated). Heat oil in large skillet. (I prefer one with higher sides.) Cook chicken until done. Remove chicken. Add broth to same skillet. Stir to get chicken/flour bits. Add cream cheese. Cook until cheese is melted, stirring with wire whisk. Return chicken to skillet. Turn over to coat both sides with creamy sauce. Cook until chicken is reheated. Place tomatoes (bite-sized pieces) on top for garnish. Pour more sauce over chicken. This is the best alfredo-y sauce I've ever had!!!

Smashed Potatoes
1-2 potatoes per person
1-2 TBS italian salad dressing
cheese to sprinkle on top

Bake potatoes in microwave. (Remember to pierce with a knife so that it won't explode...should take 5-10 minutes, depending on number and size of potatoes). Use a plate to smash potatoes flat like a patty. Heat frying pan to medium-high. Add salad dressing. Add potatoes (they fell apart a bit). Flip after 3-5 minutes. Add grated cheese on top. Cook until cheese is melted. Serve with Yummy chicken (The chicken sauce tastes great on the potatoes too!)
*These recipes are from Kraftfoods magazine.

Bean dip

1-2 C Black beans (either prepared or canned), warm or cold
1/3 C salsa
1/4 C water
1/4 C cilantro leaves, chopped
2-4 tsp lemon juice
garlic powder to taste

Blend in blender or food processor. Taste and add more of something if you need it. I used a mix of black and pinto beans this time.

Chicken Stirfry

1/2 C Italian Salad dressing
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 C chicken broth
1 C broccoli florets
1 red pepper, cut into strips (optional)
1 C thinly sliced carrots
1 C long rice, uncooked (the kind from the cannery)
1 tsp lemon pepper

Heat 1/2 dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken. Cook until done. Add broth, broccoli, red pepper, carrots, and rice. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer. Cook until rice is done. Check periodically to see if you need to add more water. Stir in lemon pepper and serve.
*I cut this out of the Macey's ad a long time ago. It reminds Rob of his mission.

Creamy Crock pot Chicken with rice and broccoli

*We often have this on fast sundays
1-2 chicken breasts, frozen ok
1 Can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cream cheese (4 oz)
1 TBS italian seasoning
optional: leftover evaporated milk
1-2 heaping spoons of sour cream

Place everything in crockpot in order, except sour cream. Cook 4 hrs on high or 6-8 on low. Stir in sour cream just before serving.
*This is another nice way to use leftover evaporated milk.

Chicken wings

Sauce:
1/2 stick butter
4 Tbsp Hot Sauce
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vinegar
dash cayenne pepper

Combine and simmer on low in sauce pan

Chicken:
Coat breast strips with a mixture of flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt. Cook in oil until crisp on outside. Put in bowl and pour the sauce over the chicken.
*Thanks Diane for the recipe

Quick rise bread sticks

Makes 8 bread sticks

1/2 C warm water
1/2 TBS yeast
1/2 TBS sugar
1 TBS olive oil (I used vegetable oil)
1/2 tsp salt
1-1 1/2 C flour

Topping:
parmesan cheese, garlic powder, dried parsley

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Add oil, salt, and flour (half of it at first) and knead until smooth and elastic. Let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into bread sticks and place on greased baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and a mixture of parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and dried parsley. Let rise 10 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees fahrenheit for 10-20 minutes or until golden brown.
*From BYU's old recipe book

Ranch Pasta Salad

Makes 6 servings

Salad:
16 oz rotini pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered (this time I had some from our garden yum! Or, cut up a big tomato into smaller pieces)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 C cubed chedder cheese
2 C cooked chicken, bite-sized pieces
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled (bacon bits works in a pinch)
3/4 C frozen peas, thawed on the counter

Sauce:
16 oz bottle Ranch dressing (this time I used Kroger 4 cheese ranch, my new favorite!)
3 TBS vinegar
3 TBS sugar
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder (to taste)
*Sometimes I just use salad dressing, not all the other stuff.

Combine ingredients for sauce. Mix well. Combine all salad ingredients except bacon. Pour sauce over salad. Stir to coat. Chill. Serve cold topped with crumbled bacon.

German Pancakes

1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk
6 eggs, beaten
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Maple syrup or powdered sugar for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Melt butter in a medium baking dish. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and pour the mixture into the baking dish with the butter.

2. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the pancake is puffy and golden brown. Cut it into squares and serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar.

*This recipe is from the October 2008 Friend. It's very similar to my "Giant Oven Pancake" recipe. Rob said he likes this one better. I baked it for closer to 20 minutes.

Kraft Enchilada Mac N Cheese

1/2 lb hamburger, cooked
1 box mac n cheese (use the cheap stuff!)
2 C water
1 taco seasoning mix
1 can corn (or a little less)
1 can diced tomatoes (and liquid)
1/3 C sour cream

Boil mac n cheese noodles in 2 C water and taco seasoning mix. When liquid is gone, add cooked meat, corn, tomatoes (and liquid), and cheese package from mac n cheese. Stir well. When heated thoroughly, take off heat and stir in sour cream.

Crepes

1 C all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 C milk
1/4 C water
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBS margarine, melted

Whisk all wet ingredients together. Add flour. Whisk in well, until smooth. If using a non stick frying pan, you don't need to grease it, if not, grease it. Pour a thin scoop of batter onto center of pan (I used 1/4 C). Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface. (A little bit of batter makes a thicker crepe than you might think.) Flip when the bubbles form on the surface. Serve with fruit. (peaches, strawberries, etc).
*Thanks to Stacey for the recipe and Maren for putting the ward cookbook together.

Broccoli Casserole

Makes an 8x8 pan
2 TBS margarine
1/2 C onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 C broccoli, chopped
1/2 C water
1/2 C cheese, cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup (or mushroom, broccoli, etc)

Sautee onion and garlic in margarine. Add broccoli. Add water and simmer, covered for 10-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Add cheese and soup. Stir until cheese starts to melt. Place in a greased oven safe pan. Cook uncovered at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Make sure the casserole is one inch lower than the top so that it doesn't boil over.

Nutrition

We did a preschool activity where my little guy and I looked through the grocery ads and found foods that he liked. (He was soo excited to find them!) I let him cut out the pictures (he needs the practice). When we had a good amount, I helped him separate the different foods into piles for the food groups. We did a "treats" section too. I had him glue the pictures on a piece of colored construction paper (one page per food group). Then I wrote the name of the food group on the paper.

Bacon Tomato Melt

2 slices of bread, toasted
2 slices of bacon, cooked
2 slices cheddar cheese
ranch (for dipping)

As soon as bread is out of the toaster, top with cheese and bacon. Allow cheese to melt. Cut in triangles and dip in ranch.

Kraft Fettaccine Alfredo with Chicken

1/2 lb fettaccine, uncooked
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1-1/4 C chicken broth
4 tsp flour
4 oz Neufchatel cheese (or cream cheese), cubed
3 TBS grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5-7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet. Mix broth and flour in same skillet. Stir in Neufchatel cheese, 2 TBS parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with wire whisk until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in chicken. Drain pasta; place in large serving bowl. Pour chicken mixture over pasta. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with 1 TBS parmesan cheese.
* Serve with steamed broccoli.

Mexicali Salad

1/2 head lettuce, shredded (lately I've been using romane or green leaf)
1/2 lb ground beef, cooked
1/2 C cheddar cheese, grated

Catalina Dressing
1/4 C vinegar
1/4 C vegetable oil
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C ketchup
1/2 tsp salt (to taste...I don't use this much)
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Mix Catalina dressing, spices to taste. Mix lettuce, hamburger, and cheese. Pour some(not all) dressing over the amount of salad you are going to eat, then mix it together to lightly coat. The dressing stores well, but causes the lettuce to wilt, so only make what you're going to eat.
* Serve with Taco chips

Oven baked Tilapia

3/4 C olive oil

1 can tomato paste

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

dash of pepper
2-4 fillets of tilapia

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 green onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Put 1/4 C oil in bottom of pan. Blend remaining oil, tomato paste, minced garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Place tilapia, skin side up, in pan. Spread red sauce over it, especially in the middle of the fish. Put sliced onion and green pepper on top. Bake 20 minutes. Serve over rice with green beans.

*I would suggest sauteeing the onion and pepper because it was still hard and a bit bitter. Maybe use less oil..it was a bit of overkill. Good otherwise. Rob said it took the fishy taste away. It reminded him of food in the Philippines.

Chicken Parmesan

1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, filleted (cut in half hotdog way, so it's thinner)
1 egg, well mixed
1/2 C bread crumbs, italian style (or add italian seasoning to regular)
1/4 C parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 cans tomato sauce
2 TBS italian seasoning
mozzarella cheese (I used cheddar)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese. Dip chicken into egg, then bread crumb mixture. Place in greased oven safe container. Cook for 20 minutes, uncovered. Combine tomato sauce and italian seasoning. Pour over chicken. Return to oven and bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove cover and top with cheese. Let sit 5 minutes. Serve over noodles (spaghetti, bowtie)

Salad dressing Pork

1 1/2-2 lbs boneless pork
1/2-1 C Kraft Ceasar Italian Salad dressing

Cook pork and salad dressing in crock pot until shreddable with a fork (4 hrs on high). It was a little dry, almost burning but not quite. You might want to add some water. I liked it w/o the extra water because it carmelized the salad dressing and made it really yummy. I didn't even need salad dressing it was so flavorful. Serve warm in a green salad with rolls.

Red Chicken Enchiladas

1 pkg flour tortillas (8-10 count)
1 chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces, cooked
3 cans tomato sauce
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 can olives, sliced, divided
1 C cheese, divided
3/4 C sour cream, divided

Combine tomato sauce, 1/2 can of water, and taco seasoning mix in a tall frying pan (easier for stirring). Cook 2 minutes. Put enough sauce at bottom of 9x13 pan to almost cover it. Reserve 1/2 tomato sauce can sauce. To the frying pan and red sauce, add 3/4 can of sliced olives, 3/4 C cheese, and cooked chicken. Stir until heated through and cheese is melted. Put 1 TBS sour cream and 3 TBS of red mixture in each tortilla. Place each tortilla in 9x13 when completed. Pour reserved sauce over all tortillas. Sprinkle remaining cheese and olives. Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with spanish rice, refried beans, and a green salad.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces and cooked
1/4-1/2 lb broccoli, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces and steamed
noodles (fettuccini, spaghetti, bow-tie, rotini)
Alfredo sauce

Alfredo sauce
1/2 pkg cream cheese
1/4 C parmesan cheese
1/4 C margarine
1/2 C milk

Combine sauce ingredients and stir over low heat. Don't let it boil, or it will be grainy. It takes awhile to melt. Top noodles with broccoli, chicken, and sauce.

Ears, Letter E (5 Senses, Part 2)

Sing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Read "E" book again
The Ear Book by Al Perkins
Eleanor's Enormous Ears by Wendy Lewison
Ear Poem: Sound of a Bell by Katrina Lybbert
I hear the sound of a bell, I hear the sound so well,
I like to dance and sing a lot, Whenever I hear that bell.
I hear it ringing loudly, I hear it ringing softly,
I clap my hands and jump and shout, To hear that bell ring proudly.
Draw Ears on Face
Activity: Put ear plugs in and walk around outside. Talk about what he didn't hear.
Sight word: ear(s)
Activity: Sit still and listen to what you hear. Talk about it. Have him go into other room and whisper for them to come back.
Color 'E' page: http://www.beginningreading.com/Refined_Alphabet1_Ee.gif

Homemade Hawaiian Pizza

Pizza Crust

Makes a cookie sheet sized pizza

5 tsp yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 C warm (110 degrees) water

3 1/2 C flour (3 cups first, then as needed)

1 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water and let rest for 8 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture and mix well. Lightly grease and flour cookie sheet. Knead dough for 2 minutes. Roll onto cookie sheet. Stretch to edges. Bake at 500 degrees fahrenheit for 8-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown (Diane). Or bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes (Amelia).

Toppings

I use 1 can tomato sauce and 1 TBS italian seasoning (I buy the green container, 50 cents at Walmart) as my pizza sauce. For Hawaiian style I use most of 1 can of pineapple tidbits (88 cents on sale) and leftover ham from ward parties or Christmas/Easter. Then I sprinkle on about 2 cups of cheddar cheese (cheaper).

Thanks to Diane and Amelia for the recipe and Maren for putting together the ward cookbook.

Letter E, Eyes (5 senses, part 1)

Sing 'Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes'
Read...
I See, You Saw by Nurit Karlin
I Can Read with My Eyes Shut by Dr. Suess
Short "e" and Long "e" Play a game by Jane Belk Moncure
Poem: Eyes by Katrina Lybbert
Some eyes are blue, some eyes are brown,

Eyes can look up, eyes can look down,

Eyes can blink, and wink, and stare,

Come look with me, what's over there?
My eyes see flowers on a hill,

They see a bird with a yellow bill,

Across the road I see a tree,

Among the blossoms sweet, a bee!
I look at you, you look at me,

There are many things that eyes can see,

Can you see all of these things too?

Eyes are important, so true, so true.

Sight word: see

Activity: Have child draw a big circle to be a face. Have them draw two smaller circles to be the eyes. Save this face to add the other body parts.

Activity: Blind fold child and lead them around the yard, talking about how some people can't see

Color E page: http://pbskids.org/sesame/coloring/e.html

Lemon Herb Chicken with Thyme

1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 TBS margarine
1 C water
1 tsp chicken bouillion
2 TBS lemon juice
1/2 tsp thyme

Mix four, salt, and pepper in a bag. Add chicken and coat thoroughly. Save coating. Cook chicken in a little bit of oil in a frying pan. Set chicken aside. Add margarine to pan and cook onion until soft. Add flour mixture to make roux sauce. Add water, bouillion, lemon juice, and thyme. Return chicken. Cook until hot and flavors mixed. Serve over rice with broccoli.

Kraft's Speedy Chicken Stirfry

8 oz angel hair pasta, uncooked
2 C broccoli florets
1 lb boneless skinless chicken, bite-sized pieces
1/2 C Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 TBS soy sauce
1/4 tsp ginger, garlic powder
dash crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 C peanuts (individual pack, 2/$1 is the right amount)

Cook pasta, adding broccoli last 3 minutes of cooking time. Cook chicken 6-8 minutes, stirring occassionally. After fully cooked, stir in dressing, soy sauce, and spices. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture and peanuts. Mix thoroughly.
Makes 4 servings, 2 C each. From Kraftfoods magazine

Giant Oven Pancakes and Smoothies

Giant Oven Pancakes
4 eggs
1 C milk
1 C flour
1/4 cube margarine (2 TBS)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Put margarine in 9 x 13 glass pan while oven preheats. Blend eggs. Add milk and flour a little bit at a time while blending. Bake 20 minutes until middle is firm and edges are crusty. Serve with powdered sugar and fruit.

*My cousin Lillian discovered (and Rob loves this) that if you splash on lemon juice, then sprinkle on powdered sugar, it tastes like a lemon bar.

Smoothies
1-2 C frozen fruit
1-2 C milk (depends on consistancy)
1/4-1/2 tsp vanilla (I do 1/2 the lid)
sugar (to taste) OR 2 TBS orange juice concentrate

Mix ingredients together. I love adding 1/2 frozen banana to everything because it gives it a great consistancy.

Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken
1-2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2/3 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 TBS vegetable oil

Sauce:
Store-style Enough to eat over rice
1/2 C brown sugar (1 C)
1/4 C soy sauce (1/2 C)
1/2 C orange juice (1 C)
1/4 C vinegar (1/2 C)
1 TBS cornstarch (2 TBS)
2 TBS cold water (4 TBS)

Mix flour, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Dip chicken in mixture until covered. Put chicken in medium heat frying pan in oil. Cook until golden on all sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Sauce: I like alot of sauce to eat with the rice. Store-style would be just enough to cover the chicken. You can tell which recipe I use. Mix all sauce ingredients except cornstarch. Heat to boiling. Mix cornstarch with cold water. Stir cornstarch mixture into sauce. It will be globby if you don't stir the whole time you are pouring it in, maybe a few extra stirs. When it's boiling again, add chicken. Grease pan (I use 8x8). Pour chicken and sauce in. Cover with foil and cook 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook 15 more minutes. Serve over rice and broccoli.

Spaghetti and Butternut squash

Spaghetti
1/2 lb ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 C onion, chopped
3 cans tomato sauce
3 TBS italian seasoning, (to taste)

Cook ground beef, garlic, and onion together until beef is not pink. Add tomato sauce and seasoning. Simmer until ready to serve. Cook noodles according to package.

Butternut squash
Cut 1-2" off both ends. Cut in half length-ways. Scoop out seeds. Pierce with a fork in several places so it will cook faster. Cook in microwave safe container with 1/2" water in bottom. Cover with plastic wrap, allowing for some steam to escape. Cook in microwave for 5 minutes. Serve with butter and salt or brown sugar.

Crockpot BBQ Pork and Potato salad

Crockpot BBQ pork
Good for a crowd
Put alot of boneless pork in a crockpot for 4-6 hrs on High. Drain liquid and shred pork. Stir in BBQ sauce. (Amount will depend on how saucy you want it to be).

*This is a good recipe for chicken too. If you keep cooked, shredded chicken in your freezer, all you have to do is defrost in the microwave and stir in BBQ sauce. Served on Hogi buns or nice hamburger buns, this makes a fast, yummy lunch.

Potato salad
6 large potatoes (red is yummiest, but reg. brown works too)
3 eggs
3 green onions
1 pickle
mayonaise (1/2-1 C)
mustard (about 1 TBS)
salt
pepper

Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Boil until fork tender. Cool in fridge. Boil eggs for 20 minutes. Run cold water over them until they are almost cool. Put in fridge. Cut pickle and green onions. Assemble all ingredients in a big bowl. Stir until mixed thoroughly.

Grilled Chicken, pasta salad, Rolls

Grilled chicken: marinade or pour italian salad dressing over chicken right before grilling.
Pasta Salad: I cheated and used a "suddenly salad" box and just added mayo.

Rolls
Makes 16 rolls
1/2 C warm water
1 TBS yeast
1/2 C warm milk
1 egg
1/3 C margarine, softened
1/3 C white sugar
1 tsp salt
3 3/4 C flour (3 C first, then add a little bit as needed)
1/4 C margarine, softened

Mix above ingredients in order (except 2nd margarine). Knead. Cover in greased container in warm place. Rise until double (1-2 hrs). Divide dough in half. Roll into 2, 12" circles. Spread other butter over both. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges tight, starting at wide end. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in warm place. Rise 1 hr. Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Bake 10-15 minutes until golden.

Sweet Pork Burritos with Homemade Spinach Tortillas

Sweet Pork
1 1/2-2 lbs pork (boneless)
1 C brown sugar
1 C salsa (I used Sam's Choice mild)

Put ingredients in crock pot in order listed. Cook on high 4-5, until shreddable. It will look like there is too much water, but it will be perfect (if at anytime it looks like it's burning, add some water, I haven't had this problem ever though). Shred pork, leaving liquid in crock pot. Dump shredded pork back in crock pot and stir. Keep warm until ready to eat. Serve in tortillas with cheese, lettuce, and sour cream.

Spinach Tortillas
3 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS vegetable oil
1 can spinach

Mix spinach with a blender wand (or in a blender/food processor) until it looks like baby food. Heat for 1 1/2 minutes. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add vegetable oil and mix in with your hands until it is in pea sized balls (or smaller). Add spinach. Mix with hands (watch out, it's hot!). Make 1" sized balls. Place on floured surface, cover with plastic wrap. Let stand 10 minutes. Heat 10" size frying pan to medium heat. Roll one tortilla on floured surface. Place in frying pan. Flip after 30 seconds or until little bubbles come up. Take off pan after 30 more seconds. Keep finished tortillas covered to keep them soft.

Almond Chicken

2-4 chicken breasts
garlic powder
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk
Toasted Almonds (ungreased pan, 350, 5-10 mins)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Grease pan (8x8 or 9x13). Put chicken in pan and sprinkle generously with garlic powder. Bake 1/2 hr. Mix soup & milk in bowl. Pour over chicken and bake 1/2 more. Add almonds last 5 minutes. Serve over rice with steamed broccoli.

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Razzleberry Pie

(Makes 2 pies)
Filling:
3 1/3 C water
2 C sugar
2 bags frozen berries (1 raspberry, 1 blackberry)
2/3 C+2 TBS cornstarch

Bring water to a boil. Add sugar and 1 pkg frozen berries. Bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch with a little bit of water in a bowl, so it's a thick paste. Add cornstarch to pot and cook until thickened. (Takes less than 20 seconds). Fold in other package frozen berries. Cool completely. Pour into raw crust lined pan and top with pie crust. Crust:
4 C flour
1 tsp salt
2 C butter flavored shortening
Ice water to make soft dough

Combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening to the size of peas. Gradually add ice water to form a soft dough. Divide into four disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Roll into a circle on well floured surface. Fold into fourths and place in pie crust. Unfold, fill with filling, add top. Flute edges. Cover crust edges with foil so it doesn't get too crisp, removing last 10 mins of cooking. Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 35-45 minutes. Pie should be darker and be flakey when tapped with fingernail.

Letter D

This first week of preschool I was a little unprepared. I don't think my little guy noticed. Because of Thanksgiving Point's $2 Tuesday in August, I started a week early and stretched this week over 2 weeks to give me more time to prepare for the next lesson. My little guy loves me to read him books, so I check picture books out from the library as a huge part of my curriculum. A website I refer to is: http://letteroftheweek.com/ Each day we talk about what day of the week it is and what the weather is like outside to start off preschool.



Tuesday: Dinosaur musuem (1 hr-hey, it was crowded)



Thursday: (Less than 1/2 hr)

Read: My "d" Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure (We love these books)

Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

Albert Goes Hollywood by Henry Schwartz

Make "D" shape out of blocks

Color "D" coloring page found at: http://pbskids.org/sesame/coloring/d.html



Tuesday:

Read: My "d" Sound box again

Archie the Ugly Dinosaur by M. Christina Butler

ABC T-Rex by Bernard Most

Make "D" shaped sugar cookies (or leftover uncooked pie crust) with cookie cutters

(could use playdough, rolling it into snakes)



Thursday:

Read: My "d" Sound box again

A Dinosaur named after me by Bernard Most

Dawdle Duckling by Toni Buzzeo

Sing "6 little Ducks"

Write "D" page found at: http://www.beginningreading.com/Alphabet_lDd.gif

Zucchini Boats

1 Big zucchini
1/2-1 lb ground beef
onion, to taste
garlic, to taste
1 C oatmeal
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
1 can tomato sauce
Parmesan cheese (to taste)
1 egg

Cut zucchini in half, length-wise. Scoop out seeds. Put in 9x13 pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Cook ground beef, onion, and garlic until ground beef is no longer pink. In a big bowl, mix all ingredients (except zucchini). Scoop meat mixture into zucchini. Put 1 C water in bottom of pan. Cover pan with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.

(recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

Zucchini Goulash

2/3 C rice, uncooked
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs zucchini, cubed (if the variety has tough skin, grate the skin off)
1 C green onions (I used less yellow onions)
2 clove garlic
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 C chopped tomato
1 C cheese, divided

Cook rice according to directions on container. Grease 4-6 Qt pan. Preheat oven 350 degrees fahrenheit. Cook on the stove on medium heat for 5-10 minutes: zucchini, onion, garlic. Add seasonings. Mix in rice, tomatoes and 3/4 C cheese. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese and serve.

(adapted recipe from allrecipes.com)

Chili Relleno

2 (4oz) cans whole chilis drained
1/2-1 C cheese, divided
2 eggs beaten
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk
2 TBS flour
1/2 C milk
1 can tomato sauce

Prehead oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Grease 8x8 pan. Mix both kinds of milk, flour, and eggs in a bowl. Layer 1 can chilis (cut so they lay flat), 1/2 cheese, 1 can chili, egg/milk mixture. Bake 25 minutes. Pour tomato sauce on top. Bake another 15 minutes. Sprinkle on rest of cheese. Serve.

(adapted from recipe at allrecipes.com)