Beef Stroganoff
Who doesn't like crock pot recipes? You throw everything in at breakfast, go throughout your day and when you are hungry for dinner it is waiting for you! When things get busy around my house I always think I should ONLY cook crock pot meals. No matter what happens at least part of the dinner is made. If we don't have time to make the sides at least there is something instead of a drive through window! Still, it seems easier to push through to completion when the main part is done.
...
Cinnamon Waffles
Next up in our family favorites series is Cinnamon Waffles. We have tried a few waffle recipes. What I love about this one is the cinnamon. If you are ambitious you can separate the egg. Mix the yolk in with the mix then whip the whites and fold in at the end. The waffles are fluffy when you do this, but a lot of times I have hungry kids and omit the extra step. They turn out great either way! A couple years ago I needed to buy a new waffle iron. I love how crispy our waffles turn out with ...
Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
Today is the first day of June! This month we are starting a family favorites series! Most of the recipes we have made so far have been a first run at a recipe chosen by my Little Chefs. They have been LOVING cooking and trying new foods, but are wanting some of our tried and true recipes. We decided they could make our family favorites for the first time.
Baked Parmesan Tilapia has been loved by my family for a long time now! I always have the ingredients on hand. It is easy to prepare. It ...
Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie
School is almost out and summer is right around the corner. Fun smoothies is a great way for kids to 'cook' in the kitchen. Smoothies are quick and easy! Strawberry Lemonade has only 5 familiar ingredients; strawberries, banana, lemonade, a squeeze of fresh lemon and ice.
Little Chef C combined everything in a blender. Juicing the lemon was the hardest part. She needed help from Little Chef Dad to squeeze it hard enough to produce any juice! She also needed help pouring the lemonade because ...
The Chewy
Have you ever found the PERFECT chocolate chip cookie? Have you found one you like then stopped looking or trying others? We haven't. At some point someone will say their recipe is the best and then you will feel inclined to try it. At least that happens here. I don't think this qwest will ever end! So when we stumbled on The Chewy, we knew we had to try it. We have been watching Alton Brown lately in the Next Food Network Star and Good Eats (yes, reruns). He is great for Little Chef A ...
French Bread Rolls
We LOVE a good homemade roll! I prefer to cook rolls in the morning because the smell that comes from the oven when bread cooks lingers all day. The Little Chefs come home from school excited for dinner because of the smell that hits them as they walk through the door. We thought it was time the Little Chefs tried their hand in bread/rolls. We found a French Bread Roll recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe which she describes as her no fail recipe. That is the perfect type of recipe we need ...
Southern Baked Beans
Last summer we went to my Aunt's ranch for a mini family reunion. One night we had a catered dinner where we ate some very delicious beans. My mom has tried duplicating the recipe. Paula Deen's Southern Baked Beans does not have all the same elements as the ones we loved, but we thought it looked great to give a try.
The ingredients are very simple. Little Chef D diced the onion with our Vidalia Chop Wizard. I love how fast this tool is, but it is not very easy for her to use. I ...
Refried Beans
Refried Beans is a staple in our home. I learned how to make them from my sisters in law, but there is something they do that makes them taste better then mine. Robert Irvine has a refried bean recipe Little Chef C wanted to try. She got the full approval of Little Chef A who 'felt like having bean burritos tonight!'
Little Chef A was more then willing to start the beans while Little Chef C was still at her play date. The beans were rinsed then dumped in the boiling water for 15 minutes. ...
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Are potatoes a staple in your home? They sure are in mine including; Bacon and Pancetta Potatoes, Market Street Au Gratin Potatoes and Pommes Anna. Why? Potatoes are cheap and versatile. We are always willing to try a different potato recipe. Paula Deen has a great recipe to try, Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
Peeling potatoes is an amusing event in our home. Little Chef D picked out the potatoes. She lined them all up next to each other and said, "The baby one is so cute. I want to do the ...
Popcorn with Rosemary Infused Oil
Little Chef A was looking for a fun dessert or snack to make. We ran across Popcorn with Rosemary Infused Oil from one of Giada De Laurentiis' shows and decided we need to try it. This recipe was different from other popcorn we make at home because of the infused oil. It was very simple and very quick to make. Just add a few sprigs of rosemary to a saucepan with some olive oil. Let cook for 5 minutes then let it cool to room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator for up to one ...
Marinara Sauce
One of the things we love to cook is pasta sauce. We are ALWAYS trying a new marinara or meaty sauce. Giada De Laurentiis has a Marinara Sauce Little Chef A wanted to try. The first task was to prepare all the vegetables. There is a lot of fine dicing to be done; carrots, celery and onions. I have found fine dicing to be very hard for even my oldest Little Chef. Instead of me wincing with each cut I thought we could use the chopper. I demonstrated how to cut the carrot lengthwise then ...
Chicken Francese
Chicken Francese was shown by Chef Robert in one of the Restaurant Impossible episodes. This was one of the times Little Chef C said she wanted to make that recipe. I do have to say she is disappointed sometimes when all the recipes shown are not available online for her to make at home.
Little Chef C cracked the eggs very well into a small bowl by herself, then broke them up with a fork. She was very proud she completed this small task alone. She went out of the kitchen for a moment and ...
