Tag: kids

Balsamic Chicken with Avocado and Radish Salad

Sometime ago a friend of mine and I were discussing the cons of eating healthy. We both agreed that every now and then after eating perfect portions of lean proteins, limited carbs and a staple of fresh fruits and veggies we craved a hefty steak 

Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken

When I was 16 turning 17 my best friend’s family invited me to join them on a cross country trip. Equipped with R.E.M’s “Out of Time” album and C&C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make You Sweat”, we made our way to Texas to visit Beverly’s Friends 

French Onion Salisbury Steak with Cheese Bread

French Onion Salisbury Steak is another one of our favorite family recipes. French onion is probably a deceptive word to use because the sauce is nothing like French onion soup. This dish reminds me “Ratatouille” the movie from Pixar. Each part is essential to the whole. The flavors from the sauce meld with the meat and the cheese bread sends everything into over drive. We use whatever bread we have on hand, usually whole grain or this time it was Oroweat Country White. French is probably best but when you are in a pinch regular sandwich bread is fine.

Source: Cuisine At Home
1 1/4 pound ground chuck
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tbsp minced scallion
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp flour

Combine beef, parsley, scallion, salt and pepper. Divide evenly into four portions and shape into 3/4 – 1 inch think patties. Place the flour in a shallow dish; dredge each patty in the flour. Reserve 1 teaspoon flour.

Sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups sliced onion
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add patties and cook 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.

Add onion and sugar to pan, saute until soft; about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and paste; saute 1 minute until paste begins to brown. Add reserved flour, cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, salt and thyme.

Return patties to the pan; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Cheese Bread:
4 slices French bread, cut diagonally 1/2 inch thick
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp minced garlic
Paprika
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bread on a baking sheet. Combine butter and garlic; spread on one side of each slice of bread. Sprinkle with a dash of paprika. Combine cheese and sprinkle evenly over bread. Bake until crisp and cheese is bubbly, 5-10 minutes.

Lemon Dimples Cookies

Surprise mom with these cute Lemon Dimple cookies. They are lemony and oh so scrumptious. Source: Woman’s Day 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for dusting 1/4 cup fine sugar or granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 

Fiesta Taco Salad

A couple of years ago, all the older kids wanted for dinner was pizza, hot dogs or mac and cheese. Just having baby number three, I complied for a little while until I could get back on my feet. I began asking friends what they 

Stacked Mexican Pie

I made a pot of Pozole yesterday. Knowing I would have leftover shredded pork, I decided to use some of the meat to make a Mexican pie. It is sort of like lasagna meets enchilada. Here, I used a pie plate making only three layers, because I wanted to use the extra filling for taco salad. You could also use any shape baking dish, cake pan or spring form pan.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 zucchini, diced
1 1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 pound ground beef, cooked or shredded pork or chicken, chopped (optional)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed
1 can (11 oz) corn niblets, drained
1⁄2 cup freshly chopped cilantro
4 (6 – 10 inch) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar
Garnish: reduced-fat sour cream

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking dish, cake pan or 9-inch spring form pan with nonstick spray.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, sauté until soft and translucent; about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, cumin, chili powder and salt; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with juice, beans, corn, cilantro and meat; heat through.

Place a tortilla on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a good layer of vegetable mixture; sprinkle with some cheese. Add another tortilla and repeat making 4 layers ending with vegetable mixture and a sprinkle of cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted. Cool 5-10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Variations:
To add a little spice, use diced tomatoes with green chilies or add a cup of medium to hot heat salsa.

Mexican Pozole and Hominy Soup

Every Grandmother has their own recipe for Pozole (or sometimes spelled Posole). My favorite recipe comes from a friend of mine, Mary Rodriques, from Freemont, Texas. She also gave me the recipe for Baked Summer Veggies. The experience of eating Pozole comes from adding your 

Ruth’s Wedding Cookies

My Aunt Ruth usually had these delicious bites around many times when we stopped by for a visit. Ruth’s version of Mexican wedding cookies are also known as Russian Tea Cakes or Italian Butter Cookies. They are a very delicate shortbread like cookie. Her original 

Ham Egg and Cheese English Muffins

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day. I just love breakfast food. My mom used to make these for us all the time even on camping trips. I love my egg with a slightly runny center. It must be a Southern thing like grits.

English muffins
Butter
Cheddar cheese slices
Scrambled, poached or fried eggs
Ham deli slices

Toast English muffins. Spread with a little butter and top with scrambled eggs, a slice of cheese and ham.

Variations:
Add a slice of tomato.
Replace ham with bacon.

Cranberry Apricot Granola Bars

I love hiking. Stephen and I used to go all the time before we had kids. Before Mason was born I scored a brand new unused Kelty backpack for $10 at a garage sale. We used it until we moved to the valley, where hiking