Easy Peezy Pizza Dough

I apologize for the title, but I just couldn't resist. It does explain it perfectly. 3.5 cups bread flour* - plus a little extra 1 tsp sugar 1 packet yeast (or 2.25 tsp yeast if you bought the mega bag at costco like me) 1-2 tsp kosher salt (depending on how you prefer to use salt) 1.25 cup water at no more than 110 degrees (this is important) 2 tbsp olive oil Combine dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. I usually do this part by hand so that I can be sure there isn't any yeast or salt sitting at the bottom of the bowl. While the mixer is running with the dough hook attached, add the warm water slowly. Using warm water makes a big difference because it helps everything combine better, but if you put water that is too hot in there, you'll kill the yeast. Once the water is in, add the olive oil. Let the mixer do its thing for a few minutes. If the dough is super sticky start adding flour one spoonful at a time. The goal is to get the dough so that it looks smooth and elastic and only sticks to the very bottom of the mixing bowl a little bit. When you take it out it will be a little sticky, but nothing that well floured hands can't manage. Place dough in oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel until it has doubled in bulk (30 minutes to an hour depending on how warm hour house is). After the dough has risen, turn out onto a well floured surface and shape. This recipe makes 6 10 inch pizzas (normal crust) or 6 6x18 inch pizzas (thin crust) or two rectangle cookie sheet pizzas. If your dough stops cooperating while you are shaping it, just give it a 10 minute timeout, or a short cat nap. Once your dough is shaped, you can top it first and then cook at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, or you can cook the dough first for about 5 minutes, put the toppings on and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Its all by eye. But it should be golden brown. *It doesn't have to be bread flour, but it tastes so much better!

This Chicken Needs a Fancy Name

So I was inspired by this recipe on Epicurious tonight, but their recipe name was uninspired and the instructions left a little to be desired. However, the combination of ingredients was fantastic and the process was oh so easy! I can't wait to make it again. I just need to come up with a fancy name for it so that when I serve it to company, it sounds more impressive than "chicken thighs with green olives" 4 bone in skin on chicken thighs 2 tbsp high heat oil like grapeseed oil 1 medium onion sliced thin 3 cloves of garlic minced 1/2 tsp cumin 3/4 cup orange juice 1/2 of a lemon, juiced 1/3 cup green olives sliced in half length wise salt and pepper to taste 1. Heat 2 tablespoons of high heat oil in a heavy skillet (cast iron is the bomb) over medium high heat. Brown the chicken well (but not till cooked - we're just trying to get a crispy skin). Don't fuss over then, just put them in and let them sit while you slice the onion. 2. Once the chicken is browned, set the pieces aside on a plate. remove all but about 1 tbsp of oil from the bottom of the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and saute until limp. Add the minced garlic and saute for a few minutes more but don't let the garlic burn! Add the cumin and stir it all up. 3. Next add the orange and lemon juices and the olives and return to a simmer. Once everything is hot, add the chicken pieces and cover until the chicken thighs are cooked through (not sure how long this is, I overcooked mine at 20 minutes so it will depend on how long the thighs were browned for, how big they are and how hot you have your stove). 4. Once they are finished, arrange the thighs on a serving platter on on dinner plates and top with sauce, onions and olives and serve. A garnish of thinly sliced lemon and fresh Greek oregano would be lovely too!

Scones! Tea Time with the Girls

And, this one is a family favorite...

Scones. A tradition. A delicacy. A delight... and a much requested recipe:

Preheat oven to 400

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup cream (1/2 & 1/2 or whole milk will suffice)
• 1 egg
• Dried fruit of choice

Mix dry ingredients together in mixer. Cut in cubes of cold butter, add egg when crumbly. Keep mixing until dough ball forms. If sticky, add more flour & titch more sugar.

Pour dough ball onto sugared pastry board. You may also use counter top, if you're blessed with one that doesn't have grout. OR, lay out parchment paper, and do your kneading over the non-stick surface.

Flatten and fold dough repeatedly with the heels of your hand. Make a rectangle, and press in dried fruit of choice. My favorite right now is Craisins, but I've been known to use golden raisins, regular raisins, Calmyrna figs, or apricots.

Flatten & fold in fruit several times, until you reform your rectangle. Use biscuit cutter to cut out scones. Lay on baking sheet, and brush with a mixture of cream & a dash of sugar on top.

Bake in 400 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes. Don't go anywhere, though...you need to catch the scent of delightful "ready" scones... sometimes it's at 12, sometimes at 18 minutes...depending on how well heated your oven is.

Enjoy with a spot of tea and honey, slathered in butter or clotted cream. Ahh... I think I'll go make some now.

Cheerio!

More Doggie Treats

Here are some MORE yummy dog treats we discovered...whether or not they are PERFECT doggie treats? We'll letcha know!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (regular, if your pup has allergies)
1/2 c. milk (skim, 2%, whole or powdered)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 large egg, beaten
2 TBSP./Small amount of flavoring (bacon drippings, chicken or beef stock, juice from a can of tuna — your choice)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray or grease a cookie sheet. Lightly flour a surface to roll the dough out on.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.

3. Add the flavoring you selected and the beaten egg to the bowl and mix well. Note: This is a pretty stiff dough. If you find it to be too stiff to work with, just add a touch more of the chicken stock (or whatever else you’re using).

4. Roll out the dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness. Use a pizza cutter or a few different, bone-shaped cookie cutters to cut the dough into the desired size.

5. Bake for 30 minutes and let cool before treating your happy dog to its new favorite biscuits recipe!

This One's for the Dogs: Peanut Butter Dog Treats

So, the girls wanted to go nuts at Dollar Tree, buying presents for our pooches. But, I convinced them that we could make something equally, if not more fantastic:

Here's what I found: Home Made Peanut Butter Dog Treats!

• 1 c. flour
• 1/2 c. milk (2% or skim is just fine)
• 2 TBSP. Peanut Butter
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1 egg white
• 1 TBSP. chicken broth or stock
• 1 tsp. baking powder

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and lightly spray or grease a baking sheet.

In a mixing bowl, add the first 6 ingredients and stir. Once you’ve gotten them mixed well, add the baking powder. Continue mixing until everything’s combined.

Using a tablespoon, drop spoonfuls of the mix onto your greased cookie sheet.

Pop them into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until they’re a nice golden brown. Cool and serve!

Roasted Ratatouille with Feta

In honor of meatless Monday, I decided to make Ratatouille Crepes. That was before I realized I had about a quarter cup of milk on hand. Plan B turned out quite well though. And in spite of the initial push back on the eggplant, the only thing left on the little plates were a few pieces of pasta. All veggies had been devoured. 3/4 lb eggplant (about 4 Persian eggplants are my preference) 3 nice sized tomatoes 2 zucchini (I did one green and one yellow) 1 red bell peper 1/2 onion 2 garlic cloves Chop all vegetables coarsely. Mince garlic. Combine in a large (very large) bowl with about 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, about 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread out in a shallow baking pan (a high rimmed cookie sheet or jelly roll pan works well) and roast in your oven at 450 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes or until the vegetables smell really really good. Remove from oven. While the veggies are roasting, cook 1/2 to 3/4 pound of nice chunky pasta (like penne or something). Once the pasta is drained, add veggies, 2 Tablespoons each of fresh minced basil and fresh italian parsley, about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and about 4 ounces of crumbled feta cheese. I LOVE Pastures of Eden feta from Trader Joes. It is mild and creamy and not too salty. Mix it all together and serve. I also took a package of trader joes pizza dough, spread it out in a nice shape, slathered it in olive oil and sprinkled it with garlic powder, sea salt and italian herbs. Then I cut it into 1.5 inch strips and served it like breadsticks along with a nice simple salad. Went quite well with a red Sancerre. My new fav.

UNBELIEVABLE dessert - chocolate chip cookie dough brownies

Yield: 32 brownies

Prep Time: 30 min + cooling time

Cook Time: 25 min

These brownies are a major treat for cookie dough lovers... figuring out what wine to pair this one with... for when MAMA REALLY NEEDS A TREAT!!!

ingredients:

BROWNIE:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

COOKIE DOUGH (EGG FREE!):
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup semisweet chips + 1 teaspoon shortening for drizzle, optional

directions:

1. Prepare the brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray. In a medium glass bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave in short bursts of 30 seconds; stir after each burst and remove from microwave when melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in melted chocolate. Blend in flour and mix just until combined (don't over-mix). Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes. Watch closely and remove from oven when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

2. Prepare the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix in milk and vanilla. Mix in flour just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Spread cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is quite firm. It's okay to speed up the process and place it in the freezer too. The firmer the dough, the easier it will be to cut into neat squares. Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies. You may need to wipe the knife off with a paper towel in between cuts since the fudgy brownies and cookie dough will tend to stick to the knife a bit. These brownies are best to serve placed inside cupcake papers and served with a fork.

4. If you'd like to add chocolate drizzle on top, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of shortening in the microwave; stir until smooth. Scoop the melted chocolate into a zip baggie and snip off the corner. Squeeze the bag to drizzle the chocolate on top of each brownie. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top, if desired.

Source: RecipeGirl.com

Another Banana Bread Recipe

There's already one of these on here, but this is a new one I've tried a few times to RAVE reviews. Granted, its basically banana cupcakes when you make muffins because of the sugar content, but hey! You can make banana cupcakes! You could probably reduce the sugar a little if you want to be more healthy, but then also consider reducing the oil to lessen the liquid content.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour one loaf pan, or 12 muffin cups.

1.5 cups plus two tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

sift to combine. set aside.

2 eggs
1 cup sugar

mix on medium high speed for about 10 minutes or until the mixture is light yellow and forms a ribbon when you pull the beaters out.

1/4 cup oil

reduce speed to low and pour oil into mixture in a slow stream.

4 organic (smallish) bananas (about 1.5 cups)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla

add bananas, yogurt and vanilla to mixer and continue beating on low speed until combined.

fold in dry ingredients.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes for muffins and 45 to 60 minutes for a loaf.

Chicken Tacos on Soccer Night

What do you do when it's soccer night, and everyone is punchy and grumbly by the day's end? PLAN AHEAD!

You'll need:

• 1 bag frozen chicken breasts or tenders
• 1 jar of your favorite salsa
• Tortillas

Seasonings:

* Cumin

* Garlic Salt

Throw all into crockpot & cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.

When you get home from soccer/dance/horse back riding lessons... open crockpot and remove chicken. Shred (all you need to do is poke lightly with fork, and it falls apart).

Let the little ones set the table for your fiesta... serve with refried beans, Mexican rice, and bowls of toppings (*shredded cheese, *lettuce, *guacamole, *sour cream, *chopped tomatoes/onion)

Devour.

Pasta with Beet Greens and Raisins

This was inspired by a Sunset Magazine recipe. I made a few changes (of course) and I think there is lots of room for variation, but the basics are unusual and yummy. After I convinced Kate and Mariah that the "lettuce" wasn't gross, they actually ate it. The raisins really helped encourage them to try.

* 1 package uncooked pennette (or penne, or whatever you've got)
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 3 tablespoons oil (not olive - something like safflower*)
* 4 cups coarsely chopped trimmed beet greens (the tops from about 3 nice sized beets)
* 4 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
* 2/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
* 1 teaspoon salt (or 1/2 tsp fancy french sea salt because its really strong)
* a few grinds of black pepper

Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain. I used whole wheat penne and it was really great in this (I have used whole wheat pasta before and not liked it, but this time it really worked).

While pasta cooks, place raisins in a small bowl; cover with hot water. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain. (or let stand until you realize that it's time to add them and then drain them. Its not an exact science)

While pasta cooks and raisins soak, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add greens and garlic; sauté 3 minutes or until greens are tender. Stir in pasta, raisins, almonds, salt, and black pepper; toss to combine. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired.

VARIATION IDEAS:
You could also add some apple chicken sausage to meat it up, or maybe some sauteed chicken. Or, if you wanted to get fancy and serve it at room temp, you could add some chevre once it has cooled a bit. That would be yummy with the raisins and almonds.

*A NOTE ABOUT OLIVE OIL:
Ken recently found out that you should not use olive oil for sauteing. The reason? Olive oil becomes carcinogenic at high temperatures. Reason enough for me to switch to something more heat tolerant. The suggested substitute is grape seed oil, but that was super expensive at the grocer store. I went for safflower, and aside from smelling a little like popcorn when I started to heat the pan, it was not so different from what I am used to. I think I'm going to save my olive oil for salads and dipping. Seems a shame to waste it on sauteing anyway.

Super Blue Cheese Dressing

This is destined for fame. I finally figured out how to make LaRocca's restaurant style blue cheese dip/dressing.

Here's what you need:

• Costco Blue Cheese Crumbles
• Light sour cream
• Mayonaise (olive oil)
• Garlic, crushed
• Salt to taste

Add a mass of blue cheese to a Cuisinart.

Dump in about half a container of sour cream.

Throw in a few dollops of mayonnaise

Crush and dice and add the garlic, as much as you dare!

Salt to taste

Whip into frenzy. Add more sour cream to make more liquid or less for thicker dips.

Eat with blackened chicken, as dip for chicken wings, serve with all salads. Devour. Lick the bowl. Make more.

Enjoy!

Experimental Saag Aloo

We had a jar of masala simmer sauce from Trader Joes and a package of chicken breasts that had to be used. Of course, we'll just make some saag aloo to go with it right?

The web is woefully lacking in quality saag aloo recipes. This is my experiment with what seemed to be the simplest, and most intelligent version:

First make garam masala - not as challenging as it sounds:

* 1 tablespoon ground cumin
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Surprisingly, I had all of these ingredients in my pantry. I felt a little like a cooking rock star.

oil
butter
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion chopped
1 large potato peeled and diced
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 400 gram bag of frozen chopped spinach
1 tsp chopped honey pickled ginger (or you could use fresh ginger or dry ginger and some kind of acid like lemon juice or a splash of vinegar)

First saute 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds in about a tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of butter until starting to brown. Then before the butter and seeds burn (that's what happened with my first attempt - whatever you do, don't go looking for ginger at this point) add the chopped onion and saute until it is translucent and just starting to brown. Next add the potato, garlic, tumeric and garam masala. Saute until the potatoes start to brown and revel at the amazing Indian food smell you have just created on your kitchen stove.

Once the potatoes have started to brown, add the spinach. Once it has melted, add more water in small batches and keep stirring until the potatoes are soft. At the very end, because I felt like something was missing I added in a tsp of chopped honey pickled ginger and a half teaspoon of salt. I stirred and mixed and mixed and stirred until it looked just right.

It was fantastic!

However, the girls did not even touch it. Of course they hardly touched their gnocchi either and that is their favorite dinner. Instead, they wrestled on the banquet bench until I yelled at them. That was not fantastic.

Once I finished dinner, I had a few more ideas about what I might have done to round out the flavor a little. Definitely one to keep experimenting with.

Delectable Blackened Chicken

Oh, my goodness. Where do I begin?

I had this at a party and dreamed about it ever since.

Here's what you need (and pay attention! because the sugar, salt, and pepper get divided between the rub & the sauce...):

1 Tablespoon paprika

4 teaspoons sugar, divided

1-1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used a chipotle red pepper as a substitute, which was FANTASTIC)

1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons pepper, divided

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1-1/3 cups mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons water

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

________________________________________________________________________

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine paprika, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, thyme, lemon-pepper, cayenne and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir together until combined.

Take your chicken and give it a good pat with some paper towels to make sure it's totally dry. THEN, take handfuls of the rub, and massage into breasts, BOTH SIDES, until well covered. set aside.

In another bowl, combine mayonnaise, water, vinegar and remaining sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk together until mixed well. Taste, because it's delicious. Taste it again. Cover and chill 1 cup for serving. the remaining sauce is for basting while cooking.

Grill chicken, covered, over indirect medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear, basting frequently with remaining sauce.

Serve with reserved sauce....

I also served this with Zatarans (sp?) black beans & rice and a nice mixed veggie, some corn muffins. Let's just say, the whole family sat down to eat together, talked about our day, everyone had generous helpings of everything and there was only enough left overs for Daddy to take a blackened chicken sandwich and rice to work for tomorrow. I was most disappointed about that, after looking quite forward to a blackened chicken Caesar salad. NEXT time I double the recipe.

Happy eating, everyone!

4 servings

Enjoy :)

Sumptuous Banana Milk Smoothies

What's a mom to do when there is NOTHING that sounds good for breakfast?

Seriously, my oldest would eat only bacon if I let her. Then, SOMEONE discussed with her where bacon comes from, and guess what? Suddenly, no more interest in bacon. I can't really feel bad about this. Not really. The child needs to have something healthy to start the day.

So, after a round of "do you want this?" or "What about this?" and, just when I was about to command: "You're eating the oatmeal and liking it!" We came around to a solution that was both healthy and filling.

Banana Milk Smoothies - or, Mama is tired and the girls need protein.

* 2 cups milk
* 2 bananas
* 1 pkg Vanilla Instant Breakfast

Blend, serve in Princess Straw Cups
Goes wonderfully well with heaping handfuls of dry cereal.
Seconds, please! :)

Traditional Holiday Roast Beef

No holiday gathering is complete without the traditional Roast Beef. Just think about it for a second. Mmmm.

The distinct scents of succulent, flavorful roast greets your guests as they walk through the door. Hugs and back slaps precede the trek to the kitchen to peek into the oven to see what's cooking.

"What's in the oven?" They'll ask...

"Oh, just a roast," you'll blink back with an easy smile.

"Mmm."

Have them bring side dishes and desserts. Toss a quick salad and top with a balsamic vinaigrette you've prepared from the Temecula Olive Oil company's compliment of infused oils & vinegars.

Grab a loaf of bread from the local bakery--I suggest Great Harvest Grains "Cheddar Garlic Loaf. All dressed and perfectly coiffed, as you pour a glass of wine for all, take jackets, and know that not only does the house look great but you do, too. Why? How is this possible?

Because you've prepared the most easy holiday feast in the universe.

You’ll need:

• Your butcher’s cut of Prime Rib Roast - Approximately ½ pound beef per guest
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 clove crushed garlic

· Seasoning rub made from of: 1 tsp each: Thyme, Montreal’s Steak Seasoning, Lemon Pepper, Parsley

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Rub your roast first with olive oil, and then pat all over with the seasoning blend until crusted with herbs. Sear all sides of your roast in EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), crushed garlic, and butter until golden brown, turning every few minutes.

Place the rubbed, seared roast in roasting pan--fat side up. Drizzle with EVOO, and cook approximately ½ hour per pound, inserting meat thermometer to ensure proper temperature is reached.

Serve with Mashed or Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Root Vegetables, tossed salad, and pair with a peppery bottle of Ruby Syrah.

Christmas is Coming Brittle!

Cuz, baby, it's cold outside!

The Chargers are losing. The kids--after helping "clean out" their toys to find donations for those less fortunate than us--have rediscovered a slew of toys. One ZuZu pet. One remote control car. One pair of fuzzy Duck Puppets (which they are currently tormenting their father with).

And, while there are many creatures stirring inside, I have had time to make a batch of Spritz Cookies (recipe coming) and this fantastic "Christmas is Coming Brittle!" Some call it Saltine Brittle. There are about a million recipes online already. But, this is what I'm making with found ingredients as we have yet to descend on the local grocery store for our annual baking break the bank trip.

Here's what you need:

• Enough Saltine crackers to cover the bottom of one cookie sheet.
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 bag Toll House Milk Chocolate Chips

Here's what you do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Line a baking sheet first with Parchment Paper.
2. Cover baking sheet with tight little rows of saltines.
3. Then, in a pan, melt your butter over med-high heat.
4. Add in the brown sugar to the melted butter, and stir until boiling.
5. Keep stirring for about 3 minutes until everything's all nice and bubbly.
6. Add your vanilla at the end, give a few more good stirs.
7. Next, pour bubbly mixture over top of the crackers. Make sure it's all nice and evenly covered to the edges. Best if no part of the crackers are showing.
8. Shove the tray into the oven, and let it bubble there for about 5 minutes. This gives you about enough time to wash the pan, and pretend you can't hear the Chargers throw ANOTHER interception or miss another 50+ yard kick.
9. Drag bubbling tray out of oven, and liberally sprinkle chocolate chips over mixture. Using a paddle knife or spatula, spread melting chocolates evenly over top of the goop covered crackers. Make sure it's all covered up good.
10. Cool.
11. Defend the tray of cooling candy. This is the tricky part because the kitchen smells so good. The little ones wander over in search of "good deeds to do" or other ways in which they can "help." But, it's really, really hot--so shoo them away.
12. Ideally, this creation should cool for 2-4 hours. 6 is better. 12 would be best.
13. Crack apart into sections, and hide some for after it's been devoured.

Seriously, one recipe I saw for this said that it was impossible to determine shelf-life of this candy, and I can't agree more. It's THAT good.

So, happy holiday season, moms! readers! and author friends!

~Ashley
His Darling, now available...

Don't forget to pop on over to download a copy of Tessa Takes a Chance... a free read, on me, in case you haven't already! If you have, let me know and I'll point you to a copy of Sparks Still Fly!

Suddenly Sloppy Joe's!

Sloppy Joe's - inspired by Disney Family Fun Slow Cookin' Recipes!

So, my freezer is PACKED. P-A-C-K-E-D full of food. So stuffed that I cannot even BEAR to think about what to cook. I know we have fixings for a month in there, but what? Chicken? Beef? Pasta?

Perry's been balking at too much chicken lately. I didn't know there was such a thing. I could eat chicken all the time and never bat an eye. Though, I think I heard Rachel cluck this morning. So, I got to thinking ground beef might be the way to go today.

I remember when my mom made Sloppy Joes. I can't recall if I liked them or not. Drippy, fun to eat sandwiches where no one gets fussed at for making a mess, served with a roll of paper towels within easy reach? Sounds like heaven for my youngest. For my oldest...heaven only knows.

Time to make: 15 minutes

Ready In: 4-6 hours
serves: 4-6 (hopefully!!)

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cups ketchup
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tbs packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoons stone ground mustard
1 tablespoons vinegar
1/8 tsp chili powder
Toasted hamburger buns

Directions

Cook and stir ground beef, onion and garlic in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until beef is browned and onion is tender. Drain and discard fat.

Combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, mustard, vinegar and chili powder in 4 1/2-quart CROCK-POT® slow cooker. Stir in beef mixture. Cover; cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours. To serve, spoon mixture onto hamburger buns.

Here's a Disney Family Tip
Don't worry about making big batches of food in your CROCK-POT® slow cooker. Instead, plan ahead to freeze the leftovers as individual portions. Just reheat a single serving in the microwave for fast meals or impulse snacks.

OOOH! good one. As soon as I can spy space in my freezer, I'll try it. HOWEVER, leftovers are actually consumed in this house the day after, usually. Reheated leftovers? Anyone? I'm thinking maybe, no.

Chili Relleno Bake!

I scoured the cookbooks yesterday in search of this recipe, instead, found a variation online. The original recipe came off a can of Rosarita Refried Beans...and this has some zingy updates that I liked. Ellie, for once, let me crack and separate the eggs--and watched while the Kitchenaid mixer frothed the eggwhites for us. Really. There's NOTHING to be afraid of with egg separation if you own a Kitchenaid mixer.

Ingredients

• Pam cooking spray
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (7 ounce) cans diced green chilies
• 1 (16 ounce) cans rosarita vegetarian refried beans
• 1/4 cup onions, chopped finely (optional)
• 1/3 cup salsa verde (optional)
• 2 cups cheddar, monterey jack pepper cheese OR 2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded (I used cheddar)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Spray 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Beat egg whites* in small bowl until stiff peaks form.
4. Whisk egg yolks in separate bowl; fold into egg whites.
5. Add Flour into eggs until just combined.
6. Fold in green chilies.
7. Spread beans over bottom of dish.
8. Layer chopped onions over beans and make sure to get sides.* (we didn't use onions...Perry & the kids not a big fan of crunchy stuff in the beans... ugh)
9. Spread layer of salsa verde, smoothing into the sides.
10. Mix all the beans, onions and salsa verde together.
11. Top with half of the egg mixture, spreading evenly.
12. Sprinkle with half of the cheese, then remaining egg mixture and remaining cheese.
13. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes or until golden brown.
    Mine got nice and toasty on top after about 25 minutes, so it depends on your oven. This REALLY dresses up a side dish. And, my Spanish friends have always told me--you can tell a great restaurant by their Chile Relleno. Casa De Ludwig serves up a mean one!
    Also--as for my finicky family? Rachel had a corn dog, apple sauce, and cheddar cheese with a side of tomatoes. Ellie ate a taco with her daddy, tried the relleno bake, and informed me "I liked the crunchy top and the beans. Didn't care for the green stuff."
    NOTES:
    *How to separate an egg: Crack and peek into egg over your bowl, weight the yolk side to one half, let whites drip down, turn yolk into other half of shell, when white is all in the bowl, return yolk to other bowl. If you want to be more heart healthy, go 1 yolk to 3 egg whites for this recipe. I made it with all 3, though. Delicious.Oh! and another trick! don't turn the whites more than you have to, once they're all frothed up. Keep it light and fluffy!

Flank Steak with onions

This was a quick dinner that we cooked after kids had eaten. We finished just in time to put them to bed. We enjoyed it with a Nuit-Saint-George from one of our favorite wineries that we are trying desperately to get in California. Dinner was perfect, even though the girls popped out of their room every 5 minutes with another request:

Bavette a L'échalotte: Bistro Steak with Shallots and Red Wine Jus

We substituted the shallots for a yellow onion (because that was what we had) and served it with a combination of peas, broccoli, sugar snap peas and spinach because those were the frozen veggies we had in the freezer.

It is important to note that we had a thinner steak than the recipe called for (the same kind you can easily find in the U.S.) so we carmelized the onions longer and didn't put the whole thing in the oven. We cooked it a little longer on the stove top. Perfection! We ate every last bit. I guess we should have made more. We're still remembering it.

The kids might have enjoyed it too, but we were not really interested in finding out.

Need to Cook in Summertime...Why Not Corn Chowder?

So, tearing through the refrigerator, the confounded urge to make something out of nothing surrounded me. Filled every cell of my being. There had to be something I could make that could fill the empty spot inside. Something...comfortable. Soup. That was it. I'd seen a recipe in a Parent's Magazine the night before. Something that called for corn.

Inside the crisper, six neatly wrapped ears of corn, and beside it, rolling in the back of the drawer lay a lonely yellow onion. Yes. I could make this work.

Summertime Corn Chowder:

Ingredients

• 6 ears fresh corn
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 slices bacon (preferably thick-cut), chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cups low-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

1. Shuck the corn, then stand each ear up in a bowl and use a knife to scrape off the kernels; set aside. Put the cobs, 1 cup water, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a 4-qt. pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the water bubbles gently, cover, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Leave the cobs in the pot until you are ready to make the soup, then discard them, reserving the corncob stock

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until it begins to render its fat and turn golden-brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, another 5 minutes or so.

3. Add the milk, reserved corn kernels, and bacon and onion to the stock, and bring to a boil; lower the heat so that the soup bubbles gently. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until the corn is tender, about 10 minutes

4. Whisk the cornstarch in a small bowl with 2 Tbs. water until smooth. Add to the soup, stirring until the soup thickens, about a minute. Taste, adjust the seasoning, garnish with parsley, and serve.

The whole corn chowder preparation was therapeutic for me, I have to admit. With all the bubbling, sizzling, and chopping, I really reached some sort of summer cooking nirvana. I was out of corn starch, opted instead for flour with a pinch of salt.

I also substituted salt and cracked pepper for Lawry's Garlic Salt and fresh Costco Lemon Pepper in generous portions. Tasting, bubbling, adding some of this and that, and it made for a delightful meal with a side salad and glass of Chardonnay.

Next time, I'll let the bacon get crisper, I'll add in some cheese, and I'll time it better with something the kids will actually eat, like chicken fingers.