Home Made Sunshine!!!

A favorite of my hubbies since he was a kid, home made mac n cheese was something I was going to have to learn how to make if I was going to marry him. I never even saw the real stuff till I laid eyes on my mother in laws, which BTW is is ranked an 11 out of 10 on our scale (and I'm really not just saying that). I've always thought of hers as her "special dish", you know the kind of recipe that shouldn't be shared with anyone... and still to this day I have yet to ask for it. Needless to say I jump on the net and searched for a few days for something similar. I had no idea that there were different styles of mac n cheese! I had always just thought of it as this creamy bright orange kids dish that really didn't fill 4 little bellies from just one box.
After looking at a few southern, east and west coast style recipes I ended up blending a few different recipes into one. In fact I think its one of those recipes that you kinda play with every time you make it. You see my husband has this obsession with a certain brand of cheese "Tillomook" and let me just warn you now, I do make my HM Sunshine with a unhealthy amount of it. I stared off just using 1/2 of a baby loaf but now I hesitate to say I'm up to a hole loaf. I have to agree with the hubby now, the cheesier the better. Nothing quite beats that slightly crunchy cheese on top...yummy my favorite part. So here you go...



Home Made Sunshine

6 cups cooked Elbow Macaroni (Whole Wheat or regular)
3/4-1 whole baby loaf Tillamook M. Cheddar Cheese grated
2 Eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
2 cups milk
1/2tsp Salt and Pepper (to taste)
1 pk. of Bacon cooked
1-3 tsp. Butter (to grease pan)

Preheat oven at 350
Cut bacon into an inch (or smaller) pieces then cook, drain and set aside. Grate cheese and set aside. Cook elbow macaroni while mixing the following: beat the eggs, sour cream, 1 1/2 cups of milk, salt and pepper in large bowl for 2 minutes. Then add all but 2 cups of grated cheese slowly while stirring. Butter your baking dish (including sides). Once macaroni is finished drain and add 2 cups to egg mixture and mix for a minute (this will temper it, so eggs don't become scrambled). Then mix remainder of macaroni in and pour into casserole dish. If needed add remainder of milk till it reaches 3/4 of the way up the casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, then top the macaroni with remainder of cheese and broil till brown and bubbly.

Note: Make sure you keep an eye on it when the broilers on, you don't want to burn it. I have made this with and with out the bacon and even made it with a package of ham lunch meat (didn't want to go to the store.. lazy lol) which was yummy to but who doesn't love bacon (its the hubby's fav)?

TIP- For an easy portion size and shorter cooking time I split it between a mini loaf pan and a smaller casserole dish. (as the pix show)

Hope you enjoy.
Laura

Capes Of All Sizes!

I'm a firm believer in being an example for your kiddos or for any kiddos for that matter. Although I fall short constantly in this area, I'm setting my bar higher the older mine get. I truly feel like they have a few superman powers when they are under 5 feet tall. They hear more than you know and they see things that you don't. We had a close call the other day while driving home our oldest asked me "Mama, did it hurt when you where born?" My hubby and I laughed with that "here we go" look on our faces. My reply,"I don't remember babe, I was a baby.... did it hurt when you where born?". With out hesitation "Yes!!!... I mean.... mama when you .... pushed me?" OK where is this kid getting this stuff? First of all I had a c-section with her (due to the fact she was 2 months early) so no pushing necessary. Secondly, we have never had to have any of "the talks" with her before. As we turned off the radio and started to break it down with her, we realized that it wasn't something she saw on what little TV we allow her to watch (thank goodness) or even something anyone else said! She had just taken two thoughts she was having and jumbled them up. The first being mommy is better now (5 months after having little sister) and the second one was the fact that she pushed her cousin in the pool and thought that she had hurt her. We dodged it this time but we know that they are coming in full force soon.

My point being that we need to show are kids the right path to take by example. One of the many ways my parents showed me and my siblings was by my mom taking the time during a busy day and having us help with cooking. Even though it might take a little longer and be a bit messier, she did it anyways. I cant tell you how many friends I have that think they can't cook or that it takes too long so why bother, and it's all due to the fact that they were never shown. That will not be the case in our house. Ever since our oldest could stand she has been helping mom and both grandmas with cooking. At age three she can tell you most of the names of things in the kitchen and what they are used for. This is a big deal (we are what you call Foodies, so by no means are we talking about just everyday basic kitchen tools). For those of you who watched Jamie Olivers Food Revolution you know this is a much needed lesson (BTW-if you haven't watched it check it out on hulu.com). Most kids these days don't know the correct names of fruits and veggies or even where they come from.

So the rule in our house is our oldest has to help cook one meal a day. We strap on one of her three "capes" (aka aprons) and teach away. Some of my favorite times together have been when we are cooking. The talking, singing and joking that happens in the short time in our kitchen is setting a firm foundation for so many areas in her life. Oh, and please don't think its just for girls. My brother still, to this day, cooks most of the meals eaten at his house. With that being said start with something age appropriate and even meal appropriate for that matter. Remember it can be as easy or as hard as you want... breakfast, lunch, dinner or even snack, just start somewhere. Here are a few ideas for fun and very easy meals to get your little cooker started.

Breakfast:



Toad In The Hole (AKA Egg in a Nest/Frame)

1 egg (your kids favorite cookie cutter)
1 slice of bread
Tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Butter both sides of bread with a tsp of butter. Use the cookie cutter to make a shape out of the CENTER of the bread slice (making sure you don't break the crust on any side). Adults-Heat your skillet to medium high and add the remaining butter. Once butter is melted place outer slice of bread in skillet and crack the egg into the center hole of bread (season if desired). Let cook till egg is half done, and flip. Then place the center piece of bread into skillet to toast while egg is finishing cooking (you will have to flip to toast both sides). Once done remove from skillet and let cool for a min.

Note-
If you prefer scramble eggs, scramble egg with tsp of water in measuring cup before cooking. If your kiddos are good eaters like my oldest then you can have them help cut veggies, meat, cheese or herbs to add to their scramble just like a mini omelet in toast.


Lunch:

Dip Lunch

1oz sandwich meet
1oz mozzarella, provolone or cheddar cheese
1oz bread (we use french bread or homemade)
Assorted dippers: zucchini, carrots, cherry tomatoes, olives,
broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peppers, really
anything you would like cut to bit size.
1/4 cup pizza sauce

Roll sandwich meet up and cut to bit size rolls (or you could use cubed meat). Cut assorted dippers, cheese and bread into bit size pieces. Pour pizza sauce in to mini tupperware and pack a small (or medium) size tupperware with all the dippers. (great for picnics!)

Note- This is a great one for kids to start learning how to use a knife. Don't be afraid to teach them, just start with a butter knife. They can also just pull off the broccoli and cauliflower florets and tare the bread in chunks if you feel better doing that.


Snack:



Apple Snack Wrap

1 small banana
1 cup chopped apple
1/3 cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
4 7-to-8-inch tortillas (we use whole wheat)

In small bowl mash banana with fork. Add peanut butter and mix. Spread mixture onto the tortillas, then sprinkle with apple pieces. Roll up and cut each roll in half enjoy. (you may also want to chill up to 24 hours if making a head of time)



TIP:

1.) A great way to get them even more excited is to either re-name a recipe. For example we renamed my chewy oatmeal cookie recipe after our oldest kiddos favorite stuffed animal (at the time) "Georgie" Chews. We also take characters from TV shows or movies and incorporate them in the meal. For example a chili dog is allot funner if he is a Sloppy Slinky Dog (like the dog on Toy Story). Be creative PB&J roll could be a worm that a little boy would love to pretend to eat or if cut, could be rearranged on the plate to make the shape of a flower. Just a thought.


Hope your spending some time in you capes, and being creative while you do it.
Laura

FOOD!!!

As I'm trying to get back on track with my eating, my mind is flooded with with foods I'm wanting to make in the next few weeks. Home Made Sunshine (aka home made Mac N Cheese the hubbies favorite ), Chili with the works, Home made ice cream.. yummy, and the list goes on and on. The only thing that's ever helped me loose weight was doing the Thin Within book by Halliday (its a Grace-Oriented approach). Whats so awesome is you can eat whatever you want!!!. It really works, but Ill tell you more about it in another blog. So I'm going to be diving in a few of my cook books today to get my "crave list" down on paper.

TIP: One of the best parts of a Crock-Pot (slow cooker) is the fact that you don't have to turn your oven on in the summer! I love to set mine on the back porch or even in the garage, then I don't have to worry how much heat its throwing in to the house.

With that said Turkey Chili it is! This is one of those great basic/cheap recipes that you can fool around with to make it your own. I always add about a tsp and a half of Brown sugar and a Tbsp of mustard the last 15 min (cause I like that bit of sweet and a little tang in my chili). So here it is..

Turkey Chili
Makes 6-8 servings

1 large chopped onion
2-3 Tbsp oil
1 lb. Ground Turkey
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. chili powder
6-oz. can tomato paste
3 1-lb. cans kidney beans
1 cup frozen corn

1.) Saute onion in oil in skillet until transparent. Add turkey and salt and brown lightly in skillet.
2.) Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Mix well.
3.) Cover cook on low 8-9 hours / or medium 4-5 hours.

Note:
You can use Ground Beef in place of the Turkey.




With almost all my cooking I use red onion (when onion is called for), Garlic salt for "salt" and olive oil for the "oil". Again use what you have on hand and what sounds good to you. This could be eaten topped on hot dog, rice, pasta, burgers, what ever sounds good to you and your family. At our house we eat it "as is" and top with cheese and sour cream and serve with toasted bread (which I rub a bit of fresh garlic on after toasting and some butter ) Yummy!

I also try to cook at lease one meal with my oldest kiddo everyday. So because this meal is so filling we usually make pudding or jello after nap time. That way if we are to full we can just save it for future desserts or snacks later on that week. Hope you've gotten some kind of idea for a meal for your family out of this post, remember to make it your own.

Hope you all are using your capes today and loving it,
Laura



(Ill add a pix to all my recipes once I made them again)