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Dinner Main Courses

Asian Drumsticks & Family Selfies

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When you have a toddler, there are good days & there are bad. Some days, you want to just rip your hair straight from your skull and others like today make you grateful beyond belief.

Our daughter is such a love bug & loves when mommy and daddy are both home together. They don’t happen often, so when they do she takes advantage of it. I was equally as happy to have us all together this evening. Since we were all home for a family dinner tonight, I made one our favorite meals, Asian style drumsticks over rice.

Asian Style Drumsticks

Ingredients:

12 drumsticks

1/4 cup of orange juice

1/4 cup of soy sauce (Golden Mountain or Maggi are recommended)

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

1/4 tsp powdered ginger

1/4 tsp cayenne powder

Flour for dusting

Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. In a bowl mix orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, cayenne & honey. Stir well. Dust the chicken with flour lightly & place in a baking dish. Pour marinade over the chicken, turning and coating each piece well. Add pepper to taste. Place them on a foil lined baking sheet. Spoon the marinade over the top of each drumstick. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, flip & move the chicken around in it’s sauce occasionally.

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I like chicken, Mama.

After dinner, Mai wanted the whole family to retire to the couch & sit under the blankets. We were snuggled up so sweetly that I wanted to take a family photo to capture it. I set the camera on the coffee table on self timer & took a photo. What developed from there was a fun filled selfie evening that had all of us smiling. Even Dukey got in on the action & fun.

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http://simplyfantasticbooks.com/2014/02/21/a-quick-meal-thai-chicken/

Cheese Filled Turkey Meatballs

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Tonight was a dinner-time victory for mommy. Every evening it is a roll of the dice as to whether we will actually get our picky little monster to eat dinner with the family. The biggest cause of stress currently in my life is my daughter’s diet. She hates to eat. I have spoken to the doctor, talked to fellow mommies & Googled advice on how to get Mai to eat. Nothing works. She eats on her terms.

Mai likes bite sized foods & anything in ball form. Meatballs are hit or miss with out finicky eater, but tonight it was a rare win. I am a very happy mama tonight. Maybe these meatballs will be a hit with your picky munchkins as well.

Cheese Filled Turkey Meatballs.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb of ground turkey

2 egg whites

1/2 cup skim milk

1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

3 sticks of mozzarella string cheese

1/2 cup wheat bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. In a medium sized bowl combine turkey, bread crumbs & spices.  Add egg whites, Worcestershire sauce, milk & mix well. Add parmesan cheese & mix until all ingredients are well blended. Slice string cheese into 3/4 inch pieces & set aside. Grab a spoonful of mixture, place a piece of cheese in the middle & roll  a 2 inch ball around it. Place on a cookie sheet. Continue until you used all of your mixture. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

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“Meatballs good, mama”

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Chicken Cordon Bleu Risotto

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I recently discovered that my little girl loves ham. It was an amazing discovery considering that she does not eat anything. Mommy wanted to make a family dish tonight using ham in hopes that my little picky eater would gobble it up. Did it work? Join us for dinner & see.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Risotto

Ingredients:

2 cups of rice

1 1/2 cup of diced ham

1 1/2 cup of cubed cooked chicken

6 slices of swiss cheese

2 cans of heated chicken broth

1/2 cup of water

1 cup of heated milk

1 tbsp of olive oil

1/4 cup of grated parmesan

1/2 tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet, add oil & ham. Cook over medium heat just for about a minute or 2 stirring the ham and browning slightly. Add the water and rice. Stir constantly until all liquid is absorbed. Stir in chicken broth, adding only a 1/2 cup at a time, letting all liquid get absorbed in between adding more. Continue until you have used all of the broth. Add the chicken, parmesan & spices. Stir in milk a 1/2 cup of milk and stir until it is absorbed & then add another 1/2 cup, also stirring until absorbed. Remove from the heat & add the cheese and stir until melted.

*Risotto is meant to be al dente but if you prefer a softer texture you may continue to add liquid until you reach your desired consistency.

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Unfortunately, the little one refused to eat mommy’s risotto but hubby, Nanna & me all enjoyed it.

Related Topics:

Beet Risotto

Spanish Quinoa “Rice” with Mushrooms

Kale & Mushroom Risotto

Shepherd’s Pie Soup

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I don’t know where you all live, but where we are, it is freezing. With the cold New England weather also comes the flu, colds & an assortment of other fun viruses to bounce back and forth around our home.

My husband & daughter have been sick all week. The menu this week has been soup & vitamin C. Tonight’s special for my two sniffling loves is shepherd’s pie soup.

Shepherd’s Pie Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups of peeled & cubed potatoes

1 lb of browned ground turkey

2 7oz can of corn

1/2 cup chopped onion

5 tbsp of butter or margarine

5 tbsp flour

2 cups milk

2 cups of shredded cheddar

3 1/2 cups of chicken broth

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tbsp parsley

Directions:

Combine potatoes, onion & broth in large pot. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer & cover. Cook until potatoes are tender about 15-20 minutes. Add salt & pepper.

Brown ground turkey with the garlic salt, drain & set aside.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter medium low. When fully melted add the flour and stir until the flour is absorbed. Add milk slowly &  stir until smooth. Add parley & 1 cup of cheese & stir until melted.

Add the cheese mixture to the potatoes & stir well. Add the corn & the ground turkey & stir well again. Add the last cup of cheese & stir until melted.

Serve to your sick family while it’s still warm.

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Some goldfish swimming in the bowl for the munchkin.

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Cheesy Mashed Potato Manicotti

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I am a carb addict. In the past, I have tried Atkins, South Beach, and all of those low carbohydrate diets. While they worked in the beginning, I was never able to stick to them. I love carbs, so why not embrace it. This is the ultimate carbohydrate addict’s meal, carbs stuffed with more carbs.

Cheesy Mashed Potato Manicotti

Mashed Potatoes

6 medium potatoes (peeled, cut & mashed)  Use your favorite mashed potato recipe or you can use instant as well.                                                                                                                           1 cup of cooked & crumbled bacon (regular or turkey bacon)                                                       1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (low fat or regular)

Add crumbled bacon & cheddar to the mashed potatoes & mix well.

Cheese Sauce-I always use this recipe or a variation of it when I need a cheese sauce        http://www.food.com/recipe/basic-cheese-sauce-165722

1/4 cup butter                                                                                                                                       1/4 cup flour                                                                                                                                         1/2 teaspoon salt                                                                                                                                    1 pinch cayenne pepper                                                                                                                      1/8 teaspoon dry mustard                                                                                                                    2 cups milk                                                                                                                                              1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour and seasonings and stir until blended.

Gradually add milk and cook stirring constantly until thickened.

Stir in cheese and heat until cheese melts and sauce is smooth.

Full Recipe:

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Cook a full box of manicotti according to package directions & drain. Lay down the manicotti on wax paper to cool. Prepare your mashed potatoes. Fill each manicotti shell with mashed potato mixture using a small spoon. Place in a casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over the top & sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

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Serve to your favorite food critic.

 

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Ma, seriously what is this? Ok, try try try

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Mmmmmm. Potato

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http://finallygettingtogether.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/meaty-manicotti/

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Daddy’s Slow Cooker Turkey Soup

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I am going to gush for just a moment about my husband. I like to poke fun of him a lot in my posts. He is a really good sport about it. I tease about him being a “Yes daddy”, which he is, but he is the best “Yes daddy” out there. The truth is my husband is amazing. I often don’t give him enough credit for all that he does for the family. Lord knows, I am not always a picnic to be around, but he is consistently loving & supportive and I adore him for it.

Let me let you in on a little secret, I am not the greatest home maker. After the birth of our daughter, my housekeeping skills have become virtually non-existent. Thankfully, my husband helps with the household duties. He does the laundry & I hate doing it. I clean the bathrooms and floors & he rarely picks up a broom. We have a great balance for keeping our happy, messy home.

We also share in cooking duties. This weekend daddy did all the cooking. He made two of his specialties. He made his family recipe for venison mostaccioli, which unfortunately I can’t share & he made his famous crock pot turkey soup.

I am not much of a soup fan. It has never been a meal that excited me or filled me up, but my hubby’s soup is hearty & delicious and I love it. It is also a healthy and low fat meal option for those watching their diets.

Slow Cooker Turkey Soup

Ingredients:

Leftover turkey carcass (12-14 lbs starting weight)

3 whole celery stalks

3 whole & peeled carrots

2 whole medium onions (peeled)

2 bay leaves

1 tsp dried minced garlic

1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

1/4 tsp celery salt

1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder

1 tbsp salt

1 15 oz can of Veg-all (mixed vegetable blend)

1 14.5 oz can of chicken broth

1 2.25 oz pack of dry noodle soup mix (Lipton or store brand)

1/2 cup of pearled barley

Place all ingredients except last 4 to the bottom of a 6.5 quart slow cooker, with the carcass being added last. Fill the slow cooker with water. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. After 6-7 hours, strain the loose meat, whole vegetables & bones. Pick out the bones carefully, return the meat. Chop up the cooked carrots & celery stalks and add to slow cooker. Add the remainder of the ingredients & cook on low for 1 more hour.

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The soup was delicious as always. Our picky girl even enjoyed two bowls. Thanks daddy.

Up Next: Don’t Forget Your Furry Babies

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