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Fri
14 ^th

Chicken Cordon Bleu Risotto

Posted by Pinparent — 18 Comments

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.

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

Thu
06 ^th

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Posted by Pinparent — 12 Comments

My experimentations with wheat flour continue. Trying to cut refined flours out of my diet has sometimes been a challenge. It has been 7 months since my attack of Pancreatitis & with switching to whole grains, eliminating red meats & fried foods, I have lost 25 pounds. I do still get a craving for my sweets sometimes, so if I can drop in a little chocolate from time to time, it keeps me happy.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup wheat baking flour
3/4 cup oats
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 egg whites
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
2 tbsp melted butter
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Beat egg and add oil, milk and butter. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add chocolate chips. Turn griddle to medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Mixture is thinner than usual batter. Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter and pour into hot griddle. Cook until tops are bubbling and firm enough to flip. Cook other side and continue with batter until you have used it all.

Related Topics:

Blini (Russian Buckwheat Pancakes)

Greek yogurt protein pancakes

http://lisaskitchentable.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/vegan-pancakes/

Fri
31 ^st

Nutella Filled Crescent Hearts

Posted by Pinparent — 17 Comments

Nutella is such a wonderful thing. I want to find the person that invented the delicious nutty spread & give them a giant kiss. It is guilty pleasure of mine. I have been known to just sit there with the jar & a spoon and indulge in the sweet treat right out of the jar. I also am a fan of the crescent roll. If you stuff a crescent with just about anything it is delicious. I am guessing I would even eat a dirty shoe if a crescent was rolled around it. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I decided to couple two of my favorite foods .

Ingredients:

A sheet of seamless crescent

Nutella

1/4 cup of finely chopped hazelnuts

2 Tbsp of butter or margarine

1 Tbsp of brown sugar

1/4 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Unroll the sheet of crescent dough. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out crescent hearts for the top & bottom of your treats. Gather excess crescent & roll out with a rolling pin. Cut out more hearts until you have used most of the dough. Lay one heart down on an ungreased cookie sheet & generously scoop Nutella & spread in the middle following the heart shape & avoiding the edges. Place another heart over the first heart & Nutella. Pinch the edges. Do this until you use all of your dough hearts.
In a saucepan melt butter or margarine over low heat. Add brown sugar & stir until dissolved & then add hazelnuts. Make sure they are finely chopped. Mix until coated with butter & sugar.
In the middle of your formed crescent hearts, use a smaller heart cookie cutter & press in the center. Sprinkle nut mixture in the middle of the cookie cutter until in fills in the shape. Repeat with all formed crescent hearts. Bake for about 10-15 minute or until golden.
Melt chocolate in a bowl in the microwave. Heat it in 30 second intervals. Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over your hearts & let cool.

Related Topics:

http://sesamebasket.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/hi-nutella/

http://thechristinejuang.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/foodie-nutella-cinnamon-rolls/

http://butterandsprinkles.com/2014/01/29/nutella-crumb-bars/

http://weheartcards.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/no-bake-rice-krispie-cakes-with-popcorn-nutella-and-peanut-butter/

Wed
29 ^th

Shepherd’s Pie Soup

Posted by Pinparent — 19 Comments

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.

Some goldfish swimming in the bowl for the munchkin.

Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well.

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Wheat Muffins

Posted by Pinparent — 23 Comments

Conversation with my recently turned 2 year old daughter during breakfast this morning…

Mai: Mama, jelly.
Me: You want jelly on your cinnamon bun?
Mai: Yes!
I spread a little jelly on her bun
Mai: Mama, more jelly…biiiigg jelly
Me: There is no more jelly baby
Mai: Jelly at the store
I break down in laughter & against my better judgment take out the jelly to give her just a little bit more. I’m such a sucker sometimes.
Mai: Mama, find it! (Claps her hands)

It seems as if overnight my little girl has grown up. She is talking up a storm, forming full sentences & developing a mind of her own.

She recently discovered that she loves jelly. She wants to spread it on toast, pancakes & now apparently cinnamon buns.

Let’s see if she likes it in a muffin too.

Peanut butter & jelly muffins

I try to bake with whole wheat flour whenever I can. If you chose to make these using enriched flour, you will have to adjust your measurements. For every cup of enriched flour used in a recipe, it only takes 3/4 cup of wheat flour. You will need to adjust your liquid measurements as well.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat baking flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup all natural organic peanut butter

1/3 cup of apple sauce

2 egg whites

1 cup of skim milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, both sugars, salt & baking powder in a bowl. Add the peanut butter & mix until all the oils are absorbed & mixture gets clumpy. Knead between fingers until well mixed & forming crumbles. Add apple sauce, egg whites & milk & stir just until wet ingredients are absorbed. Add a spoonful of mixture to a greased muffin tin. Add a spoonful of jelly to the center of the mixture & then top with the remainder of the muffin mix. Bake for about 20 minutes. (Cook times may vary) Let cool & serve to your favorite jelly lover.

The verdict: My little girl gobbled them up and so did mommy & daddy.

Related Topics:

http://nourishedbycorynn.com/2014/01/23/snow-days-and-banana-cocao-muffins/

http://thelivefitgirl.wordpress.com/2014/01/22/banana-nut-muffins/

Avocado Chocolate Orange Muffins

Apple Cinnamon Muffins (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

Wed
22 ^nd

Crunchy Soy Sauce and Ginger Chickpeas

Posted by Pinparent — 16 Comments

One of my biggest diet issues has always been that I am a huge snacker. My husband is a snacker, our 2 year old little girl is a snacker. It makes it very difficult to stay on track when bags of Doritos and Skittles are being passed around.

Roasted chickpeas are a healthy crunchy alternative to greasy chips. They are also a simple treat to make. So, if you are looking for a low fat, healthy & yummy option to your late night cravings, try these.

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas

1 tsp of soy sauce -Use the good stuff. Green Mountain or Maggi is my favorite. (Kikkoman & La Choy just don’t taste the same)

1/4 tsp of ground ginger

1/4 tsp of garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.

Empty out the can of chickpeas and blot off the excess liquid.

In a bowl combine all ingredients and mix until evenly coated. Roast at 450 for about 40-45 minutes or until crunchy. Remove from the oven & let cool.

Serve and enjoy your yummy & healthy snack

Related Topics:

http://alearningwife.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/the-homemade-hummus-adventure/

http://thevegaquariantimes.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/super-fast-and-healthy-curry-kale-chickpeabowl/

Thu
02 ^nd

Cheesy Mashed Potato Manicotti

Posted by Pinparent — 28 Comments

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.

Serve to your favorite food critic.

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

Mmmmmm. Potato

http://eatbreathecook.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/repurposing-leftovers-mashed-potatoes/

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

Mon
23 ^rd

French Toast Balls

Posted by Pinparent — 40 Comments

*Featured image has been updated*

Happy Christmas Eve Eve. We are only two days away & it has been a busy & exciting holiday so far. I am thrilled that we have the next few days off together as a family because it is so rare. Yesterday, there was a party for the kids at a Polish club from my husband’s home town. Mai saw Santa for the third time this season. She was still not impressed.

With all of the excitement from yesterday, Mai hardly ate a thing. As you all already know if you tune in with me often, she is not the best eater. This morning I wanted to ensure that she had a good breakfast before we headed out for some last minute Christmas shopping. There is one thing that I know about my toddler, she loves to eat anything bite sized. She is a snacker. It is not the same if I cut in to small pieces. It has to be a bite sized morsel on it’s own. She knows the difference.

One of my favorite breakfast foods is French toast. My daughter likes it too…sometimes. It depends on her mood. This morning we had an idea to form our French toast into little balls. Our hopes were that it would make her breakfast more appetizing. Will it work?

French Toast Balls

4 slices of wheat bread

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 cup Powdered sugar

2 tbsp Brown Sugar

1 tbsp apple juice

One egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat egg slightly. Mix in the vanilla & juice.

Cut bread into quarters. You may remove crusts for better shape or choose to keep them on.

Roll into a bite sized ball with your fingers.

Place balls into beaten egg. Let sit for a couple of minutes to absorb the egg. Scoop the balls out.

Dip into the mixture of cinnamon, brown sugar & powdered sugar.

Place on a greased cooking tray & bake until golden brown & slightly crispy on the outside. This usually only takes a few minutes & cook time varies, so watch them carefully.

Watch your munchkin enjoy.

She loved helping mommy make them & she loved eating them too. I even got a “Mmmmmmm” out of her this morning. Try our quick and easy trick for your finicky toddler.

Try it with cinnamon raisin bread too.

Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well.

http://beingmrspierce.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/pumpkin-streusel-coffee-cake-new-recipe-103/

http://zosedesigns.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/christmas-pancakes/

Tue
17 ^th

Dressing Up Your Meals For the Holidays

Posted by Pinparent — 9 Comments

I love decorating for the holidays. Nothing fills me up with Yuletide cheer more than surrounding myself with all things Christmas. It is not just the Christmas tree & mantle that gets adorned in our house, our meals get a makeover for the season as well.

Don’t let the cookies have all the fun. Here are some fun & easy ways to dress up everyday meals for the holidays.

Gingerbread Man Shaped French Toast

One of the quickest & easiest methods for adding a festive touch to ordinary foods are with cookie cutters. French toast can easily be transformed into the shape of a gingerbread man with one press of the cutter. Mai loved this. She thought they were cookies & gobbled her toast right up.

Snowman Mashed Potatoes

This was achieved with 3 russet potatoes. Peel, wash & cube potatoes. Add to a large pot of boiling water & cook until tender. Drain potatoes & add 1/2 cup of milk, I use 2 chicken bouillon cubes in lieu of the butter, mash ingredients together. Add 2 eggs & 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp of garlic salt & a 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese & mix well. Let cool slightly & roll out 3 balls of varying sizes. Roll formed balls into parmesan cheese & form your snowman shape & place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes. Add carrots & peas as a garnish.

Candy Cane Spaghetti Bake with Meatballs

Cook spaghetti & add your favorite sauce. Use two tubes of seamless sheets of bread dough or crescent dough. Roll out both tubes blending together the sheets vertically. Cut out a candy cane shape about 3 inches wide. Using a fork, scoop out spaghetti & place on the dough. Spoon out extra sauce over the spaghetti to add the red to your candy cane. Roll out the excess dough & cut into strips and lay across the top of the pasta in a diagonal pattern to form candy cane stripes. Using a knife push the dough into the side of the cane & smooth out the sides of the dough. Bake according to dough directions.

Rudolph PB & J sandwich

This is a 2 minute meal that the kiddos will love. Use one piece of bread, cut out an oval shape for the head & spread with peanut butter. Add a rounded teaspoon of jelly to the add the nose. Use the rounded top of the bread as ears & spread with jelly. For the eyes use two chunks of banana & 2 raisins. Pretzel stick will finish off the reindeer as antlers.

Santa Pancakes

One pancake, topped with banana, icing & 2 M&M minis for eyes. Form a nose out of banana & the mouth and hat from strawberries. Top with whipped cream for the beard & fur trim for the hat.

Happy holidays! Enjoy.

Share some of your fun Christmas creations. We would love to see them.

Sat
30 ^th

Taco Crescent Wreath

Posted by Pinparent — 15 Comments

It is official, we are entering the Christmas season.With Thanksgiving behind us, it is time to take down our turkeys & cornucopias and replace them with stockings & Christmas wreaths. It is also time to break out all our favorite holiday recipes & Christmas crafts. This is a very exciting holiday season for us. Our daughter is older this year & is learning more about Christmas & all of the magic and wonder that comes with it. Lately, she has become mommy’s little helper & loves cooking and baking with me. I look forward to the next month of baking Christmas cookies & other Yuletide favorites with her.

Mai has always been a finicky eater. I agonize over planning meals. I have always tried to open her up to a wide variety of foods but she is very resistant. One trick that has always worked for me is wrapping full meals inside a crescent roll & then serving her bite sized pieces. My daughter is not a fan of meat other than ground turkey. I use this tactic to sneak in shredded chicken or beef & also vegetables. I have stuffed them with chicken & broccoli or with holiday leftovers such as turkey, stuffing & cranberry sauce.

One of my favorite holiday party platters takes any of these different combinations & puts it into a wreath form.

For this recipe, I chose a ground turkey taco wreath but as I said their are a number of possibilities that you can experiment with.

Ingredients are enough to make two to three wreaths. You can freeze unused portions.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey (ground beef will also work)

2-3 cans of large crescent rolls ( I used Pillsbury Grands)

1 taco seasoning packet

6 oz of cream cheese (softened)

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 a tomato (diced)

1 cup of frozen corn

1/3 cup of sliced black olives

2 cups of mexican cheese

Red & Green peppers for garnish

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

In a large skillet, brown meat & drain. Add taco seasoning & follow package directions. Place aside.

In a large mixing bowl add cream cheese & sour cream. Mix well.

Add cooked meat mixture & mix well.

Stir in the corn, olives, cheese until evenly distributed throughout mixture. Mix in diced tomatoes last.

On a greased baking sheet, overlap crescent rolls in a circular pattern pointed side out. Pinch crescent together. Add mixture to the overlapping crescents following the circular pattern about an inch thick & an inch high.

Pull a crescent point in and fold over diagonally, pull each point in one at a time.

Slice peppers into tiny pieces & press into your wreath scattering them. Slice 4 long slices of red pepper to form your wreath bow. Repeat for each wreath.

Bake in the oven according to crescent recommendations for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cook times may vary according to oven.

Let cool & transfer to a serving dish & serve.

This is a delicious all in one meal. It is perfect to bring to holiday parties. The best part of all, my picky little lady loves them. I hope you enjoy.

Up next…What Happens When Mommy’s Not Home?

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