pasta pie

Mix sausage with your choice of beef lamb or turkey and cover bottom of baking dish. Bake at 350 Meanwhile make 3/4 box of pasta on am medium sauce pan and mix with tomato sauce Pull meat out of oven and pour pasta mixture on top. Top with mozzarella cheese and place back in oven Bake till meat is browned through and cheese is melted. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Mocha sugar cookies

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 Spoonfulls of Cadbury Drinking coco
• 1/2 shot of coffee flavored liquor

Combine ingredients in large mixing bowl till medium brown and fully blended spoon onto cookie sheet (or if you are like us and like muffin cookies use a muffin tin) then put into the oven at 350 for roughly 10-15 minutes.  cookies will come out a light tan color!

Super easy sausage dip

 Vegetarian-able,  Meat eaters dip NOT FOR VEGANS

Take a pound of Either Gimmie Lean Sausage style protean or
A pound of Italian Sausage Cooked
Add a package of Cream Cheese
a cup of diced tomatoes (or a can if you are lazy)
A quarter cup of diced onions cooked (opt)
A quarter cup of diced peppers cooked (opt)

Prep- Cook sausage onions and Peppers in a skillet on medium heat till peppers and onions are soft and Meat has been cooked through.  Cut heat to lowest setting and add tomatoes and Cream Cheese mix together, serve with Pita, chips, or small bits of bread.

Food to make the toddler eat

Ok so Wesley hasn't been eating as much as I wish he were lately so I have started doing similar things to what my mom did when I was growing up I started off today with the pinwheel worm bits of the good smoked turkey and colby jack cheese with cream cheese in between them and on the end rolled into spirals then decorated a bit so that he would eat them.  He ate them right up.  Tomorrow I am planning the pear mouse meal....
Pear mouse take half a fresh pear pealed and cored lay it on a plate add cucumber disks for ears and a tiny bit of string cheese already separated for the tail once the mouse is eaten the bits of each food that hasn't been fed can be given.  Pear bunnies are similar with carrots for ears and cottage cheese for the tail. 
So yep I am resorting to cute food.  Anyone have any other toddler cute food suggestions?

Make up pizza

So the other day I made a complete mess of dinner by trying to "fix" a pre-made bag meal (which buying one of those was my first mistake).  It was gross both Michael and I complained after one bite and tossed the pasta. 
As a make up for the disgusting attempt to fix something that wasn't good to begin with I went out to the Co-op and made a wonderful pesto pizza sooooo good!  OBVIOUSLY NOT VEGAN or Vegetarian however if you sub Portabella mushrooms and eggplant for the meat you could have a wonderful Vegetarian option.

First the Dough I admit for this one I used a pre-made organic pizza crust because I was in a hurry HOWEVER Here is my favorite pizza dough recipe if you are inclined to make your own:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• Basil/oregano leaves either fresh or dried and pepper flakes to taste 

 In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Rub in seasonings Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. 

So what toppings did I use for this "make up Pizza"
Freshly made pesto (recipe available further down on this blog) 
Mozzarella to cover the pesto
Proschutto 
Genoa (you can use pepperoni if you can find some good stuff) 
More Cheese
More pesto
Spinach leaves in a pretty pattern 
Parmasean to taste.

New favorite meal!

Super crazy quick Caprese salad

1 Pkg Grape tomatoes halved
1 Pkg Mozzarella balls cut into small bites
1 Seedless Cucumber Cut into small bites
1/4 cup fresh Pesto either hand made or store bought.

Chop all bits mix by hand with Pesto plate Or take to event *YUM*

Flourless Chocolate cake

this is GF May play around with this recipe in the future but I tried it as is and have adjusted it just a tiny bit.

1/2 cup water or skim milkpinch of salt3/4 cup white sugar1 bag bittersweet chocolate1 cup unsalted butter6 eggs

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease spring form pan.  In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside. In the top half of a double boiler or in a microwave oven melt the bittersweet chocolate. Cut the butter into pieces and beat the butter into the chocolate, 1 piece at a time. Beat in the hot sugar-water. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Have a pan larger than the cake pan ready, put the cake pan in the larger pan and fill the pan with boiling water halfway. Bake cake in the water bath at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 45 minutes. The center will still look wet. Chill cake several hours then release the sides gently.
• Drizzle with hot fudge or caramel and serve.

Spiced sticky rice

Ok so this again isn't a measured recipe but it was  so yummy I had to share.
Wash short to medium grained rice till the water comes clear.
Make enough rice for those eating. Boil in water till cooked fully
drain water when rice is at normal level of done and add milk to cover the sticky rice
Spice with pumpkin pie spice and sugar to taste.

DONE

MIXED DRINK!!!

Black Cherry Juice 1/3 cup

Seltzer Water, enough to be fizzy

Apple Juice enough to cut the cherry and rum strength

Rum (1-2 shots depending on you strength preference) 

 

This is tasty without being overpowering or too strong

Mushroom Noodle Soup

Yet another experimental kitchen moment.

One package of organic Mushroom broth
Six or so baby carrots chopped.
1/3 package of whole wheat pasta
2 whole portabellas copped
spices as you see fit (we used a mixed pepper grinder and a bit of Italian seasoning and ground pepper flakes)

if a meat eater add:
Ground Sausage about 1/2 lb

If using sausage sautee this with the portabellas, carrots in some apple juice with some cinnamon if they are available.
Boil Noodles till a bit less than el dente

Combine veg/meat and Noodles into a pot with the broth mix and season.

Makes 4.5 servings.

Super quick fudge

1 Can of sweetened condensed milk
1 bag of chocolate chips

(any flavorings and additives that you would like including but not limited to cinnamon, vanilla, peppermint, of flavored extracts)

In a medium sauce pan empty contents of sweetened condensed milk and turn burner to a fairly low setting slowly add chocolate chips sturring while adding and melting chips add any flavorings and wait till chocolate is melted into mixture then pour into pan.    Let the mixture set 5-10 hours and hard fudge you will  have :D

Turk/chick burger

Mix a quarter lb of Turkey
With a quarter lb of Chicken
Add 2 Tbs of Bread crumbs
and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese
fold till well mixed.
divide into 2 burgers
Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes (until fully cooked)

Top like a burger with or without extra cheese (there is plenty in the mix otherwise)

Was well received by parents no kid testers yet.

Curried carrot soup

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 medium garlic clove, smashed
1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and smashed
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 medium bay leaf
2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup almond milk

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the curry powder and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the ginger, onion, carrots, bay leaf, and broth, increase the heat to medium high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the carrots are soft when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
3. Working in batches, process the soup in a blender until smooth. (Be very careful when blending the hot soup, as steam could blow off the blender lid.)
4. Pour the soup into a clean pot and return it to the stove over medium heat. Stir in the almond milk and adjust the seasoning as needed. To make appetizer portions, serve small amounts of soup in shot glasses or demitasses. 

 This soup can be served hot or cold. If you’re serving it hot you may need to use less almond milk :) 

Notes to self

Note to self a vegetable puree does not take the place of a fat like butter only makes bread gummy *Frustrate frustrate frustrate*

 Eggs taste good with french onion dip mixed in.

Coffee is perfect with pumpkin pie spice mixed with the grounds.

Coffee liquor  with homemade chocolate Ice cream is divine.

take a box of butternut squash soup add peppers, onions, sausage and soup noodles = AMAZING DINNER