Homemade Goodness

I used to think that some of the things people did for their babies were crazy, but that was before I had one. For example, I used to think that making your own baby food was crazy. Why would you do that? Gerber really isn't that expensive, is it? Well... yes and no. Its not really too expensive until you've suddenly got a child that can eat through $15 of baby food in 10 days. Then is suddenly seems to much more expensive.

I've been thinking for a while about just biting the bullet and making my own baby food and I finally just did it. Let me tell you, it was a lot more fun, a lot less crazy and so much cheaper than I expected! Check out my freezer door!

I made (bottom shelf from left to right) peas, green beans, garden veggie, carrots, spiced winter squash, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and (topd shelf left to right) melon, banana, blueberry sweet potato pie (blueberries, sweet potatos cinnimon and plain yogurt), peach apricot, peach and apricot baby food cubes. The melon and banana are just diced and ready to thaw and smash before serving (or dice smaller for finger food) and the apricto isn't in cubes (apricots don't really freeze, they get soft set). I also have some apricot winter squash still in the ice cube tray, and blueberries and mangos to deal with. I'd really like to try an apple-peach-mango combo for Allison. Most of my recipes I found at Wholesome Baby Food. Great resourse with tons of information on how to make it, what tools you need, when to introduce what foods, TONS of nutritional info and lots of fun "recipes" and combinations to try.

For most of my foods to make my life easier I bought (on sale!) 1 pound packages of frozen fruit or veggies. So easy to quickly steam or boil, then puree with added liquid in my blender. The only "tool" I had to buy was more ice cube trays, which I found 3/$1 at dollar tree. All in all, I really enjoyed doing what I used to think was crazy. =)

no-bake cookies and easter garland

Holy cow, these have become a staple in our house the past few weeks. Matt's been eating them for breakfast and lunch. good thing I usually make a good dinner for him, or he'd eat them then as well.

Growing up our family didn't make these very often, because my dad doesn't like them. I don't know why, probably the sugar overload. Anyway, the recipe's easy, and they're ready in about 15 minutes or so. and they don't involve too much mixing by hand, which I don't like doing very much.

No Bake Cookies

1 cube butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
dash of vanilla
4-6 cups oats
1/2 cup peanut butter (optional)

boil butter sugar and milk for about 2 minutes, add cocoa powder and vanilla. Take off of stove top and add oatmeal (and peanut butter, if you so desire. We never desire). spoon onto a tray and place in fridge. Makes about 2 dozen. (I put wax paper on the sheets so I don't have to wash them!)

It's like our new sunday tradition! and it's tasty.

As for the easter garland, I found this at Tip Junkie and thought it was great.

Basically it's easter eggs with holes punched out on each end and strewn together with string to make pretty decorations. (and cheap, which I'm ALL about) I can't get the image to load, so go there and check it out (besides, they have lots of other cool stuff on their page).

I'm going to hit up the after easter sales to get my eggs for this, because why pay full price when I can wait a week and get it for half price?

Korean Carrots

I am going to make Korean Carrots to go with dinner one of these days. I have been craving them ever since I've gotten back from Russia. I even bought the little gizmo that shreds the carrots into perfect little strips with gift card money soon after we got married because I wanted this salad so badly.

I still haven't made it, but I used my julienne peeler while making another salad today and it made my mouth water just thinking about Korean Carrots. So I went online and found some recipes.

These two look the best to me!

Now I can't wait to go out and buy a big bag of carrots--or at least a few big carrots. I'm not sure we could eat a whole bagful before they go bad. We usually just buy baby carrots because they are instant food, but you need nice long carrots for Korean Carrots.

They sell this on the street in Russia in big huge vats! You just say how much you want and they scoop it into a baggie for you and you take it home for dinner. My host mom would bring it home at least once a week because I liked it so much. Perhaps I exaggerate--it may have been only every couple of weeks.

The first night I arrived in Russia my host mom had a big meal all spread out for me on the table. It was well after midnight when I arrived and we had eaten on the plane. And then we had eaten on the bus on the way down from Moscow. And then my host dad, Alexander (he had me call him Alex, because it was American, while everyone else called him Sasha), gave me some cookies in the car. And then my host mom, Oxana, expected me to eat this huge meal.

She started with the appetizer, of course, which was the Korean Carrots. And they were so delicious I just gobbled them down. I couldn't help myself, even though I wasn't really that hungry. Because I ate so much of the appetizer she gave me second helpings of the main course, which wasn't really even that great--just rice drizzled with oil and a half-cooked hamburger blob thing. And then more cookies!

And my mom wondered why I gained weight in Russia.

Anyway, I've been thinking about Russia a lot today and I really want some of these carrots!

What's for Dinner? I'll tell ya. . .

I'm in the process of revamping our meals. We were doing really good for a few months, and then I had Katryn and it all went down hill. I'm trying to get us back onto a good rotation. I don't like planning the whole month, so I do 2 weeks at a time--payday to payday.

What I'm doing now is picking 50 meals. Mostly meals we eat regularly, about 5 I want to try, and about 5 that are just "something easy". I complied the list, and then I went and compiled all the recipes and printed them all off and I'll put them in a folder in the kitchen. After that, I took slips of paper and wrote the numbers 1-50 on them and put them in a cup. Last night I had Matt draw out 10 slips and those will be our meals for the next 2 weeks (after payday next friday, since we're in between right now). so here we go!!

Sat 1-grilled cheese or quesadillas--matt's working late
Sun 2-Twice baked potatoes
Mon 3-frozen pizza
Tues 4-funeral potatoes
Wed 5-pasta
Thurs 6-frozen pizza
Fri 7-mac and cheese
(you can tell the above week is waiting till pay day comes!)
Sat 8-egg and salsa sandwiches
Sun 9-katryn's blessing--wraps
Mon 10-leftovers
Tues 11-spaghetti
Wed 12-baked rigatoni
Thurs 13-cheesy ziti
Fri 14-boneless buttermilk fried chicken
Sat 15-leftovers
Sun 16-chicken in pan sauce
Mon 17-ravioli bake
Tues 18-stroganoff
Wed 19-something easy
Thurs 20-something easy
Fri 21-leftovers

we're only picking 5 meals a week since there's only 2 of us, we tend to have lots of leftovers. Not that I'm complaining! it makes lunchtime the next day a lot easier for me!

here's a recipe I'm anxious to try:

Ravioli bake:
1 jar tomato pasta sauce
1 package (about 25oz) frozen cheese filled ravioli
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

heat oven to 350deg. spray bottom and sides of 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 3/4 cup pasta sauce in the pan. Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in a single layer over sauce; top with half the remaing pasta sauce and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once, starting with ravioli. Sprinkle with parm cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. remove foil and bake uncovered 15-20 minutes longer or until bubbly and hot in center. let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

I'm anxious to see what else everyone else has! I'm always looking for new recipes!

Happy eating in March!

Bockholt meals, and what's for dinner tonight

I'm jumping on this wagon, but I only do a 2 week meal plan, and do my grocery shopping after every payday (which is every two weeks, makes my life easier):
my two weeks go from Dec 29-Jan 11, then Jan 12-Jan 25:

Wed 2nd: Chicken rolls (or cheese chowder)
Thurs 3rd: Noodles Florentine
Friday 4th: Tacos
Saturday 5th: Pasta night/leftovers
Sunday 6th: Chicken alfredo/pesto lasagna
Monday 7th: leftovers/unknown
Tuesday 8th: Empananadas (and I'll bake bread that day too)
Wed 9th: Chicken w/ pasta and pesto
Thurs 10th:Mac and cheese
Friday 11th: tortellini kabobs w/ pesto ranch dip

Saturday 12th: Pasta night/leftovers
Sunday 13th: Twice baked potatoes
Mon 14th: Chicken and Rice
Tues 15th: Artichoke stroganoff
Wed 16th: Spaghetti
Thurs 17th:Funeral potatoes
Friday 18th: pizza/eat out/leftovers
Saturday 19th: pasta night/leftovers
sunday 2oth:
monday 21st:
tues 22nd:
Wed 23rd:
Thurs 24th:
Friday 25th:

That's as far as I've gotten. . .I'm open to suggestions though! I'm going to post tonight's recipe as well, in case anyone wants it. And I hope those of you who have your plans post your recipes as well, then we can all benefit from some variety! that's my problem. Well, one of them.

What's for dinner tonight
Chicken rolls:
(I kinda make this one up. . .)
-1 chicken breast, cooked and cut up small(really small, or torn)
-1 8oz pkg of cream cheese softened, so it mixes easy
-1 pkg of cresent rolls (sometimes you need another 1/2 package)
-pile of cheddar cheese (this is according to your cheesy desire. I love lots of cheese because it melts up so nicely!
-about 2 tbsp melted butter
-bread crumbs (I use italian seasoned, but if you have plain, it doesn't matter, you could throw some italian seasoning in if you want)
-italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350deg. Open your package of rolls and lay on a plate, so they get a little soft. Mix together the cream cheese, cheddar, and chicken, and add the italian seasoning until you like the taste (a few dashes works well) I also like to add dried chives. Take a roll and kind of flatten it, squish it out to make it bigger, but be careful not to tear it. Put a spoonfull or so inside and then seal it up good. you don't want them leaking all over the pan, (but they might leak anyway, I always have at least 3 that leak). Then roll in butter then bread crumbs and place on pan. Continue until your out of rolls or mixture, whichever comes first. If you have leftover mixture, it makes a good quesadilla, or eaten as is with chips.
Bake for about 20-30 minutes, until they're browned. Serves about 3-4 people--2-3 rolls a person

CHEESE CHOWDER
(serves 4-6)

-2 cups boiling water
-2 cups diced potatoes
-1/2 cup diced carrots
-1/2 cup diced celery
-1 tsp onion salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
-1/4 cup melted butter
-1/4 cup flour
-2 cups milk
-2 cups grated cheese (I put 3 cups in, because I'm a cheese junkie)
-1/2 cup cubed ham (and I leave this out, because we don't ever have any)

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes the water, potatoes, carrots, celery and seasonings. Don't drain! Whiles simmering veggies, makes a white sauce of melted butter, flour and milk. Do this is the microwave, it's easier! Combine and microwave for 90 seconds, stir and repeat 2-3 times until the sauce is thick--add cheese to sauce and let melt (I think I microwave again, just to make sure the cheese melts). Add the ham, the stir into the pot of veggies on the stove. Heat it all together, but don't boil!

I think the chowder can freeze pretty good. I'll find out today, because I'm trying to stock up on freeze meals for when the baby comes, as well as meals Matt can just take to work with him.

That's what the Bockholts are eating! What are the rest of you eating? I want those recipes! :)

Easy Dough Recipe

Here is the dough recipe I put under Bonnie's post. I figured I'd put it up here so other people could see it as well. I love it because it is just so easy!

In a bowl you mix 1 tablespoon yeast and 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 1/2 cups warm water. Then you mix in 3 cups (more or less) of flour until you have a nice dough. You knead it for 3 minutes and then let it sit for ten. I use that ten to get all my pizza ingredients out. Then you can role out pizza dough or make bread sticks. For pizza I like to put a little Pam on the pan and a bit of corn meal to make it easier to roll. If you are making a pizza you throw the sauce and other goodies on and put it in the oven for 20 minutes on 350. Same temp and time for bread sticks, just roll out on the counter, cut into strips, put them on buttered pan, brush butter on them and sprinkle them with garlic salt, oregano or dill, and Parmesan cheese. So in about 33 minutes you have a homemade pizza or yummy bread sticks to go with spaghetti. That is almost as fast as Papa Johns :)

Wassail Recipe

Hey, here is my mom's (and grandma and great-grandma, etc.) recipe for wassail.

1 Gal apple cider/juice
1 pt. orange juice
1 c. lemon juice
4 c. water
2 c. sugar

in 'spice bag': (or any semi-porous cloth wrapping; I've even used an old t-shirt)
24 whole cloves
12 allspice berries
6 sticks cinnamon
2 small-ish pieces whole ginger

Mix all the juice stuff together, drop in spice bag, simmer at least 1 hour. (I usually let it simmer for more like 4-6 hours, but sometimes this leads to a very strong concentration. If this happens to you, just add a little water).