Dinner Date

For Christmas this year, we gave the kids pre-planned dates for the whole year.  They each get to go on a date once a month.  One month with Mom, the next with Dad, and so on.  This is by far their favorite gift.  And it's the gift that keeps on giving, right?  All year!  So, one of the dates with Mom is to choose a recipe, go to the store and purchase the ingredients, and then make it together.   This is what my son and I did this weekend.  He chose "Pasta with Arugula, White Beans and Walnuts" for dinner and "Raspberry Napoleons" for dessert.  If you're thinking, wow, her kids like healthy food, just know I was just as surprised that he chose this as you!  I mean, really, what 9 yr. old wants pasta with greens and beans???  I have a bunch of "Everyday Food" magazines, and he went through some of them and that is what he chose.  I will say I do have great eaters for kids.  They used to be more picky, but overall they like a lot of things.  My son especially, he's like my husband, he will try just about anything.  I am so grateful to have easy to please kids...well, at least in the food department.  :-)

So here's a look at our date:

 Toast the walnuts... oh the flavor!

 Learning to slice garlic

 Cooking the pasta

I love how he put so much effort into a pretty table.

All the kids liked this dish.  One of my girls wasn't so crazy about her wilted greens, but she still ate most of them.  

Pasta with Arugula, White Beans, and Walnuts

12 oz farfelle (bowtie pasta)
coarse salt and ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 TBS butter
1 pound baby arugula
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted

Toast walnut pieces in a 350 degree oven for about 7-9 minutes. Watch them so they don't burn. You don't have to toast them, but it brings out so much more flavor!

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain pasta and set aside.

Place pasta pot over medium heat. Add garlic and 1 tbs butter, cook, stirring until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes/

Add arugula to pot. Toss just until wilted. Add beans, pasta and remaining 3 tbs butter. Season with salt and pepper. Toss, adding enough reserved water to mixture to coat pasta. Garnish with toasted walnuts.

Needless to say, this dessert was a hit!  

Raspberry Napoleons:

All purpose flour for rolling pastry
1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
1/2 recipe cooled vanilla pudding (recipe follows) please don't use store bought, I promise you won't regret it!
1 container fresh raspberries
confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 400. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pasty to a 10 by 15 inch rectangle. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Prick pastry all over with a fork. Cover completely with another sheet of parchment paper. Weight with another baking sheet to prevent pastry from puffing up unevenly. Bake, occasionally pressing top sheet down until pastry is golden. In my oven it only took 20 minutes, but it can take up to 40, so keep an eye on it. Remove the top sheet and parchment, and let cool

With a serrated knife, carefully trim and discard edges; cut into 12 equal pieces ( this is for 4 servings, I was able to stretch it to 6 servings by cutting into 18 pieces).

To assemble, put a large dollop of pudding on the pastry piece, top with a few raspberries and another dollop of pudding, layer a 2nd piece of pastry, repeat the pudding and raspberries, and top it with a 3rd piece of pastry. Dust with confectioner's sugar.

Vanilla Pudding:
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tbs unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt. Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks.

Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to low, still whisking (wow, there's a lot of whisking in this recipe), cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding.

Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding (this prevents skin from forming), chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk (again) pudding until smooth.

Ummm... Hello?  Where did everyone go?  Just keepin' it real here.  {sigh}

Pineapple Coconut Refrigerator Oatmeal

Well Hello world!
Yes, I'm still alive.  Not much time for blogging lately.  As much as I would love it to be a priority, There are just other more urgent things right now.  Mainly my four little ones are keeping me from the computer, and that is not all bad, but oh how I miss this outlet. I know lots of amazing bloggers who stay up in the wee hours of the night, writing and posting... I admire you.  This mama just can't do that right now.   Also, I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel, so, not much cooking going on here.  Pretty much camping in my house.  But, can I just say, I am SO STINKIN' EXCITED, to be doing the remodel!!  You can be sure I will post pictures.

So last night I made this oatmeal for breakfast and mentioned it on facebook.  Some were asking for the recipe.  Well, that was just the inspiration, or push rather I needed.  So here it is:   I adapted this from The Yummy Life.  I want to try all her flavors.

1/4 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup coconut milk***
1/4 cup vanilla greek yogurt (or not greek)
1 1/2 tsp chia seeds
1/4 cup chopped pineapple (fresh, canned or frozen)

Put it all in a jar, or container with a tight fitting lid, and shake it up.  If you're using a smaller jar, you may want to shake it before you add your fruit, then stir the fruit in.  I've done it both ways.  Put it in the fridge, and it's ready to go in the morning.  Top it off with a little more fruit just before serving.

*** I made home made coconut milk by putting 1 cup of shredded coconut and 2 cups of water in my Vita Mix.  Oh my, so tasty!!!

Thanks for reading, I'll try not to stay away so long.  :-)

No Bake Cookies

This Summer, every Wednesday is "What's Cooking Wednesday".  It's part of our Summer Schedule and my attempt to keep some structure around here.  :-)  The kids love being in the kitchen with me, we've had alot of fun so far.  This recipe is from foodnetwork.  It's very good, and it's your basic no bake cookie recipe.  I know there are some variations out there, but they are mostly the same.  Besides, we were going for fun, not creativity this time.  :-)  No bakes are always a fun summer treat and they don't heat up the kitchen too much.  Enjoy!!

2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by spoonfuls. Let them cool until hardened.

Don't forget to lick the spoon!

Chicken dippers

12-15 chicken tenders
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
tortilla chips
flour
2 eggs, beaten


Mix together buttermilk, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, paprika and oregano in a medium bowl.  Put the chicken in and make sure it's covered with the marinade.  Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.  The longer it sets, the more flavor you'll have.


Fill a gallon size ziplock bag about 3/4 full with tortilla chips.  Crush with hands, and/or a rolling pin until you have crumbs.


Dip each chicken tender in the flour, then egg, then chips, and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Turn chicken half way through.


Serve with Maple mustard mayo, Slightly spicy tomato sauce, bbq sauce, ranch, or whatever floats your boat.


This is super kid friendly and also makes a great appetizer for a party.  

Gingerbread houses

Hello bloggy friends!
Yes, a new post!!  It's a christmas miracle!  :D


Well, my life is full as most of you, and some things just need to be put on the back burner.  I enjoy posting and I don't want it to become a "task" I check off on my to do list.  So, my goal starting in January will be to post at least once a week.  If you subscribe, you'll get my posts right in your inbox.  That will save you from randomly checking the blog to see if there's a new post.  But, whatever you prefer.  I just am so grateful for you checking in, and my hearts desire to to be a blessing to you.


so, today I'm sharing Graham cracker gingerbread houses and my christmas eve menu.  I'll post the recipe's later, but at least you'll know what's cookin'.


Here's a link to instructions on how to do the gingerbread houses.  My kids had a great time!
Also included here is a recipe for royal icing.  If you want to be 'safe' from not eating raw egg whites you can actually buy them pasturized at your local grocery store.

After 'glueing' together, let them set for about 15 min.

Our decorations

Last year my husband and I decided to have a Christmas Eve open house.  His family is out of state so we don't see them at Christmas, and we see mine on Christmas day.  So we don't typically have plans on Christmas Eve.  We've been out of the habit of attending Christmas Eve services for a couple reasons... first, we were at a church for a long time that didn't have Christmas Eve or Christmas Day services unless it was actually a Sunday, in order to allow more time with family.  Second, our kids still go to bed pretty early, so it just hasn't worked all that well.  Anyway, we thought probably no one would come, but let's just try it.  And to our surprise many friends stopped by and it was such a delight!  Most came by on there way to or from a family gathering or something, but we were just so grateful to spend a little time with loved ones.  So, we are doing it again this year.  

Here is my menu:

Texas Beef Brisket

Bacon wrapped apricots

Bacon wrapped jalepenos 

Hummus with focaccia 

Cheese and sweet potato pasties 

Olive/pickle tray

Fruit jellies 

Cranberry/pistachio cheese roll w/crackers

Cheese/cracker tray

Chocolate crunch brownies

Sparkling punch w/cranberries and mint

I'll keep you posted on the recipe's.  What are you cooking this holiday season?  I'd love to hear from you.

Shamrock Shake

This is a citrus-ey delicious shake.  Usually when I think Shamrock Shake, I think McDonalds.  And, they are very good, but I wanted to do something a little more fruity. 

equal parts of lime sorbet and vanilla ice cream.  Then throw in some milk to thin it a little bit.
Put it in the blender, mix it up and enjoy!

Here's the festive kid friendly version.

Happy Valentines day

Happy Valentines Day!!
It is Saturday already, and most ppl are celebrating tonight, or have already celebrated.  Maybe some of us will celebrate on the actual day.  I'm not sure how many ppl are checking in often, so I hope I didn't disappoint with not having something up sooner.  I do love to celebrate Valentines Day, actually, just love to celebrate period, but this year I did not plan a special meal for Valentines.  However, I would recommend eggplant parmesean and Mocha Molten Cakes. 

Instead of planning and prepping all day, I had a very special date with my little boy.  I am so in love with him I can't hardly stand it!  He is so precious.  We went to Artisan Cooking School for a kid's cooking class.  This is the first one we've been to and I can't wait to go back!  Today the theme was of course Valentine's day.  So, we baked and decorated lots of treats.  They do kids classes once a month and lots more for adults.  I'm hooked and looking forward to doing something there with my husband, and it would make a super fun girls night out.  I'll be suggesting that to my cooking club. 

We made hershey kiss cookies...

Whoopie Pies...

Parfaits...

Stained glass cookies, sugar cookies, chocolate covered cookies and chocolate covered strawberries.  YUM!

Not only did we decorate lots, we sampled everything!  Can you say sugarbuzz!  Joshua thought the best part (besides eating) was the rules:  Have fun and make a mess!  And we followed the rules.

This is one of 3 boxes that we took home, plus a parfait and extra frosting.

Thanks Artisan!!!

Muffin Tin lunch

This is a fun way to serve lunch to the little ones.  My kids loved it.  I got the idea from Muffin Tin Mom.  She's fabulous, she comes up with themes and everything.  This was our first one, and I just kept it basic.

Ground hog day hot cocoa

Is'nt he cute?  Okay, his eye looks a little bloodshot, maybe he's just tired of winter.  :-) 

I made my own hot cocoa.  I will share the recipe, but I'm warning you, it is pretty rich.  My daughter usually wants it, but won't finish it.  Is there such thing as too much chocolate?  I'm just not sure.  This recipe comes from Real Simple Magazine

2 cups cocoa powder

3/4 cups sugar (personally I think it needs more sugar)

8 oz mini chocolate chips

blend together and store in an airtight container. When you make it, use 1/4 cup cocoa mix to 8 oz very warm milk.  I think it blends best when you whisk it together on the stove. 

For the cute groundhog and his shadow, you can find the instructions here.  I used an oreo cookie, because it's what I had.

Groundhog day Pancakes

Think Spring!  I have never celebrated, much less thought about, Groundhog day.  But, having young children and being the middle of winter, I thought we could use a celebration.  We're half way thru winter!  That's great if you're a warm weather person like me!  Don't get me wrong, I love all 4 seasons and have really grown to appreciate winter.  Big chunky snowflakes falling down, while I sit in front of the fire... pure comfort.  Or "cozy-ing up" as my kids say to read books.  God has really helped me to see His beauty in the winter.  I don't do much in the way of winter sports, so the season does get a bit long for me.  My friend Cindy posted something about groundhog day on her blog, and that is where my inspiration came from this year.  To see her post, click here. 
We started the day with these fun pancakes.

I found this recipe at gourmet mom on the go.  You will also find the hot cocoa recipe here. 

Actually, it's more like putting it all together, not the actual recipes.  Mine were a basic pancake recipe with green food coloring added.  I would recommend a whole wheat or whole grain pancake to make this a little healthier.  Underneath the pancake is an apple w/peanut butter... that was our protein for the morning! 

I hope this will be helpful for next year if you need a little pick me up in the winter.  Or, you could still do it this week.  Hey, people celebrate Christmas for a whole month!  Enjoy!!

Chicken Nuggets

Meal # 4 from OAMC.  My kids loved this very kid-friendly meal.  You can make it more adult friendly by adding some unique dipping sauces.

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
3 tbs butter melted
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dired bread crumbs, Italian style
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
sauces for dipping.

Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces (kitchen shears work great).  combine chicken, melted butter, and worcestershire in a 1 quart freezer bag to make a marinade.  combine the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a second bag.  You can freeze at this point if you're looking to stock your freezer. 

To prepare for serving, remove the chicken pieces from marinade. Shake them in the bread crumb bag to coat, a few at a time.  Yes, kind of like 'Shake and Bake'.  The kids will think this is fun too. Arrange chicken on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 7-9 minutes at 450. 

So easy!  My daugter does not seem to like meat, but she actually ate these!  And my husband liked them too.  We used BBQ sauce, Honey Mustard, Spicy Mustard, and Ketchup for our sauce choices.  You could add Teriyaki or a thai peanut sauce to make them a bit more 'gourmet', or 'grown up'.