It’s what my inquiring kids always want to know... When you have 6 kids, you hear this question a LOT to say the least…. But if you’re like me, you don’t always have an answer… so you let the suspense build and scramble to figure it out! BUT, on the other hand, if it happens to be Wednesday, then of course it’s a given… because on Wednesday night the middles have Awana and my 2nd to oldest has Vertical (youth group), so it’s best to make something that everyone’s always happy about and easy to clean up!
What’s that you say?...Oh you want to know WHAT IS FOR DINNER?!!! Well, for fun I will share the recipes I use on Wednesday nights…AND also have a contest for a fun GIVEAWAY at the same time, so hopefully by the time this “plan” is facilitated, I’ll have the answer to the question at the top of this blog post for many nights to come… BRILLANT!
Now, I’m no spring chicken… we are almost to our 24th wedding anniversary and I've been parenting for over 18 years… been through many seasons… and in some of my very “organized seasons” when life seemed easier and carefree with 3 or 4 kids, I even had a weekly menu taped up on the pantry to ensure that I didn’t have to answer that question. It was great when I consulted it and really freed up some of my brain cells…. which by now are all used up from chasing the littles around all day and changing too many diapers once again.... where did all that organization go?? um...I can't remember:)
Do you ever feel like you're in a rut and you make the same meals over and over again? I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some NEW recipes! Um, you see that’s where YOU come in…. this is a participation blog:)
Here’s THE SCOOP:
YOU share your favorite family recipes and IF I make it and it’s a “keeper”(meaning the Sprague tribe likes it), then I will send you a $10 Starbucks gift card!! How’s that for a fun participation prize… yes, you can now thank my friend Lori Gardner… she’s the hilarious blog queen who actually does fun giveaways on her blog. Now, I can’t send a gift card to all the “keeper” recipes… so I will have my kids vote on the one they liked best from this little contest… and hopefully it will be YOU because you cared enough to take the time to share a favorite recipe with me. I will mail you the gift card in appreciation… or if I know you I’ll just take you to Starbucks and then give you a gift card too!!
Now, depending on the feedback… this could take some time, so I will let you know right away if your recipe makes it to the “ones to try” pile. Then you will at least know you are in the running for the Starbucks gift card. And to save some time… here’s a few tips for what kind of recipes we'd like... I’m more of a "from scratch" kind of cook… use real onion, garlic, and spices… so I don’t buy the cream of whatever Campbell’s soups…I do buy canned beans though for making chilli…. I’m not into MSG and hydrogenated oils…. We do like vegetables too, so the recipes don’t have to have meat in them… although we do like meat too…. Oh and in case you have one, I would love a great spaghetti sauce recipe, or stir fry, pasta recipies... like the noodle company makes...or anything easy really… the sky is the limit!
Back to what's for dinner....Wednesday is HOMEMADE PIZZA NIGHT in the Sprague home… It’s the one night of the week that I never get complaints, only cheers… oh how I love that when it comes to dinner!!! (which by the way is NOT always the case with other meals in our home because I refuse to raise picky eaters, so I say this phrase quite often to the littles, middles, and bigs, “We train our taste buds in this house and if you don’t like it, that’s okay… you CAN still EAT it!”… but no time for that bully pulpit now… was getting sidetracked…yes, yes…back to fun pizza making:)
If you have a bread machine to make the DOUGH, and you want to make it a weekly dinner, set a weekly alarm in your phone to remind you @ 2pm or so to start the dough…. that way it’s ready when you are! Here are the two pizza crust recipes I always use… perfect every time. They vary a bit, so take your pick. If you don’t have a bread machine, consult my friend Lori… she uses her kitchen aid mixer to make her dough and if you don’t have a kitchen aid… well my food processor makes good dough using the recipe in its manual… or you can just use your hands… what a concept! The reason I prefer my bread machine is because it’s the easiest! You throw in the ingredients and an hour and a half later the perfect dough is ready… and can just sit in the machine until you are ready to use it... very simple, very easy.
The following recipes come from "The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger
For Basic Pizza Dough – add the following ingredients to your bread machine and select the “dough” cycle.
1 1/3 cups water
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I use ultra grain)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp SAF yeast OR 2 ½ tsp bread machine yeast
When cycle beeps, remove dough (the dough ball will be soft), divide into desired number of portions.. I do two (but for more fun on a night you have time… the kids love making their own personal pan pizzas too).Oh wow… the recipe says to then…"Flatten each portion into a disc. Cover with a damp towel on the work surface to rest for 30 minutes until the dough has increased about 20 percent"…. But I’ve never done that… guess I never read past the ingredients part… oh well. Try it… it might be better that way… who knows:)
Or for the granola girls out there… you can try this recipe:
Whole Wheat Pizza dough- (this is the one I use most... unless it’s for guests who like the standard American fare better… both are great recipes though.)
1 1/3 cup water
¼ cup olive oil
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I use ultra-grain)
1 cup whole wheat flour (not the dead stuff on the shelves, I grind mine at HyVee in their health market section… they have these big vats of Montana wheat for .88 per pound. Grind and put straight in your freezer to preserve nutrients… or if you’re super cool like my friend Lori… you own a grain mill!)
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp SAF yeast OR 2 ½ tsp bread machine yeast
Once the dough is ready (or actually, once I’m ready to start) I divide it into 2 balls and put it on the pizza pans. (I roll them out on my counter, but am finally beginning to try the hand stretching... no throwing in the air yet, but baby steps on getting the dough ready for the pan.) For years I used my pizza stones, but I find clean up way easier and the crust much crispier when I use the round pizza pans with the holes. I got them on sale at Kohls… $12.99 each… non-stick, 16 inch, with the holes all over the bottom. The pizza literally slides right off onto the cutting board and the pan is still CLEAN… I do wipe it with a rag, but I’m telling you… easy clean up to me is a major bonus!! Once the dough is on the pans, cover with light cotton towel and let them rest while you make the sauce.. but you can do it the way the recipe says.
The SAUCE is so simple to make… takes about 15 min. to simmer and is SOOOO worth it!! You’ll really never buy a jar again… it’s that good. It makes 2 cups, which I use every drop. I keep telling myself that I will make double or triple batch sometime and freeze some, but It’s just so easy to whip it up real quick, I haven’t done that yet…. Besides if it was frozen, I would have to set an alarm in my phone to remind me to take the pizza sauce out of the freezer!Time flies so much faster now that I have the littles, and that handy alarm in my phone is my helpful friend.
What I love most about this recipe is that I always have all the ingredients on hand since it's so simple...so if you've never made your own sauce... it's time to give it a try!
Essential Tomato-Herb Pizza Sauce
1-2 T. olive oil
¼ large yellow onion, finely chopped (I use whatever color of onion I have)
Two 8 oz cans tomato sauce (I use one normal size can… I think 15 oz)
1 clove garlic, pressed, or ½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano or marjoram leaves (I’ve only used oregano)
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until soft and the edges begin to brown. Add the tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low boil and adjust heat to low. Simmer; uncovered for 15 min. Remove from heat and cool (I never do that). The sauce will keep in the freezer up to a month (haven’t tried that yet either).
When the sauce is ready…. Spread half on each crust, add whatever toppings you want… or if your kids are like mine… just cheese on theirs. Now they do eat from ours after the cheese is all gone, but if it was their choice… they prefer cheese. Allie is my kitchen helper and she loves to help with the sauce and the cheese.
I bake the pizzas one at a time in a preheated oven of 425 for 14 min. (for crisper crust)… or at 450 for 10 min. (for less crispy). See what you like… and if you want thicker crust don’t make the pizza as large. I stretch them to the max on my pans cuz there are a lot of mouths to feed at my table. Since my new pans can’t be in heat of more than 450 and you can't cut on them because of the non-stick finish, I just put a cutting board on the table and slide the pizza off the pan and onto the board and serve from there. I always cut up fresh veggies to go with the pizza because it’s the most important part of the meal to me. What’s funny to me is that my kids eat the veggies plain, but dip their pizza in ranch.
Here is a picture of some happy campers devouring the goods this week.
Now that, my friends, is a wrap! No actually, it’s pizza, but just wanted to use some cooking show lingo. Seriously though, this is that wonderful weekly dinner where you NEVER have to tell you kids to, “eat your dinner”…. Let me know if it works that way for your family too. Enjoy!!
Oh and please don’t forget about the CONTEST/ GIVEAWAY…
Below are a few pics so you can meet the middles...A few serious members of the judges panel for this contest. One of my littles is pictured at the top of this post, but she doesn't get to be on the panel of judges because I've not really found anything she doesn't LOVE to eat since bringing her home from Ethiopia... she's a momma's dream!
*all pics taken by my iphone so excuse the poor quality...and I'm no photographer either... so that might be some of the lighting issues.
17 comments:
Love this!
Wednesday night is homemade pizza night at our house too!
Ok, I need to figure out a recipe to pass onto you.
I can't wait til our milling party Wednesday! :)
Found your page from Lori's...So do you want me to post a recipe, or email? If email, where should I send it to? Thanks!
Lori sent me over, so here is my recipe. :)
2 cans of black beans (you can use dried if you remember to soak them in time!)
1 bag of frozen corn
1 16 oz. jar of salsa
4-6 chicken breasts or rib meat
Put all in crockpot and cook 4-8 hours (depending on whether or not the chicken was frozen)
Garnish with shredded cheese and sour cream.
Note: If you use dried beans, you will need to add either water or more salsa. You can also use less or more chicken and salsa, according to taste
Toni.. sure you can just post it. That way someone else can try it too:)
Karin, THANKS for the recipe!! I will be making it for dinner 1/23/12! I buy frozen corn in bulk bags, so how much corn do I put in?
We call this fancy chicken at our house and it's SO GOOD!!!
You take a chicken breast...hammer it out a bit so that you can wrap a small chunk of pepper jack cheese and a spoonful of cream cheese in the middle. Wrap chicken around the cheeses, wrap 1 piece of bacon around each chicken bundle and secure with a tooth pick.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 and then broil for a few more minutes so the bacon is crispy!
Mix up half salsa, half Ranch to pour over the chicken bundles or to dip your chicken in...you know how kids like to dip!
Hope you all enjoy!
Great idea Mary! Thanks so much for the pizza recipe. It sounds yummy! Here's mine for you. It is a huge family favorite and I can double or triple it for big family functions. It is great on cold days like these. Best of all it is a one pot meal. I love those!
Taco Soup:
2 Cans Pinto Beans (Drained and rinsed)
1 Can Kidney Beans (Drained and rinsed)
1 Can White Hominy
1 Can Yellow Hominy
3 Cans Diced Tomatoes
1 envelope ranch dressing
1 envelope taco seasoning
(HyVee has some great organic dry packets of these. No MSG and no preservatives.)
1-2 cups water (I just use 1)
Brown Meat and drain. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for at least 1 hour.
I serve it with shredded cheese and sour cream. I also buy the "scoops" tortilla chips and we don't even need spoons!
Enjoy!
Amber Gallagher
Oh dear! I just realized that I left off some ingredients from my post. Sorry! At the top of the list it should include
2lbs ground beef
1 large onion
Hope that helps. :)
Got here through Lori!
Here's one of our FAVES!
Thai Peanut Chicken
2-4 red, yellow, green or orange bell peppers
One large onion
3-4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (can substitute steak, pork, tofu)
Hot sauce of your choice (add to taste)
Either store bought Peanut sauce, or homemade. I prefer homemade which consists of about a cup of peanut butter, a splash of milk to thin it some, and a handful (or more) of peanuts. (WOW, how's that for measuring? Can you tell this recipe is totally my own doing?)
Start with the veggies (peppers and onion). Slice and stir fry them in a little oil. When they are about half finished, I throw in the diced chicken.
When the chicken is nearly cooked through, I add my cup of peanut butter and splash of milk. Here is where I add the hot sauce too. I use a Chinese brand. If your little ones do not like spicy things, you could add a splash to the top once it is served.
Once it has melted into everything and everything is cooked through, I throw half the peanuts in.
I top each serving with bonus peanuts! I serve this over rice.
It's a BIG hit in our home!
Happy eating!
Here's one all six of us like, for Homestyle Mac and Cheese. I usually double it and throw one in the freezer for later.
-7 oz. macaroni
-1/4 c. butter
-3 TBSP flour
-2 c. milk
-8 oz pkg. softened cream cheese
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. pepper
-2 tsp. country style Dijon
-2 c. cubed cheddar cheese
-1 c. fresh bread crumbs
-2 TBSP melted butter
-2 TBSP fresh parsley, minced
Cook macaroni according to package and drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, in a 3 qt. saucepan, melt 1/4 c. butter and mix in flour. Cook over medium heat and stir occasionally, until bubbly and just starting to brown. Stir in milk, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and mustard. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until thick (4-5 minutes). Stir in macaroni and cheddar cheese. Pour into a greased 2 qt. casserole dish.
In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients and crumble over top of casserole. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and thoroughly heated.
I also have a yummy recipe for chipotle macaroni and cheese (we love pasta at our house) if you want.
Hey Mary, we love homemade pizza at our house to.. but we used the Chef Boyardee mix until hubby became diabetic.. Here is the great pizza recipe we now use.. It's even grandkid approved! BTW..You can still use your pizza sauce!(in fact, tried yours and we loved it!)
Low Carb Pizza
4 oz. softened cream cheese
4 eggs
1/3 c. heavy cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Italian or Pizza seasoning
1/2 tsp wet garlic or 1/4 garlic powder
1/2 c. pizza sauce or tomato sauce
3 c. mozzarella cheese
Pizza toppings of your choice
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Beat together cream cheese and eggs until smooth.
3. Add cream, parmesan, garlic and Italian seasoning.
4. Spray 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.
5. Place 2 c. of mozzarella cheese in bottom of pan.
6. Pour egg mixture over cheese.
7. Bake for 30 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and spread sauce over baked mixture.
9. Add toppings of choice.
10. Cover with remaining mozzarella cheese.
11. Bake until bubbly and brown.
12. Let stand for 5 minutes and then enjoy!
Here's an added bonus.. you will have to adapt it to meet your household quantity.
Pocket Fruit Pies
4 whole wheat tortillas
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Sugar or sugar substitute (optional)
1 large apple or 2 med. peaches or pears
2 tbs brown sugar
Milk
Warm tortillas in microwave or oven to make them easier to handle.
Peel and chop fruit in small pieces
Place 1/4 c. of fruit on half of each tortilla.
In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Sprinkle over fruit.
Roll up the tortillas, starting at the end with the fruit.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet and make small slashes to allow steam to escape.
Brush with milk and sprinkle with additional sugar, if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly brown. Serve warm or cool.
I can't take credit for this because I found it on Pinterest, but my family really loves this one.
Chicken enchiladas with green chili sour cream sauce
*These are seriously so so good*
10 soft taco shells
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan
2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.
3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
4. Stir in sour cream and chilies. Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.
5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.
Ok, this isn’t really a recipe but it’s a really fun family dinner night. It may be a little bit of work with the littles but the other kids will LOVE IT.
We call it “Pasta Bar Night”.
Cook a box of pasta. (The kids prefer bow tie) I do this ahead of time and just add a little olive oil to the pasta so it doesn’t stick and then put it in the refrigerator.
Then you cut up into small pieces anything you may want in your pasta. Some of the things we like are…
Broccoli, carrots, black olives, onions/chives, bell peppers. You can be as creative as you want. Just make sure the pieces are small so that it cooks quickly. I even knew someone who said she didn’t want to go though the effort of doing all the cutting so she just went to her local grocery store and picked up veggies from the salad bar. It cost a bit more but I guess if you are in a hurry it may be worth it to you.
Then you can make sauce if you want but we get just a few different ones off of the pasta isle. You may want a pesto, a basic spaghetti sauce, and a cheese (that’s always a hit with the kids)
Then when it comes time to make dinner everyone gets to make their own.
First you add a small amount of olive oil to the pan and add a few veggies. Then when they are just about done you add that pre-cooked pasta that you already made. Once that is good and hot then you add the sauce of your choice. Once the sauce is hot then it’s ready to eat.
Each person picks out what they like and gets to cook it themselves. So everyone gets their dinner of choice and has fun doing it!
The prep is the part that takes the most time, so I always make enough to have it on two different nights. Then it takes care dinner for two nights of the week and no one in my house minds having it twice.
Ok, so here is a GREAT meal, it's meat-less, but we try to eat no meat once a week!
Moo Shu Vegetables Stir Fry
3 Eggs (lightly beaten)
1 Lb Green Beans (trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces)
1 Red Bell Pepper (cut into thin strips)
2 Cups Napa Cabbage (shredded)
1 Cup Shiitake Mushrooms (sliced thin)
6 Scallions (sliced thin)
2 Cloves Garlic (sliced thin)
1 Cup Bean Sprouts
1 Tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
Salt
2 Shredded Carrots.
Sauce:
2 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp Mirin
2 Tbsp Ginger (grated)
Directions:
Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Quickly scramble the egg, then remove to a plate and reserve.
Clean the skillet or wok, and heat the toasted sesame oil and coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, red bell pepper, cabbage, shredded carrots, mushrooms, scallions, bean sprouts and garlic. Season with salt and toss, stir-frying for 2 minutes. Cover.
Sauce Directions:
Mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, and ginger. Uncover the vegetables, and add the sauce, tossing to mix well. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add the reserved egg, tossing everything together, and remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl.
You can serve on chinese pancakes or over brown rice..our fav! Enjoy!!
Cris
Tonight we are trying the thai peanut chicken, tomorrow it's taco soup, and I will try to get the rest in next week! Stay tuned:)
What a great idea!!! I am always looking for healthy meals to feed my family. Meal planning has become more complicated for us since we have a child who is allergic to peanuts and MILK...it seems all the good stuff has cheese in it. Here's a recipe that our family enjoys and I enjoy the fact that it's so easy. I adapted it from this recipe:
http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410347,00.html
Greek Cinnamon Stewed Chicken
Put the following into a crockpot:
*Chicken (whole, pieces, or breast only...whatever you prefer)
*Water or chicken stock..enough to cover the chicken
*Tomato Paste or Tomato Sauce (I typically use 3 large cans of sauce for one whole chicken)
*2 to 3 cloves pressed garlic
*2 to 3 onions (chopped or sliced)
*2 teaspoons cinnamon (sometimes I add a little more)
Stir all ingredients in crockpot and simmer until chicken is done.
Serve over quinoa, rice, or whatever pasta you prefer...my girls love this served over orzo.
For those who aren't allergic to milk, top with parmesan cheese.
I would have never thought that cinnamon, chicken, and parmesan woud be a good combination, but they really are...and better yet, this dish simmering in your crockpot make your home smell so absolutely aromatic!
Hope you guys enjoy!
I'm a friend of Kameron's and I enjoy your blog. We are going to try and make pizza's tonight. Thought I would pass along this family favorite:
White chicken chili:
2 lbs cooked chopped chicken
48 oz can great northern beans rinsed and drained (we use a mix of pinto and great northern, but any beans your family likes would work)
8 oz shredded monteray jack cheese
2 teas cumin
1/2 cup water
16 oz jar of salsa
combine all ingredients in a stockpot and simmer for one hour, adding water as needed.
** my hubby likes spicy so I make a seperate pot for him with hot salsa and jalapeno jack cheese.
* cooking in a crockpot with a crockpot bag liner is even better - pull the bag out and your done with the dishes.
Heather
Post a Comment