Day 12 - Homemade Salsa

(Doesn't it look like a light from heaven is shining down saying, "Look at this beautiful piece of work!" It better taste like heaven. It took all day to make!)

I spent all day canning salsa, so guess what's for dinner? You guessed it!

Tuckett's Homemade Salsa

10 qts. quartered tomatoes
3 red peppers (sweet)
4 Anaheim peppers
1 qt. celery (chopped fine)
3 green peppers (sweet)
8 yellow peppers
5 Jalapeno peppers
4 medium onions
6 cloves of garlic (diced)
2 Tbsp. coarse pepper
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. paprika
3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup salt
4 tsp. cumin

Quarter tomatoes. Dice all other vegetables in food processor. Chop peppers with gloves on. Cook ingredients for 2 hours. Seal in bottles and hot bath for 20 minutes.

Day 11 - Chicken Pillows, Broccoli, Fruit Salad and the Best Banana Bread in the World!

Lynette Thomas' Banana Bread
**this recipe has never let me down!

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed (about 3)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk (or add 1 Tbsp. vinegar to 1 cup milk and let stand for 10 minutes - remember to only use 1/2 cup of it!)
3/4 cup chopped nuts (I don't usually add the nuts)

Cream together ingredients in order listed above. Add flour slowly until combined.

Grease and flour or use PAM spray to prepare cooking pans.

Pan size: makes 2 (8" x 3-3/4") loaf pans (fill pans 2/3 of way)

Bake 325 for about 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. (I baked mine for 1 hour and 10 minutes this time). If making muffins, check after 30 minutes instead.

Day 10 - I Caved!

I broke down and didn't make dinner tonight. I have some excuses though, that sound pretty good to me. I ran 20 miles this morning, helped Ian with an Aztec project for school all afternoon, sat in the hot sun watching Cali's soccer game with the family and then DID NOT FEEL LIKE COOKING!! Aaron had pity on me and took us all out to Tepanyaki for the best meal ever! I didn't even feel guilty. Well, just a little bit.

Day 9 - Homemade Mac & Cheese Kids Love

Mac & Cheese Kids Crave (from The Food Nanny)

1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (I use shell shapes!)
3 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 c. milk
2 c. shredded Cheddar or Colby cheese

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a square baking dish.

Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Blend in the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the milk; cook and stir until the mixture is thick and bubbly. Decrease the heat to low and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.

Combine the cheese sauce with the macaroni and place in the prepared baking dish. Bake 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

Day 8 - Spaghetti and Fabulous French Bread

Fabulous French Bread (NO KNEADING REQUIRED)
Stolen by: Vanessa Heber


2 ½ c. warm water 1 Tbsp. salt
2 pkg. yeast 2 Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. sugar 6 c. flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water and add sugar. Stir in salt, oil and ½ the flour (3 cups). Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. Stir in remaining flour. Allow dough to rest 10 minutes. Stir down dough. Repeat the resting and stirring until dough has been stirred down 5 times. (Takes 50 minutes – I always do chores around the house during this time and take the timer with me!)

Turn dough onto floured board. Knead 2-3 times, only coating dough with flour so it can be handled. Divide in half. Roll each half into rectangles. Roll up and pinch seam and ends to seal. Place on large baking sheet that has been oiled. With a sharp knife, slash dough at an angle 3 times, about 2 inches apart.

Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours. Check to make sure it doesn’t rise too much. It can take as little as 30 minutes in hot weather. Brush with a beaten egg and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Day 7 - Haystacks

Nyah loves haystacks! She'd eat them 7 days a week if I'd let her!

Haystacks

2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion (I left the onion out because I didn't have any! Kids liked it even better!)
1 (26-oz.) can cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
6 cups cooked/diced chicken (I used 3 cans of chicken breast - so easy!!)
8 cups cooked rice

Toppings
1 bag crunchy chow mein noodles
2 cans pineapple tidbits, drained
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup sliced green onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 can black olives; sliced
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
shredded cheese

In a saucepan, saute butter and onions for about 3 minutes. Add chicken soup and warm over medium heat. Stir in chicken and sour cream and cook until hot, but do not boil. Place on the serving table in a crock-pot to keep warm (or just serve from stove). Place rice and toppings in separate bowls. Build own haystacks by placing a bed of rice on a plate, spooning on chicken mixture and toppings as desired.

Day 6 - Leftovers!

For moms, leftover night is the best, but when I told the kids it was leftover night, I heard lots of moans, groans, and comments like, "This stinks!" when I opened the tupperware containers!

Day 5 - Creamy Chicken Soup and Pillow-Soft Dinner Rolls

This was a winner with all the kids!!


Creamy Chicken Soup
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 2 cans of chicken instead)
4 c. chicken broth
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
5 carrots, peeled and cut into thick slices
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups evaporated fat-free milk
1 can corn (drained) I didn't add the corn because I was all out!
salt and ground black pepper

Put the chicken and broth in a soup pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken to cool. OR . . . open 2 cans of chicken breast chunks -- so easy!

Add the onion, carrots, and potatoes to the simmering broth. Cover and return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, tear the chicken into bite-size pieces. (or just use those chicken chunks from a can!)

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon and cook for 1 minute until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in the milk and cook for 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened.

Add the white sauce and chicken pieces to the soup pot. Stir and bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Immediately decrease the heat to simmer, add the corn, salt and pepper to taste, and cook just until corn is heated through. Serve immediately or keep warm but do not boil!!




Pillow-Soft Dinner Rolls

4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
2 cups warm milk (110-115 degrees)
6 Tbsp. shortening
2 eggs
1/4 c. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
7-7 1/2 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, shortening, eggs, sugar, salt and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes (dough will be sticky). Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 24 pieces. Shape each into a roll. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks.

Day 4 - Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

These are my favorite cinnamon rolls. They don't really qualify as "dinner", but since we ate them all day, I thought I'd include the recipe:

Vanessa's Favorite Cinnamon Rolls

Combine the following and let stand for 15 minutes, or until it bubbles up:
2 1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. oil
3/4 c. sugar
3 1/2 T. yeast

Add 2 beaten eggs

Add 6 1/2 c. flour and 1 T. salt (sifted)

Add 1+ more cups of flour until not too sticky. Let rise for 10 minutes. Roll out into 1 ft. x 3 ft. rectangle. Melt 1/3 c. butter and spread on top. Combine 1 c. sugar + 2 T. cinnamon and sprinkle on top of butter.

Roll up into a jelly roll. Cut into 24 pieces. Line in pan 2 wide and 4 down in smaller glass dishes or 3 wide/4 down in 9x13 pan. Let rise until double. Will fill pan (about 45 minutes)

Cook for 20 minutes @ 350 degrees.

Ice after 10 minutes cooled with cream cheese frosting:

1 stick butter
1 8 oz. cream cheese
2 lbs. pwd. sugar
milk
vanilla

**To make the caramel pecan version of the rolls (my personal favorite)
1 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
4 T. light corn syrup

Cook and stir until combined. Spread in bottom of 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup pecans or walnuts. Lay 12 of the uncooked cinnamon rolls on top. Follow baking instructions. Dump out onto foil immediately after you remove them from oven. Don't frost. Just eat!!

Day 3 - Mini Cheeseburgers/Grilled Zucchini

If you ever get tired of regular old cheeseburgers, just make them mini. It makes the meal a whole lot more exciting.



Plus, add some grilled zucchini and corn on the cob and you've got a well-rounded meal!

Grilled Zucchini
zucchini
fresh parmesan or mizithra cheese
ground pepper/salt
olive oil

Cut zucchini into strips. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with cheese. Grill for about 4 minutes on each side on the top of the grill. Enjoy!

If you have a child that doesn't like hamburger buns or veggies, this is what the meal ends up looking like!

Day 2 - Peanut Butter Bars

OK, so we didn't just eat Peanut Bars for dinner, but they were fantastic! We got invited to a church Potluck. All I had to make was dessert. This is my favorite recipe for P.B. Bars. I combined a couple of recipes from my good friends Katie and Kandice and this is the result. They'll disappear . . . I promise!!

Peanut Butter Bars
1 1/4 c. butter
1 1/8 c. sugar
1 1/8 c. brown sugar
1 1/8 c. peanut butter
3 eggs
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/8 tsp. soda
2 1/4 c. flour
2 1/4 c. quick oatmeal
________________________________________
2 c. peanut butter

Blend butter, sugars and peanut butter until smooth. Add eggs, salt and soda. Stir in flour and oatmeal. Place on large cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 22 minutes (don't overcook!). While cooking whip 2 c. peanut butter with a fork. When it comes out of the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes and then spread the whipped peanut butter on top. Let cool completely. Then make the frosting.

Frosting
1 cube butter
6 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar

Combine margarine, milk, and cocoa in a saucepan and cook until it bubbles. Remove from heat, add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix well. Spread on top of the peanut butter layer and let cool completely again.

Day 1 - "Gourmet"/Kid-Friendly Pancakes

OK. I know. Pancakes for dinner? It was cheap. It was easy, and I had all of the ingredients on hand!

The kids actually gave the meal a perfect 10!

All you have to do is throw in some sliced apples, chocolate chips, whipped cream, syrup, and Mickey Mouse shapes and you'll have a hit.