Whats for Breakfast?

The heat has been on for at least a month here at our house.  When Dave was working the flight-line in years past I would definitely buy him oatmeal to have for breakfast instead of cold cereal.  I never realized how expensive the packets of instant oatmeal were until I realized how cheap a big ol container of instant oatmeal is.  I saw a pinterest pin that you can easily make your own instant oatmeal packets!  DUH SMART!  

you have to use the quick oats. 

I bought the big ol drum of instant oats, planned on making Dave packets.... But I couldn't get myself to use 20+ ziploc baggies. 

 After Dave started hounding me I realized I have a big stack of freezer jam jars in my pantry.  They would work perfectly!  Not only would they be perfect, but Dave could dump the oat/sugar mix in his bowl and use the jam jar to measure the water!  Light Bulb! No measuring cup needed!

 So I just dump 1/2 cup quick oats in with 1Tbls sugar.

 I screw the lid on and shake them up a little.  Nate likes to help.

1/2 cup oats + 1 Tbls Sugar + 3/4-1 cup water  **Nuke for 1 minute 

The big drum of oatmeal made more than 25 adult size portions. Two bucks for the big drum of oats, that's 8 cents per breakfast, with a few cents of sugar.  For real.  The half cup of oats is perfect for Dave.  He has told me he doesn't get as hungry as quickly, and those store bought packets only have 1/4 cup and that's really more reasonable for a child.  Nate had 1/4 cup portion this morning and ate it all up!  I guess I need to package some for Dave and some for Nathan!  

They take about 4 minutes to assemble 20.  Cheap and easy!  Can't beat that!  

Meatless May

I would like to explain that I am not trying to torture my family.

Years ago when we drove by the Cargill feedlots for the first time, my mouth dropped open and I got a sickening feeling in my tummy. We were already rare fast food eaters, but it was more than that. I wondered for hours how is that okay? I wasn't so much alarmed by the smell, though it wasn't pleasant, I was more hit over the head by, 'do I not care where our beef comes from?' The farms I grew up seeing were so classically farm like, and this didn't resemble any of them! This was like a field of mass production at an heartbreakingly scale.

We drove by those feedlots everytime we went to Target or Joann's during our time in NM. It always gave me a sick feeling. I had started grinding my own ground beef from top round hunks of meat, within a couple months of moving to New Mexico. Not because of those feedlots, just because I hate biting into the hard things that are in ground beef.(Ruins my dinner everytime!)

Then I saw the last 10 minutes of the man that made Food Inc, on Oprah talking about his documentary. Interesting. I looked it up on Netflix and you can watch it instantly.... So Dave and I watched it that night. That is when I really was hurt. Sad things, alarming facts. We started eating organics right after that.

Well, the moral of this really lengthly story is that one thing that I learned from Food Inc was that the average American eats 200lbs of meat every year. That factoid really hit me over the head, and that feedlot made sense. But not like 'oh yeah okay I get it'.... more like 'oh hell no!'

That comes to mind every time I plan my weekly menu. I have really started limiting our dinners to one chicken, one beef, one pork per week. So if you have been wondering throughout my rant if I'm turning us vegetarian, that would be another 'oh hell no!' But I really wanted to expand my meat free meals with real feedback from Dave, and I knew if I just tried new recipes out here and there he wouldn't be really paying attention, but just focusing on the next night's meaty dinner. You are thinking that I'm a nut...maybe, but when I presented my reason to Dave he gave me his guilty grin and told me I was right.

So as to not torture ourselves the rules are -no meat for dinner unless its bacon

-No tofu

-lunchmeats will be freely available for lunches.

So on our first night we actually had something that I had made before. My knockoff of a wrap I always ordered at Jason's Deli in Texas when we would go to the airport. If you ever happen upon a Jason's Deli you should try it! They have Henson's pop at the fountain, organic suckers at the checkout and lots of YUMMY stuff on their menu.

Grilled Portobello Wraps

I heat 1Tbsp Butter with a touch of Olive oil in a pan and then cook up sliced baby portobello mushrooms that have been hanging out in some Worcestershire sauce.

I get the veg chopped but don't mix them cause you want to put them in at different times.

After the mushrooms have their head start add the red onion... let it cook for a bit

Then add chopped green pepper and chopped(or grated) garlic.. let it cook for a few

Then fold in some baby spinach and let it wilt for a minute

Turn off the heat and stir in the diced tomatoes.

Heat a skillet, put some mushroom stuff in a tortilla shell or wrap... top it with cheese and sliced avocados(I forgot to buy an avocado...sad)

Just let it brown up nicely.

We enjoyed some sweet potato fries with our wraps....

On a scale of 1-10 Dave this meal satisfied him at a 10... a good start I think this meal will fit into our menu somewhat regularly.

Green Bean Quiche

I'm pretty sure I found this recipe in a checkout lane booklet. YEARS ago. Its a favorite meatless meal in our house. And I think its worth your time to give it a try. We enjoy it for dinner, I'm sure its meant to be brunch... but who cares its delish!

Microwave or simmer 10 oz frozen cut green beans in 1/2 cup water. Drain, set aside.

Saute' 1/2 cup finely chopped onion in 2 Tbls butter.

Once its going add 1/4 cup green pepper, diced.

Saute' till tender. (if you want to use fresh mushrooms add them along with the peppers)

*Beat- 6 eggs in a medium bowl, set aside.

*combine in a large bowl- 1/2 cup Mayo

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 teas salt

ADD- 4oz can sliced mushrooms, drained(unless your using fresh)

-1/4 cup crushed saltine crackers(8 crackers)(Nathan gladly crushes them for me)

-the green beans, drained

-the onion/green pepper mixture.

STIR in the beaten eggs.

POUR into a pie pan that you sprayed with PAM

SPRINKLE with -1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped

-3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

BAKE 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. (it may take longer, your looking for the center to puff up and the edges will be golden)

LET SET for 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven. SLICE AND ENJOY

Sometimes we enjoy it with a breakfast meat(which kinda ruins the meatless label then eh?) But mostly we eat with fresh fruit/hash browns/salad. Whatever your in the mood for.

We totally dig the leftovers for breakfast the next morning.

Nathan loves this meal! Cause it looks like PIE PIE PIE to him. We wouldn't push our luck by correcting him. :)

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Are you pulling out your Irish culinary skilz tomorrow? I'll be making Corned Beef and Cabbage tomorrow and wanted to share (Jackie) so you have time to run out and grab a hunk o meat and a bit o cabbage. These pics are from last year. Found em while I was trying to sort the pics from our old computer on our new computer. Whatta pain!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

You need:

• 3 lb Corned Beef Roast- w/spice packet
• 2 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 small head of cabbage, cored, rough chopped
• 2 cups Apple juice
• 1 cup H2O

Whatcha do:

• Arrange your carrots and onions in the bottom of your crock pot.
• Slap the meat on top
• Arrange cabbage around the meat put the spices on
• pour in liquids
• Cook on low 6-8 hours

Serve along with Herbed Red Skins

You Need

• 1 1/2 lbs baby red skin taters, cut in 1/2
• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 1 Tbls chopped garlic
• 1 Tbls fresh parsley chopped

Boil taters 12-15 min. drain. toss with remaining ingredients

Quick Chicken Pie

Honestly I would love to have the time to make chicken pot pie often. But I don't. When Nathan could be destroying something during each second I'm preparing dinner, its important I have quick recipes. So here is one. If you are making your dinner menu and have a hankering for Chicken Pot Pie, this dish is a great compromise.

You need 4cups cooked diced chicken.

-I cooked the chicken in some evoo... but normally I would poach the chicken, however I was chatting on the telly yesterday so I needed it to be quicker.

While your chicken is cooking, start a package of biscuits to baking.

I like frozen Alexia, but you could use biscuits from a can. When they are done set them aside. I put them in front of the oven vent so they stay warm.

Pull the chicken out and set it aside. I wiped the pan out a little with paper towel.

Also, find a 2 qt casserole dish and Pam it.

Melt 1/3 cup butter in your large skillet

Stir in 1/3 cup flour. Stir stir stir until its smooth

this is mostly smooth, but I had a few clumps still. see???

Stir in 2 1/2 cups Milk

1 Tbls Chicken granules

1/2 Teas dried Thyme

1/2 teas pepper

Stir till thickened like in this picture above

Stir in

1- 4oz jar diced pimentos

1 cup frozen mixed veg or peas, thawed

Bake 350 for 30 minutes It will look like this.

take it out and arrange the biscuits on top. Then bake it 3 minutes longer, just to get the biscuits nice and hot again.

Please pardon the black glob on the bottom of my oven. It isn't typical.

Also, as quick as this dish is, Nathan colored the carpet with a purple crayon while I was making dinner. It was a bummer

spaghetti

The story goes like this:

Spring of 2005. I was chatting with my friend at work, Melissa.

Melissa is Italian and from New Jersey... So imagine her New Jersey accent in her part of the conversation...

Me: I think I'm gonna make some spaghetti tonight.

Melissa: How do you make your spaghetti?

Me(perplexed): uhhh....I brown meat add Prego and dump it on pasta.(doesn't everyone)

Melissa(blinks way more than normal): Can you please just try making your own sauce? Please? Prego is garbage. Can you please try to make the sauce?

Me: Okay I guess I can. (obviously she was really worried about it, so I shouldn't upset her further)

Thank God for this conversation. I can count the number of jars I've bought since then on one hand.(only in a bind)

So here I share the recipe I have based off the BHG New Home Cookbook.

You deserve better than Prego or Ragu. Stop buying that trash in a jar, and just try it!

Will you please? Please?!

Brown:

1 lb ground beef -don't forget to salt and pepper the beef

Add and cook:

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2-4 stalks of celery, diced small(I use organic so I use 4 since they are smaller)

3/4 cups chopped green pepper(unless you find it offensive, then forget I even mentioned it)

Let the veg get tender.

After a few minutes add :

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

STIR IN:

14 oz can diced tomatoes

14 oz can tomato sauce(or crushed)

6 oz can tomato paste

water-I fill the empty tomato paste can as my mode of measuring

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teas sugar

and a little S&P

stir it well, then turn the heat down to way LOW. I think 2 hours on a low bubble makes it super yummy. The pic above is how it looked when I had stirred everything in....

This is what it looked like after 1hour... yum

Now when the 1.5 hr mark comes around start your pasta water. Cook your spaghetti, but before you drain, grab a little of the pasta water in a mug. Then drain your pasta, toss it in the sauce, then add that little splash(like 1/4 cupish) of pasta water. Then stir it around into a pot of wonderful! SEE!!

YUMMY YUMMY. I top with fresh Parmesan. (you should too!)

Mushroom Meatball Meatloaf

This is a fav around here. It tastes like my mom's italian meatballs, but in a meatloaf!

Combine:

1 beaten egg

1/4 cups fine plain breadcrumbs

Add:

2 Tablespoons apple juice(or beer or water)

1/4 med onion-shredded(or chopped as tiny as possible)

4 oz can mushroom pieces and stems-drained, and chopped small (I use a food processor)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire

2 Tablespoons Ketchup

1 Tablespoon dried parsley

1 Teaspoon dried oregano

Stir this mixture well.

This is what it will look like

Add

1 1/2 pounds super lean ground beef

*Mix in with your hands.

*press into a loaf pan. (I use a fork to rake to top to make pretty lines)

*Bake 350 about 1 hour. Until the top is crispy.(and the meat thermometer reads 170)