Lunches for Back to School or Homeschool

I wanted to introduce you to my 2 little beauties:

I am not going to use their names. Instead they will go by nicknames. Meet Darth Vader (his choice...he's 4 and into Star Wars!) and Princess (she is 2). Darth Vader starts Pre-K this fall with Classical Conversations and supplementing with Confessions of a Homeschooler K4 program. Princess is going to be doing the basics of Erika's Letter of the Week program with tot ideas filled in.

With this being said, I was trying to find some interesting new "real food" ideas on Pinterest. On Mondays we will take our lunch and have it at Classical Conversations. The rest of the week will be at home. I found the most awesome pin from 100 days of Real Food blog. She has a list of 100 different school lunch ideas so you don't always have to pack the dreaded PB&J or turkey or ham. I am super excited!!

We tried out her first one today (we subbed cornbread zucchini mini muffins because that's what we had) and the kids loved it!! Check out her site and let us know what your favorites are or if you have a special lunch you like to make. 

Amanda

Dollar store Organization!!

So in an effort to rid the living room of some mess that I'm sick of looking at, I have been going crazy on Pinterest trying to figure out how I can organize cheap. I am also sick of the "Honey, where is the TV (blue ray, wii, etc) remote...I can't find it!!!"  Then I realized that everyone has been using 3M command hooks to hang baskets for various reason. Here is my take on cheap organization!!

This was the before:

And this is the after:

I am super excited because now I don't have to worry about controllers falling and cords being everywhere!! And, I have a spot for the remotes. Now when someone asks where is a remote I can say check the basket. Ahh, the little things that excite us. 

I used:

1 green basket-$1 from Dollar Tree

1 pkg of 3M hooks that each hold 3 lbs- about $2 from Target (I already had them so I'm guessing $)

Yay...for under $5 I got some super organization done!!

Happy Organizing!!

Amanda

Old Fashioned Whole Wheat Bread

Yummy yummy in our tummy!! I found the recipe for this awesome whole wheat bread about a month ago via Pinterest from a website called Deals to Meals and I made a few modifications.  I made it hoping my family would like it because frankly I am sick of paying for bread. I had to find a recipe that wasn't baked in the bread machine because they come out too crusty and giant for my little ones. This size is perfect for little hands and hearty but yet moist. 

So, thankfully this recipe isn't in the bread machine nor do you have to hand knead it. I hope you enjoy it and it becomes a family favorite for you as well. 

This recipe makes 2 loaves. I use a stoneware loaf pan and a regular metal pan. 

Ingredients:

3.5 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/4 Tbsp yeast

2.5 cups hot water (I use very warm water from the tap. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast)

1 Tbsp salt

1/3 cup oil (I've used olive oil and coconut oil and both worked fine)

1/3 cup honey or 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 Tbsp lemon juice

2 1/4-2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:

1. Combine first two ingredients in stand mixer with a dough hook. 

2. Add water all at once and mix for 1 minute; let rest for 10 min. This is called sponging.

3. Add salt, oil, honey (or sugar) and lemon juice and beat for 1 minute.

4. Add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. 

5. Beat for about 6-10 minutes, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. This makes very soft, non sticky dough..

6. Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to your lowest setting (mine is 170F) and place an oven safe container with some water on the bottom rack. 

7. Turn off mixer and place dough onto a greased surface (truth us I spray a section of my counter with cooking spray). Divide dough into 2 loaves and placed in OILED bread pans.

8. Turn oven off just before you put the loaves in. Let rise in warm oven for 20-30 minutes; until dough is at or almost at top of pan. 

9. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven on to 350F and bake for 25 minutes. 

10. Remove from pans and cool on racks. 

When I put the dough in the bread pans, I squish it into the corners of the pan so that it is even on the bottom of the pans. Next time I make it I will take a picture of what they look like before I put them in the oven. 

Let me know if you are able to do this in a bread machine on a dough cycle. I am interested if it turns out the same!!

Happy Baking!!

Amanda

Easy Tasty Homemade Ravioli

I am so excited to share this recipe.  I can't believe how easy it was to make.  Yes, there is some arm work involved.  But you can make up a big batch at once and then have several dinners in no time. I found the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens via Pinterest and made a few changes.

Lets start with, I posted on my Facebook profile that before I could start this post I had a mountain of dishes to do before I could sit down and write this out.  This is what a day of dishes, plus baking 26 muffins, plus making ravioli looks like (doesn't included the stoneware muffin pan or the dishes that went in the dishwasher):

I also want everyone to know that I do not have an elaborate kitchen.  I am not doing this old fashioned living with some fancy food show kitchen.  We live in a small 1200 sq ft townhouse that I make do with because we are content for the time being.  Just because I have a small kitchen, I haven't let it hinder what I love to do.  Here is where I prepare all of my creations:

So, lets get on with the cooking (or freezing).  I want you to know: THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!! These are homemade ravioli.  Do not stress yourself out. They are not coming from a machine that punches them out perfectly every time.  I had square, kinda rounded, and even triangle-ish.  I believe, the more not processed they look, the better they taste.  Remember: these are HOMEMADE.

I set them on the baking sheet when I was done making them until I cooked them.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups all purpose flour (you could also sub 1/2 cup for whole wheat)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 Beaten Egg
• 1 Tbsp water

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine flour, 2 eggs, and salt. Cover and process until well mixed. If necessary, with processor running, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water through feed tube until mixture forms a dough. Remove dough and shape into a ball. You can also mix this using a stand mixer if you don't have a food processor.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough about 1 minute or until smooth. Cover dough and let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Divide dough into 3-4 portions, depending on how big and thick you want the ravioli to be.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 12-inch square. This is where I was saying don't stress.  Look at my pics and you can totally tell that I didn't have a perfect square! If necessary, trim the sheet into a square with a small sharp knife. Dough will be right at or almost paper thin.

Yes...that is a rolling pin if you've never seen one before!!

Yep...totally nowhere near a square!

I trimmed it to make it a square.

5. Cut your rolled-out pasta dough into two-inch-wide strips using a sharp knife or a pastry wheel for ruffled edges. I learned in x-ray school that about 3 fingers is 2".

I made a little slit at the top with a sharp knife every 2"

Then I cut it the legnth

6.Brush the dough strips lightly with a beaten egg and Tbsp of water mixed (i.e. egg wash). This will help form a seal.

I know it's hard to tell, but it does have egg brushed on the dough.

 7. Fill the ravioli by dropping the filling at 1-inch intervals along two of the strips. I used about 1 tsp of acorn squash for each ravioli.

8. Cover the ravioli filling with another strip of dough.

 

9. Press down firmly on the top strip of dough to seal the edges around the filling. It's ok if some of the filling comes out when you are pressing down.  Just try to contain it as best as you can.

10. Cut each ravioli from the strip using the pastry wheel (or sharp knife). And you're done! This recipe made 21 ravioli for me.

Cut and Ready to be used!!!

Now you have to make a decision: Use immediately or freeze??

Use immediately:
1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
2. Drop in  about half of the ravioli, depending on the size of your pot.  You don't want to crowd them together because you don't want them to stick together.

3. Boil for 3-4 minutes.
4. Enjoy topped with your favorite sauce!!

Freeze:
1.Spray a pan or baking sheet (one that will fit in the freezer)..
2. Lay the ravioli flat on pan or baking sheet, without touching.

Before freezing

3. Put in the freezer for 30 minutes (this is called flash freezing; it will prevent the ravioli from sticking together in the freezer).

After Flash Freezing

4. Remove from the freezer and put on a labeled bag. Make sure bag is labeled with contents, date, and how to cook them. When you want to enjoy them from the freezer, just follow the cooking instructions above except boil for 5-6 minutes.

There are endless possibilities for filling homemade ravioli.  Some of our favorites or ones we want to try are:

• Spinach with Italian seasoning and feta cheese
• Sweet potato
• Cheese
• Sweet Italian Sausage
• Pumpkin

If you have a favorite, please share.  We are always up for trying new things.

Happy Cooking!!

Amanda

Quick yummy glazed Carrots

I HATE carrots...emphasis on the word hate!! My kids love cooked carrots. So I had to find a recipe that I was willing to eat as a side dish; seeing as I grow carrots, plus we get them in our CSA basket. I am not willing to grate carrots all the time for baking just to get them used up.

So I found this wonderful recipe that I wanted to share. When I make these (and their super easy), it's the first thing gone on everyone's plates!!

Ingredients:

2 large carrots

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp white pepper

Directions:

1. Cut up carrots into sticks. 

2. Put in a pot with about 1" of water (do not completely cover carrots; you are more steaming rather than boiling them). 

3. Bring carrots to a boil, cover, turn to low and simmer for 8 min. 

4. Drain water. Put back on burner and add butter, brown sugar, salt, and white pepper. Allow to cook until butter is melted. Stir and you're done!!

Kids had them with lunch today and they were gone before I knew it!!

Happy cooking!!

Amanda

May 2014 Menu

Yay for me.  I haven't gotten a menu out since December.  I have been battling a long recovery from my relapse I had with my MS in February.  I am doing better and life is slowly getting back to normal around our house.  I love spring and can't wait to post pics of how my garden is doing.  A lot of what I am cooking this month comes either from the garden or my CSA basket that started up 4 weeks ago!! That has really helped save on buying produce at the store.


May  2014 Menu

The link above is a word document of this months meal plan.  A lot of the recipes came from my Pinterest board Favorite Recipes.  I decided to give my cook books a rest this month (plus I didn't feel like getting them out) and see what I could find that I've been pinning the last few months while I've been on the mend. Hope you enjoy the ideas.

Happy Cooking!!

Amanda

Quick Easy Chicken Parmesan

This post is basically how I made dinner for my family of 4 for $8.  Yep...I typed that right...$8.00!! That included the chicken parmesan, salad, and crescent rolls.

I will start with, I am not an extreme couponer.  But I do try to find deals when and where I can.  I got chicken real cheap a few weeks ago (like $1.99/lb and since we get a military discount I got it for $1.79/lb).  I got the pasta for $0.39 a box using a coupon and it was on sale. I got the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes on sale for $0.88 each.  The crescents I got on sale with a coupon as well a few weeks ago and were $1.76.  I already had the cheese leftover and the salad I got fresh from my garden. Hope you like this recipe...we loved it !

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 oz) Tomato Sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano, undrained
• 6 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 4 thin sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb)
• 1 box spaghetti, uncooked
• 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

*The pepper was for the salad

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Pour tomato sauce and undrained tomatoes into a 13x9-inch baking dish.

3. Stir in 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) Parmesan cheese.

4. Add chicken; turn to coat evenly both sides of each breast with sauce. Cover.

 5. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is done (165 deg). Meanwhile, cook spaghetti as directed on package, omitting salt.
6. Top chicken with remaining cheeses; bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Drain spaghetti. Serve topped with chicken and sauce.

Happy Cooking and Saving!!

Amanda

Starting the Garden

I am so excited!! It may be the dead of winter in most of the country, but now is the time to start planning the garden.  I moved from Southeast Michigan to Southeast Virginia several years ago and happily learned that I live in Zone 8 for the planting season (I get like 250 days for the growing season!!). So that means that I now have to start planning my spring/summer garden around the new year and stuff starts going in by the end of January. I highly recommend finding out what Zone you live in because this will help immensely!!

Another thing that helps is this new website that I found via Pinterest: www.smartgardner.com. I absolutely love this website.  It really helps you figure out when to plant stuff.  The best thing: it's personalized to your zip code!! It gives you a to do list week by week.  All you have to do is layout what your garden looks like, even if it's just pots, add your plants and it then generates your to do list.

So with that said, I got my garlic out last week and started my peppers, cabbage, and tomato seeds inside.  I also started growing my sweet potato "slips" (more on that in a moment).  I also set out my yukon gold potatoes to "chit" so I can plant them next week.  I love fresh food from my backyard.

Just a little on my gardening experience before I go any further.  **I AM NOT AN EXPERT.  I have a backyard garden to help supplement what I have to buy.  I use my items for fresh food and I also have learned how to preserve a lot along the way.  I gladly share what works for me and how I have come to the level of gardening that I am at right now.**

Last spring, my husband and I went on Craigslist and bought some pickle barrels and turned them into rain barrels.  We bought the spout and related hardware from a big box hardware store.  They sure saved us in the hot summer (one rain storm filled both: that's 110 gallons of water).  They also helped when our water heater went and we had no hot water for about 2 days.  I boiled the water on the stove to use for dishes and dilute with cold for baths (yes, that's just how I roll!!).  But I also learned that my plants grew better from the rain water because it wasn't treated with chemicals like city water is. I think it cost us a total of $60 for both...you can't even buy one for that price online!

We have 2...each one is 55 gallons!

Also, I have a small backyard because we live in the city.  I so wish we had open country like my friend in Florida has.  I am slightly jealous :) So because of that I use the Square foot Gardening method.  It works for me and I get so much more because of it. I also bought a recycled plastic compost bin last spring and well, it will save me from having to buy compost this spring.  I have been putting food scraps, grass clippings, leaves in the fall, and ash from our wood stove in there and I have my very own black gold homemade.


With that said, here is what I have done so far:

I started my sweet potato "slips" yesterday.  If you have never heard of these, it's those stalky things that grow out of your sweet potato when you've left them sit too long in the cupboard!! If you didn't know...those plants what to grow!

So, to grow slips, get yourself a sweet potato from your local grocer (preferably organic because non organic is treated to prevent slips from forming) or get one or two from your local farmers market.  I used a potato that I got in my CSA basket last fall.  I know exactly where it was grown (about 20 minutes from my house) and I know the grower personally and they only use organic materials to grow.  To start growing, we are going to do some elementary science experiment kind of stuff :) Find the eyes on your potato (dimples).  Put the end with the most eyes up.  Put 4 -5 tooth picks spaced evenly around the sweet potato (this is what keeps the potato from being totally submerged). Then "hang" the potato in a cup or jar and fill with water. Change the water every 2-3 days so it doesn't get yucky.  Here is what you get:

Slips should be upright in about a week or so.

My slips already start forming, so I am basically just watering them and letting the leaves open.  When they start to form leaves and get a little bigger, then I'll gently take them off the potato and let them root in some water.  You want to start the slips about 6-8 weeks before you plan to plant them outside.  I plan on growing my sweet potatoes in pots, otherwise they will vine all over my garden and look like ground cover.  I can control them better in pots.  Now when you are getting the potatoes to grow slips, don't go hog wild.  Each potato can provide you up to 12 slips and each slip can provide you 7-10 lbs of sweet potatoes.  A little goes a long way!!

The next thing I started is my red and yukon gold potatoes.  We eat these a lot: mashed, homemade fries, homemade chips, hash, home fries.  We love our potatoes.  I am also going to plant these in containers to get a bigger yield than my little garden can hold.  I am going to be planting these in plastic tubs (think sterilite or rubbermade).  With just a dozen potatoes, I should get a least 75 lbs of potatoes!! Then over the summer I will have to start researching how to properly store them over the winter!

So, because my potatoes have to be planted in about a week for my area, I put them out to "chit".  Again, this is that wonderful phenomenon of "your potato wants to grow"!! If you ever see the eyes of the potato "sprouting", then plant it!! Well, store bought aren't exactly the best, unless they are organic.  I got some seed potatoes from big box hardware store and did this:

They are trying to bud!! No water needed.

 Leaving them out, they are already sprouting.  I will plant them next week and show you how to do that in a plastic tub.

The third thing I did this past week was to plant my pepper, cabbage, and tomato seeds.  The peppers and tomatoes take a while to start up, especially the peppers.  They like the warmth of being started indoors.  Peppers are very slow growers.  They won't go out until about the end of April/beginning of May. The cabbage will go out in a few weeks because they like the cool weather. I like to recycle as much as possible, so this is where I started my seeds:

Egg cartons great for seed starting!!

 Mind you, not every section has a seed in it.  I will have other things in a few weeks to start seeds!!

Sorry this post was so long.  I am hoping to update at least once a week as to what I am doing in the garden.  I love getting feedback as to what works for you and anything that might help me!! Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Digging!!

Amanda

Broccoli, Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup

I apologize for my blog absence.  We have had a rough start to our year with some illness setbacks.  When someone tells you that sickness spreads through a family like wildfire, it's true!! My daughter got sick around the new year, then my son got it only worse, then my husband got it, and finally I got a mild case of it.  Just as we were getting over that, my son got the stomach flu and that went around.  We were all sick off and on for 3 weeks in January.  When some of my symptoms weren't going away, I went to the doctors (my neurologist) and found out that through all of the sickness, I was also having a relapse with my MS.  Thankfully I am doing well now.  I am hoping to jump back into my blog because right now is an exciting time!!

Since we were all sick,  I was doing a lot of soup.  I  had some broccoli on hand that needed to get used and I was also needing to go grocery shopping, so this was a "what can I make with what I have" kind of soup.  I hope you like it.  It was so very yummy!!

Broccoli, Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup

 Ingredients:

• 3.5 cups of broccoli florets (I use fresh from the store that I cut up
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 3 Tbps butter or margarine
• 2 medium potatoes cubed
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 cup of water
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 handfuls of Cheddar Cheese (I just put it in by the handful instead of measuring it out)

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
2. Add in the broccoli and onion. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir to prevent burning.

3. Add in the Potatoes and milk.  Stir the flour into the water, breaking up clumps until well blended.
4. Add the water with flour, basil, and pepper to the pot.  Stir until blended. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes a tender but not mushy.
5. Stir in the cheese and let cook for 5 more minutes until cheese is well blended.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.  If the soup comes out too thick, you can thin it with some milk.  Remember to add less flour the next time.  If the soup is too thin, add some more cheese.  Remember to add a little more flour the next time you make it. 

I am hoping to get some gardening stuff out in the next few days.  I have already started some of my plants inside.  We have a fairly long growing season here in Southeast Virginia, of which I am thankful for!!

Happy Cooking!!

Amanda

Artisan Bread

What could possibly be better than homemade bread?? How about homemade NO KNEAD bread!! We absolutely love this bread.  It is so easy to make and is so very yummy.  We use it for a lot of different reasons: french toast, soup bowls, dinner bread, and dips. I got the recipe off of a website a few years ago that right now I can't think of where. I hope you like it as much as we do!!

Homemade Artisan Bread

Ingredients:

• 6 cups warm water
• 3 Tbsp yeast
• 3 Tbsp Kosher salt
• 13 cups unbleached flour (you can use any all purpose flour, I just like my unbleached)

1. In a large bowl or mixer bowl (I use my kitchen aid mixer, makes mixing easier), combine water, yeast, and salt.  Mix until combined.

2. Add in flour and mix until well combined.  Dough will be a little sticky.

3. Now if you hand stirred it, then just cover and let rise for 2 hours.  If you used a mixer, transfer to a large bowl, cover, and let rise for 2 hours at room temperature. Dough should double in size.

4. Cut off a grapefruit sized piece of dough.  You want to pull all sides, one at a time, to the bottom to form a ball. Flour hands if dough is sticking to them. Don't worry about making the bottom of the loaf look smooth.

5. Set "loaf" pieces on an un-greased  baking sheet or pizza stone (whatever you're going to bake it on), and let it rise for 40 min more.

6. While loaf is rising, you want to pre-heat the oven to 450 deg. During the last 20 minutes of rising, put a pan with 2 cups of water on the bottom rack of the oven.

7. When loaf or loaves are done rising, sprinkle a little flour on top.  Using a serrated knife, cut an X in the top of each loaf.

8. When loaf, or loaves, are done rising you want to make sure no one is around because this step is quick.  You have to open the oven door and quickly put the loaf or loaves in the oven without letting much steam escape.  The steam helps bake the bread.

9. Bake bread for 30-40 minutes or until crust is browned and hardened.

10. Remove from oven.  If using right away, allow to cool before cutting so essential moisture isn't released.

11. If you are going to package it up, I put each loaf in a gallon ziploc bag after they have completely cooled and then throw them in the deep freezer.

You don't have to make up all the dough at once.  If you want to just have it with dinners, then after the initial 2 hour rising cover the dough and put it in the fridge.  When you want to use it, follow steps 5-10.  It is good in the freezer for up to 14 days.  We mostly use it for french toast once a week so I bake it up all at once and then I don't have to worry about it.

Happy Baking!!

Amanda

p.s. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for January's menu and a surprise!!