Potato bar

I am so tired of my kids NOT eating potatoes that I decided to give them a positive potato experience...

Tonight we had a potato bar: baked potatoes, and then toppings of all kinds. The kids could put whatever they wanted on the potatoes (and I was surprised they actually did a decent job loading up - some had more toppings than potato, but I just wanted them to have a happy potato experience...!)

We had pepperoni, ham, cheese, sour cream, Chick-Fil-A sauce, ranch, peas, broccoli, corn, and even some random leftovers to use on our potatoes.

I also had some homemade bread (see recipe for sabotage bread...) to stuff everyone's faces AFTER the potatoes were gone.

THEY DID GREAT!!! Almost everyone said "This is so yummy!" after one bite of their specialized potato.

Just thought I'd share an easy dinner success!

Pioneer Woman's BBQ meatballs

This is a new found favorite, especially for Joe. I cheat and use Costco Italian Meatballs.

It is from the Pioneer Woman. She has lots of recipes I want to try someday, like this lemon pasta


BBQ Meatballs - Comfort Food to the Max

Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup oats
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons very finely minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
plenty of ground black pepper

Sauce
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
4 to 6 tablespoons onion
Dash of Tabasco

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.

Remove from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.

Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.

Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty french bread.

Enjoy!

Shout out for more recipes PLEASE!!!

I am in such a dinner rut...

My kids are so into pasta that I can't handle it! What would be some fun/easy/kid friendly summer recipes?!?!?

THANKS in advance!!!

Best Ever Cherry Cobbler

Greg makes the best cobbler! Here's the delicious and horribly bad for you recipe:

Ingredients:
-cherries (but probably any fruit would do)
-sweetened condensed milk
-white chocolate chips
-golden butter cake mix
-1/2 stick of butter
-whipping cream

Directions:
Pit cherries and have enough to cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan about halfway up. Mix cherries with sweetened condensed milk, white chocolate chips, a little bit of whipping cream and also a bit of the cake mix. Layer with half of the bag of cake mix, then drizzle on top 1/2 stick of melted butter. Place in oven at 350 for 40 minutes, until it looks golden brown on top. Let cool for a bit then serve with scrumptious ice cream.

It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!!!!!!!

Dieting...

Has anyone ever tried counting calories of what they eat every day? It is so hard!!! I have no idea how many calories I eat each day unless I eat the same thing every darn day. Any advice...? It's just exhausting! Sorry, this is not necessarily a recipe, but it's kind of about food :)

Alfredo sauce

This is everyone's favorite alfredo sauce with Bob's yummy addition of garlic powder. Our kids devour this right up!

(To make it "healthier" you can substitute fat free cream cheese and skim milk)

Melt together:
1 stick butter or margarine
1 box of cream cheese

Add in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup any other kind of cheese (we like mozarella or sharp cheddar cheese)
Add in garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste
Add in 1/2 cup of milk (percentage of your choice) and whisk slowly and thoroughly. If the sauce is too cheesy/stringy or too milky thin, then continue adding cheeses or milk depending on the consistency you'd like.

This is great on noodles, but it also works well for an alfredo pizza or for a fondue dipping night (those would be thicker sauces).

YUM!!!

Dalva's stroganoff

This a tomato based stroganoff sauce, named after our favorite maid in Brazil. Everything she made was so yummy, but this is really good!

1 pound or so of cooked cut up beef (or ground beef works too)
1 can mushrooms drained
1 T corn starch mixed with 1 cup water
1 cup ketchup (I know, I know...wow...)
Simmer the sauce until bubbly and then add 1 cup whipping cream (yup!)
When it is all mixed in it is an orange-ish color and can be served over rice or noodles.

Enjoy!