Ma What's For Dinner?

So sorry for being a bit quiet this week. I’ve been running around like a crazy Ma having meetings with production companies and network execs! Very exciting stuff. Stay tuned for lots and lots of good stuff. Meanwhile we’ll be shooting a segment for Moms and the City and a Dad Named David in a of couple weeks.  I’ll keep you posted on when you can see it.

Today’s Wordless/full Wednesday is about Courage.

This is my oldest, my most cautious, my most thoughtful boy, Keegan.  We went to a carnival and usually he’s not interested in the big rides.  Especially a 350 foot slide!  Well the little man was terrified but he got up there and threw caution to the wind and launched himself down that slide like a mad man.

See that look on his face?  Hysterical!

“Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it.”  Nelson Mandela

When that kid got to the bottom of the slide his smile was as big as those eyes!

Priceless!

This is one of my favorite memories of the summer.

I can’t believe the kids go to school in two weeks.

What’s your best memory of this summer?

Hello to all the new Welcome Wednesday friends.  Please leave mem a note that you were here so I can come return the favor.

Go, Ma, it’s your birthday, we’re gonna party like it’s your birthday…

It is my birthday.

I can’t believe it.  

I’m old…

Well, not there, that’s me young.

Now…not so much.

Usually I don’t mind the birthdays.  Especially the big ones…

25 was a great one, seemed to be chugging along quite well, mid-twenties were awesome.

30 was a breeze, I was feeling good, I was preggo with the first kid, all seemed to be going to plan.

35 was cool.  I can handle mid-thirties.  I’m a grown up, but I’m still fun.

It’s the random years I seem to have trouble with.

28 was the toughest one.  I panicked, I was late 20s.  I couldn’t imagine.  How could I, she who could party like a rock star, be almost dare I say, 30???

And today?

Today I’m closer to 40 than I am to 30.

OH EM GEE!!!!!!!

Today I am past “advanced maternal age” (though I don’t plan on doing that again!)  Today I am old enough to require blood pressure checks to take bcp’s.  Today feels like I am officially a grown up.

Today things don’t bounce back like they once did.  It used to be in order to lose 10 pounds I just needed to stop drinking beer for a week.  Now, if I have a beer I gain 10 pounds.  Not to mention the fact that if I have 1 beer too many I’m hungover for days.  I used to be able to drink til 4 in the morning and still make an 8 o’clock class in college.  ( AND Yes, I know that is so NOT cool, but I’m just trying to be descriptive here.)

A few weeks ago, I hurt my foot, and it’s been bugging me ever since, thus, I haven’t been to the gym in ages.  Many mornings I wake up and something actually hurts?  I ache.  Like an old person?  WTF?

Not to mention the fact that I used to be a very very smart girl.  Stop laughing…for real!  Now, I can’t even yell at the right kid without going through everyone else’s name first, including the dogs!

But don’t worry!  Really.  I’ll be fine.  I’m good.  You want to know why?

That’s it right there.  How can I not stay young chasing that crew around?  They make me smile, they make me laugh, they make me insane, but they certainly keep me young and happy.  And getting older means they are growing too, and I’m around to see it.  Around to share all those amazing memories as they discover who they are in life.

When those little faces burst into my room, at 6:30 am I might add, screaming

“Happy Birthday Mommy, let’s make a special birthday breakfast!”

How can you not be excited about your birthday?

So…

“Go, Ma, It’s your birthday, we’re gonna party like it’s your birthday!”

Oh, and it helps I’ll be in NYC this weekend celebrating with all my girlfriends too.  Gotta have a little girl time to celebrate being closer to 40 right?

Thanks for stopping by from the Friday Follows. Please leave me a note and I’ll get ya back!

What’s your favorite kind of recipe after a long day out with the kids?  I’ll tell you mine…one that takes me less that 5 minutes to throw together then toss it into the oven so it can do all the work for me.  This is one of those recipes!  Fast, easy and oh so delicious.

Yesterday we were out at the local pool and waterpark with some friends.  We ended up staying a little late and by the time I hustled everyone past the 900 ice cream trucks who line the perimeter and enduring the endless screaming about how it’s sooooo unfair that everyone else gets ice cream before dinner and I’m the meanest mommy in the world, etc.  We made it home and tossed this puppy together, threw it into the oven, and wrangled everyone upstairs for baths and what not.  By the time we were done washing off all that chlorine dinner was almost ready.  Woo hoo!  Love me some good ol’ casseroles that are a whole dinner in one.

Serves 4  Prep Time  5 minutes  Cook Time  1 hour

2 T unsalted butter

1 cup long-grain uncooked white or brown rice

4 bone in pork chops

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 10 oz can beef broth

1 10 oz can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup

1 small onion sliced

1 green pepper sliced

S&P
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice and saute until nice and toasted, about 5 minutes.

Toss your broccoli and mushrooms into the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.  Pour the rice on top of the veggies.  Season the pork chops with the S&P and place them on top of the rice.

In a bowl combine the soup and 1/2 of the beef broth, mix well.  Pour the remaining broth over the rice. Place the onion rings and green pepper over the chops and season again with S&P.  Pour the soup/broth mixture over the top.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Serve the pork chops on a bed of the rice with Roasted Brussell Sprouts.

What is your favorite quick and easy casserole?

Back in the olden days when I was just a young pup of about 19, I landed my first waitressing gig.

It was at a great little place in Boston called the Sunset Grill & Tap.

They were famous for their hamburgers…

their beer (this was back before the whole microbrew craze and we were famous for having over 100 beers on tap and over 400 more in bottles – oh and being only 19 I didn’t know what any of them tasted like, of course, no really…)

and their NACHOS!

The nachos…oh the nachos…the nachos were amazing…

First off, the nachos are enormous! I mean huge. 4 college football players would have issues finishing the plate.

And they were topped with yummy goodness…

Cheddar Cheese, Salsa, Ground Beef, Tomatoes, Sour Cream, Lettuce, Olives, all on top of tri color corn chip delight.

Here, I’ll show you…

That’s Brady, a few years back, sitting behind a plate of Sunset’s nachos. Doesn’t he look like Cooper now? Creepy huh?

That’s me and Keegan on that same visit to Sunset, and yes, I’m enjoying one of those beers I never got to try…just go with me on this one.

So I was in Boston last weekend and didn’t make it to the Sunset for my favorite nachos so I decided to whip up a plate of these at home. I made mine out of ground chicken to lighten things up a bit, well as much as you can lighten up nachos that is…Let me first apologize for these pics. I broke my camera so I had to take these with my iPhone…The pics may be slightly sad but the nachos were awesome.  I though the hubs was going to cry…he may have shed a tear he liked them so much.

Serves 6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes

1 lb ground chicken

1 packet taco mix

3/4 cup water

large bag of tortilla chips

2 cups of cheddar cheese

1 tomato chopped

1 small red onion chopped

1 avacado chopped

4 T chopped cilantro

1 head of iceberg lettuce, sliced

chopped olives

sour cream

sliced jalapenos

Preheat your oven’s broiler.  In a large skillet brown your chicken over medium high heat.  When it’s cooked through season with taco mix and 3/4 cup water.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Place a single layer of tortilla chips on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with half of your cheese.  Place under the broiler for 3 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with more chips, chicken mixture and remaining cheese.  Place back under the broiler for another 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and transfer to a serving dish.  Top with lettuce, tomato, olives, avacado, cilantro, onions, jalapeno, and sour cream.  Serve ‘em up hot and gooey!  I like to add tobasco to mine too.

Do you have a favorite restaurant dish that you’d like to recreate?

We all know how difficult it is to get the little ones to eat their veggies.  One of the best ways I’ve found to get them to eat their greens is to make sure that they taste delicious!  This is one of my favorite ways to do ‘em up good.  Not only is it super tasty, but it’s so quick and easy!

Serves 4  Prep Time 3 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes

1 1/2 cups of cauliflower florets

1 1/2 cups of broccoli florets

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T parmesan cheese

1 t crushed red pepper flakes

S&P

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  In a large baking dish, place your broccoli and cauliflower into the dish.  Pour on your olive oil and sprinkle with cheese, red pepper, parmesan cheese, and S&P.  Mix well with your hands.  When the oven is hot, bake on 400 for 25 minutes.

See?  Quick, easy, delicious.

What is your go -to veggie?

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