fall recipes — Ma Whats For Dinner?

Fall Faves – Pumpkin Bread

October 24, 2011 by Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 9 Comments

You all know how we love the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Pie.

Pumpkin Pancakes.

Pumpkin Coffee.

Pumpkin Anything.

Nothing makes the boys happier than getting off the bus…

To a batch of delicious warm pumpkin bread.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 c vegetable oil

2/3 c water

3 c sugar

1 c brown sugar (divided)

3 1/2 c flour

2 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1 1/2 t salt

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t ground nutmeg

1/2 t ground cloves

1/4 t ground ginger

1/2 t ground allspice

Optional:

chocolate chips

walnuts

pumpkin seeds

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl combine pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil, water, sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Mix until blended.

In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice. Mix until well combined. Pour dry ingredients slowly into wet ingredients and mix until well combined.

Add in your desired mix ins. We usually do one with walnuts and one with chocolate chips.

Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans. Sprinkle tops with remaining brown sugar.

Bake on 350 for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

October 14, 2011 by Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 7 Comments

This is a fun way to get kids to try new flavors.

Try them in an interesting festive package.

It’s also better for the body…

Get the same flavors as a traditional sausage stuffing, but with less fat and with healthier starch options. Whole Wheat Bread, Brown rice, or Quinoa.

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (plus a smidge for brushing)

½ pound lean ground turkey

pinch of sea salt

½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon fennel seed

½ teaspoon anise seed

½ teaspoon black Pepper

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 cup chopped sweet onion

1 cup diced celery

1 tablespoon dried sage

½ tablespoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 macintosh apple, cored and chopped

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup orange juice

2 cups Low sodium chicken stock

1 cups Quinoa

3 acorn squash

parsley

S&P

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 375.

In a large stock pot heat 1 t olive oil over medium high heat. Add turkey and cook until no longer pink. Add in sea salt, paprika, fennel seed, anise seed, and pepper.

Cook for 2-3 minutes and let the spices work into the turkey.

Next add in your chopped onions and celery, give it a good stir and add in your sage, rosemary, and thyme.

Let it cook for 5-8 minutes so the vegetables can soften a bit. When the veggies have softened toss in your apples, cranberries and orange juice.

Reduce heat and let it simmer until your quinoa is cooked.

Heat a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring your chicken stock to a boil and add in your quinoa and cover.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. When you quinoa is done add it to your stuffing mixture and mix well.

Cut each one of your acorn squash in half. Place them cut side up into a baking dish. You may need two baking dishes, depending on the size of your squash.

Brush each cut side with a touch of olive oil and sprinkle with S&P. Mound your stuffing mixture into the center of each squash. Cover with a tin foil tent bake on 375 for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. Serve.

Want to make it vegetarian? Leave out the turkey!

Filed Under: Baking Recipes For Kids, Featured, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Healthy Side Dish Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes Tagged With: acorn squash, fall recipes, healthy recipes, squash, thanksgiving recipes, turkey

Apple Week – Dutch Babies with warm apples

October 7, 2011 by Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 5 Comments

So you all know how much we looooove our pancakes around here.

We have them pretty much…

Every.

Single.

Weekend.

But sometimes you want to switch up your pancake just a bit.

Enter the Dutch Babies!

Want to know the boys favorite part?

They each get their own little ramekin made special just for them!

WHAT YOU NEED:

4 T butter

4 eggs

1 c. milk

1 c. flour

¼ sugar

1 t. vanilla

for the apple topping:

2 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and sliced

1 t butter

1/4 t salt

1/4 t cinammon

1 T sugar

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine eggs, milk, flour, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk well.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.

When butter has melted pour equally into small ramekins and swish butter around in the bottom of each to coat. (If you don’t have ramekins just batter into skillet then transfer into oven.) Place ramekins on a baking sheet and put into the oven.

Bake for 25 minutes. Sides will be golden brown and puffy.

Meanwhile melt remaining butter over medium high heat. Toss in apples, sugar, salt and cinammon. Allow to cook until apples are nice and soft and caramelized.

Remove dutch babies from oven and serve immediately. Top with powdered sugar and apples.

Filed Under: Baking Recipes For Kids, Breakfast Recipes For Kids, Featured, Fruit Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes Tagged With: apples, breakfast, buy local, cooking with kids, fall recipes, pancakes

Winner Winner Apple Dinner!

October 12, 2010 by Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 19 Comments

Let’s play a game…

“Do you like apples?”

“What?”

“I said…Do you like apples?”

“Yeah, I like apples.”

“Well I got her number…How do you like them apples?”

One of the greatest lines ever…Mad props to whoever names it right first.

I want movie title, character name, actor name, and year.

Ok go…

Back to our regularly scheduled program.

Ladies and Gentlemen step right up…

We have ourselves a winner.

Now I know that since I put out my apple plea a few weeks back that you’ve all been on the edge of your seats.

If you’re just catching up here’s the deal.

See, the Fitz family packed up and moved last winter from CA to CT.

Yes, long trip…

No, we’re not stupid…

No, we’re not crazy…

No, they boys had never seen snow…

Yes, we’re cold already…

Trust me, I’ve heard them all.

So now that we’re here we’re really enjoying our first New England Autumn.

And Autumn in New England means one thing…

Now, I like apples and all but I had no idea what to do with all these things. I ate them whole, I sliced ‘em with cheese, I made a pie, but then I got stuck.

That’s where you all came riding to my rescue.

You guys are awesome.

But there has to be a winner.

Someone to claim the coveted prize of a Ma, What’s For Dinner Cookbook of their very own.

Ok, here it is…

The moment you’ve all been waiting for…

Wait for it…

The boys voted and the grand prize winner is…

Alexis at Running Away? I’ll help you Pack!

Alexis came up with an awesome recipe for Caramel Apple Bars that the boys just loved. You have to try it…

Caramel Apple bars

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Golden Delicious apples, cored and chopped
1 cup caramel candies, each cut in quarters
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan. In medium-size bowl, combine 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer mixture to pan and press in an even layer in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.

2) In same mixing bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and remaining 1/4 cup flour; stir in apples, caramels, and nuts. Pour over bottom crust. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly; cut into quarters lengthwise and crosswise to make 16 bars. Cool completely.

Sooooo good! I could eat the whole dish myself.

Congratulations, Alexis. Your Ma, What’s For Dinner cookbook will be in the mail later this week. And a huge thanks to everyone who entered. GREAT recipes! The boys and I have had a blast making them.

Let’s see who can win the movie trivia contest above.

Extra points if you have another fave line from this movie.

Go on, I dare ya!

Filed Under: Contests, Fruit Recipes For Kids, Holidays, Kids Desserts, Recipes For Kids, Vegetarian Recipes For Kids Tagged With: apple recipes, buy local, caramel apples, contest winner, cook with your kids, fall recipes, farm to table, halloween desserts, picky eater

Corn glorious corn!

September 13, 2010 by Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 18 Comments

Oh it’s that time of year!

The corn is absolutely amazing!

We’ve been eating a ton of it.

We’ve grilled it…

We’ve steamed it…

We’ve sauteed it…

Ok, can’t find my sauteed corn pic but just go with me…we have…

And now we’re making some chowder….or chowdah depending on who you’re talking to.

The kids love it, the hubs loves it, I love it…the whole neighborhood loves it. It’s sweet, easy, and chock full of good for you veggies. And it warms the belly and makes it feel like fall. We serve it up with some crusty garlic bread and a nice salad. Gotta make the most of this glorious corn season!

Ma’s Glorious Corn Chowder

1/2 pound thick cut bacon
2 cups diced sweet onion
2 large carrots diced
2 celery stalks diced
1 large russet potato diced
S&P
dash of hot sauce
1/4 cup wine
4 cups chicken stock
2 fresh thyme sprigs
3 cups corn about 6 ears, kernels removed
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Cook bacon in a wide heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Set aside. Add onion, carrots and celery to bacon fat and cook, stirring, until onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with S&P.

When the veggies are cooked toss in your white wine and scrape up all that good stuff stuck to the bottom of your pan. Then toss in your potatoes, stock, thyme and hot sauce and let it simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Next add in your corn and cream and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Season with more S&P. Stir in your bacon and serve!

What’s your favorite corn recipe?

Filed Under: Healthy Side Dish Recipes For Kids, Recipes For Kids, Soups, Vegetable Recipes For Kids Tagged With: bacon, corn, corn chowder, corn recipes, fall recipes, kid friendly, monday blog hops, onions, picky eaters, potato, soup, soups, thyme

Fall Faves – Pumpkin Bread

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Apple Week – Dutch Babies with warm apples

Winner Winner Apple Dinner!

Corn glorious corn!

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Fall Faves – Pumpkin Bread

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Apple Week – Dutch Babies with warm apples

Winner Winner Apple Dinner!

Corn glorious corn!

Featured Cooking With Kids Videos

Join Our Mailing List

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Find A Local Farmer’s Market

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