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Baseball Week – Cracker Jack Popcorn Balls

April 13, 2012 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 9 Comments

Cracker Jacks…

Get your Cracker Jacks…

Here’s a quick, easy and fun way to get your team to eat their favorite snack on the run!

kid favorite recipes Baseball Week Cracker Jack Popcorn Balls

WHAT YOU NEED:

3/4 c light corn syrup

1/4 c butter

2 t cold water

2 1/2 c confectioners’ sugar

1 c marshmallows

5 quarts plain popped popcorn

1 cup shelled peanuts

WHAT TO DO:

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add in the corn syrup, butter, cold water, sugar and marshmallows.

Heat and stir until the mixture comes to a boil.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, combine your popcorn and peanuts.

Carefully combine the hot mixture with the popcorn, get each and every kernal and peanut.

To make this easier you can rub some vegetable oil on your hands.

Shape the coated popcorn into balls before it cools.

Wrap with cellophane or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

What’s your favorite snack at the ball park?

For the record, this is not my picture.  It’s is courtesy of Amazon.  My camera decided to lose the pictures I took of our popcorn balls, so sadly this will have to do.  Maybe you can make some and send them to me?

Filed Under: Kid Favorite Recipes, Kids Desserts, Recipes For Kids, Snacks, Vegetarian Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , ,

Baseball Week – Sloppy Joe Dimaggios

April 11, 2012 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 8 Comments

This is one of my favorite of Rachael Ray’s quick meals with a couple of tweaks due to my massive recipe OCD condition.

It’s perfect for Baseball Week!

Make this for your little sluggers and the whole team’ll be over to eat!

dinner Baseball Week Sloppy Joe Dimaggios

Serves: 9 little leaguers  Prep time:  10 minutes  Cook time:  20 minutes

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 T olive oil

2 lbs ground sirloin

1 package hebrew national hot dogs, sliced

1 onion chopped

1 garlic clove chopped

1 T steak seasoning

1 T chili powder

3 T brown sugar

3 T worcestershire sauce

3 T dark beer, like Guinness

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

Burger rolls

    dinner Baseball Week Sloppy Joe Dimaggios

    WHAT TO DO:

    Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat.

    Add meat and crumble as it browns.

    Add chopped hot dogs after 3 to 4 minutes then cook 3 to 4 minutes more.

    Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook to soften, 5 to 6 minutes more.

    In a bowl mix the spices, sugar, Worcestershire, Guinness and tomato sauce.

    Pour sauce over the meat and simmer a few minutes to combine flavors.

    Slop onto buns and serve.


    Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Dinners on a Dime, Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

    Baseball Week – Sliders into home plate

    April 9, 2012 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 12 Comments

    Play Ball!!!!

    I love this time of year.

    Bring on the Boys of Summer!

    What says baseball more than grilling burgers?

    Well, sliders in this case.

    Sliding into home plate?

    Get it…?

    Serve ‘em up with some garlic fries on the side!

    This’ll be a home run for sure!

    appetizers Baseball Week – Sliders into home plate

    WHAT YOU NEED:

    1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I like 85/15 for burgers)

    1 T dried onion

    1 T montreal steak seasoning

    1 T cold water

    sliced cheddar

    baby brioche buns

    WHAT TO DO:

    In a large bowl combine the meat, onions, steak seasoning, and water.  Mix well to blend and then form the meat into sliver dollar sized burgers.  Stick em on the grill for about 4 minutes on the first side.  Flip ‘em and then toss the cheese on top and grill for another 3-4 minutes.

    Place these little beauties on a brioche roll and serve to your little leaguers!

    Keegan loves to help grill

    appetizers Baseball Week – Sliders into home plate

    I dress up the grown ups with drunken onions and mushrooms…

    I sauteed onions and mushrooms in a pan with olive oil, S&P, and beer till they were nice and soft!  Pile ‘em high on your burger!

    appetizers Baseball Week – Sliders into home plate

    How are you celebrating the start of baseball season?

    Oh, yeah, I’d wouldn’t be a proud member of the nation if I didn’t end this post with…

    GO RED SOX!!!

    Filed Under: Appetizer Recipes For Kids, Dinner Recipes For Kids, Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes, Lunch Ideas For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

    No School No Prob part deux

    November 16, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 3 Comments

    More fun things to do while the kids are off school.

    This week and next we have no less that 3 shortened days and 3 days off.

    Ahh???

    What’s a mom to do?

    Get your craft on, and learn something in the process.

    Like what?

    Like…

    What would Thanksgiving be without the Native Americans?

    Well we wouldn’t have Thanksgiving.

    We wouldn’t be here.

    We’d all have starved to death during those horrible winters in Plymouth Plantation.

    But now we have corn, and squash, and turkey.

    Phew…

    So here’s an ode to those wonderful people that showed the Pilgrims how it’s done.

    Tee Hee Tee Pee Tents

    crafts No School No Prob part deux

    Prep Time:  5 minutes  Craft Time: 20-30 minutes

    WHAT YOU NEED:

    Toothpicks

    Sugar Ice Cream Cones

    White cake frosting

    Various colored writing frosting

    raisins

    dried fruit

    fruity cheerios

    MnM candies

    Jelly beans

    crafts No School No Prob part deux

    Frost your cones with an even light layer of frosting.  Turn the cones upside down on a paper plate. Next stick 2-3 toothpicks out of the botton (now the top) of your tee-pee.

    crafts No School No Prob part deux

    Let the kids decorate their own.  Using the writing frosting decorate the sides of the tee-pee.  Let them stick on candies, fruit, and cheerios on as they see fit.

    crafts No School No Prob part deux

    Voila…the teepees the first pilgrims came upon before their first Thanksgiving with the Native Americans, ok so that’s not totally historically accurate at all but I’m going with it for now.

    crafts No School No Prob part deux

    Filed Under: Crafts, Featured, Holidays, Kid Favorite Recipes, Recipes For Kids, Snacks, Vegetarian Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

    CSA Special – Kale Chips

    June 8, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 19 Comments

    My boys love chips.

    Ok, well who doesn’t love chips?

    But we all know that chips aren’t the best thing in the world to eat.

    Enter my CSA…

    The good folks down at Stone Gardens Farm provided me with the perfect alternative to the old potato chip this week.

    See, I’ve told you all about my first waitressing gig at the Sunset Grill & Tap in Boston.

    Well there we had a rule.

    EVERY dish was garnished with a big leaf of kale.

    So to me, that’s what kale was…

    A garnish.

    So when I got a big bunch in my CSA share box this week…

    appetizers CSA Special Kale Chips

    I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it.

    Then it came to us.

    The boys and I threw the kale onto a baking sheet with some olive oil and some S&P.

    Voila…

    The perfect chip for snacking!

    Delicious and good for you!

    You’ve got to try these!

    appetizers CSA Special Kale Chips

    Kale Chips

    WHAT YOU NEED:

    1 bunch kale

    1 T olive oil

    S&P

    WHAT TO DO:

    Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

    Clean your kale leaves and dry well, you can use a salad spinner if you have one.

    Pull the leaves of the kale off the stems and rip them into bite sized pieces.

    Lay them out on a baking sheet.

    Sprinkle the leaves with olive oil and toss well to coat.

    appetizers CSA Special Kale Chips

    Lay them back out into an even layer on the baking sheet.

    Bake at 375 for 12 -15 minutes.  Until the edges are crisp.

    Serve and enjoy!

    You can doctor these up with your family’s favorite spices!

    Try garlic and parmesan cheese

    or

    cumin

    or crushed red pepper!

    Have fun making your own favorite chips!


     

    Filed Under: Appetizer Recipes For Kids, Featured, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Healthy Side Dish Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes, Snacks, Vegan Recipes For Kids, Vegetable Recipes For Kids, Vegetarian Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , ,

    Leftover Pizza Pie

    June 1, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 14 Comments

    So last week we were grilling up a storm.

    But we didn’t get through everything.

    So faced with a fridge full of leftovers…

    We threw ‘em together on a pizza.

    One word…

    YUM!

    dinner Leftover Pizza Pie

    WHAT YOU NEED:

    Leftovers from Chicken Kabobs

    Leftovers from Veggie Kabobs

    1 whole wheat pizza dough (try grabbing one from your local pizzeria)

    1 jar of Francesco Rinaldi Pasta Sauce

    3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

    WHAT TO DO:

    Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

    Lay your pizza crust down on a pizza stone or baking sheet.

    Top pizza crust with your pasta sauce.

    dinner Leftover Pizza Pie

    Cover the pizza with your leftover chicken and grilled veggies.

    This is the fun decoration part.

    dinner Leftover Pizza Pie

    Cover with cheese and cook for 15-18 minutes at 425.

    Don’t have any pizza dough?

    Don’t worry!

    Try some whole wheat pitas or english muffins!

    Don’t have any leftover chicken?

    Make ‘em plain cheese or use what you have!

    dinner Leftover Pizza Pie

    I left this one half cheese…but it’s all about options!

    Bacon and Pineapple…

    Pepper and Mushroom…

    Pepperoni and Olive!

    Whatever is in the fridge just toss it on.

    Most important is to get in the kitchen with the kids and have fun!

    Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Featured, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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