Ma Whats For Dinner?» fun food

No School No Prob part deux

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:00:29 +0000

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

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

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.

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.

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.

CSA Special – Kale Chips

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:00:14 +0000

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…

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!

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.

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

cumin

or crushed red pepper!

Have fun making your own favorite chips!

Leftover Pizza Pie

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:00:26 +0000

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!

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.

Cover the pizza with your leftover chicken and grilled veggies.

This is the fun decoration part.

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!

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!

Kids Fun Food Week – Spaghetti Pie

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Fri, 13 May 2011 11:00:58 +0000

Do you ever have leftover spaghetti?

We do!

Want to know a great way to use that leftover spaghetti and have the kids enjoy creating in the kitchen?

Bake up a Spaghetti Pie!

WHAT YOU NEED:

Leftover spaghetti, at least 8 ounces (1/2 a box) whole wheat if you have it

1 lb. ground turkey

1 onion, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1 sweet red pepper, diced

1 small zucchini, diced

S&P

16 ounces Healthy Veggie Marinara Sauce (if you don’t have time to make your own Francesco Rinaldi has a wonderful line of heart healthy sauces like ToBe Healthy Tomato Basil you can use to save time.)

3 cups low fat shredded mozzarella cheese

fresh basil, for garnish

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large sauce pan over medium high heat. When it’s hot, add in your turkey and let it get nice and browned.

Once it’s brown, toss in your onion, garlic, pepper and zucchini and let them cook down a bit, til they’re soft, about 5-7 minutes. Season it all up with some S&P.

Add in your pasta sauce and bring it up to a boil then knock it back to simmer for a few minutes on low.

Take it off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Add in your cooked spaghetti and 1 cup of cheese then transfer the mixture to a pie dish.

Top off with remaining 2 cups of cheese and place it into the oven.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Voila…

Leftover spaghetti like you’ve never seen it!

Everyone loves pie…especially spaghetti pie!

Kids Fun Food Week – Chicken Surprise Bundles

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:00:03 +0000

I say it all the time…

The easiest way to get a kid to eat,

Is to involve them in the process.

These little bad boys are so much fun to make…

And even better to eat.

Check out our Chicken Surprise Bundles…

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 tube Pillsbury refrigerated dough

1 cup grilled chicken, diced

1 cup shredded swiss, cheddar or mozzarella cheese

8 sliced cooked chopped bacon

1 cup baby spinach

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Spread out your dough on a cutting board.

Cut it into 8 equal squares

Place the rest of your ingredients in an assembly line and call the kids into help.

Let them decide what goes into the center of each of their bundles.

Keegan built his with bacon and cheese and chicken.

Brady and Cooper loaded up on the spinach.

You can get creative and add whatever you think your kids will like!

Next wrap up your bundles.

Take each corner and pull it up towards the center.

Pinch together at the top and place on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes.

Serve with a side salad or soup or veggie sticks. Make a bunch, these bundles go fast!

Kids Fun Food Week – Meatloaf Cupcakes

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Mon, 09 May 2011 11:00:43 +0000

Want to get your kids to eat?

Grab them and get in the kitchen and make these fun recipes together!

Back by popular demand…

Here is the recipe that started it all!

I couldn’t get the boys to eat meatloaf and mashed potatoes!

So foolish considering that they like everything in that dish.

But they wouldn’t actually put it in their mouth sooooo….

We came up with a fun way to make them together.

Meatloaf Cupcakes were born!

Here’s a lighter turkey meatloaf version…we’re slimming down for summer!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 ½ lbs ground turkey

1 egg, beaten

1 clove garlic, chopped

½ c bread crumbs

2 T Worcestershire sauce

¾ c chili sauce (you can use ketchup too)

½ c onions, finely chopped

½ c carrots, finely chopped

½ c mushrooms, finely chopped

½ c red pepper, finely chopped

½ c canned fried onion strips

S&P

1 lb russet potatoes peeled and cubed

½ c milk

3 T sour cream

2 T butter

S&P

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place your peeled cubed potatoes in large pot of cold water over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender (about 8-10 minutes after water boils depending on the size of your cubes).

In a large bowl combine ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, chili sauce, onions, carrots, mushrooms, red pepper, fried onions and S&P. Mix together with your hands until combined. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray. Mold your meatloaf mixture into cupcake sized balls and place in muffin pan. You’ll get about 8-10 cupcakes. Place in oven and cook at 375 for about 25-30 minutes.

Drain your potatoes and return to pan. Pour in your milk, sour cream and butter, and season with S&P. Using a hand mixer whip your potatoes until smooth and set aside to cool a bit. Take a large plastic Ziploc bag (or a pastry bag if you have one) and cut a small hole in the bottom corner. Spoon your mashed potatoes into the bag then pipe out the potato on top of the meatloaves to look like frosting on a cupcake. Serve ‘em up hot, who doesn’t love cupcakes? Especially for dinner!

Meaty Morsel: Decorate the tops of your cupcakes with BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, cheese, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, anything you or your kids can think of. Let them have fun with this, they’ll have more fun eating it!

Baseball Week – Cracker Jack Popcorn Balls

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:00:59 +0000

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!

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?

Baseball Week – Sloppy Joe Dimaggios

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:00:21 +0000

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!

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

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.

Baseball Week – Sliders into home plate

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:00:21 +0000

Opening day is almost here!!!

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!

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

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!

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!!!

Pilgrim Roll Ups

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 11:00:54 +0000

Gather up all your Thanksgiving dinner leftovers and make a delicious and fun to eat wrap.

Pilgrim Rolls

Prep Time: 15 minutes

What you need:

Leftovers:

Spinach Sandwich Wrap

Turkey cut into bite sized chunks

Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce

Salad

Little bit of mayo or mustard for sticking

What to do:

Lay out your wraps in the center of a cutting board. Spread a bit of mayo or mustard to help your ingredients stick to the wrap. In the center of your wrap lay out some turkey. Top with stuffing, cranberry, and leftover salad. Roll over your sandwhich and slice down the middle. Perfect for lunch on the go when you take the kids to the mall to find all the shopping bargains on Black Friday.

If Myles Standish had a sandwich shop, this would be a best seller!