Friend Time

We ordered pizzas for the kids, hopped in the Party Bus (aka Family Van) and went out for a a few hours without the kids. All the inside jokes and teasing each other for past indiscretions and complimenting the outfits and it was just a wonderful evening. Thanks Girls! And also thanks Husbands.   :)

The next day David treated me to a Brewer's game. We're at the end of September but it's practically 100 degrees so we roasted our way through a great afternoon. Thanks honey! And thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for one last Pool Day before the season ends.

Easy Eggs on Wednesday

As part of my master plan for the rest of my life... Or anyway, Wednesdays for the next 9 months... Wednesdays are for eggs. Super EGGciting, right? That was so cheesy, sorry, couldn't help myself.

Anyway, my recipe turned out looking JUST like the pictures on this recipe!

Omelet Bake

Ingredients
1 cup chopped red and green bell pepper
some chopped yellow onion
1 cup diced cooked ham
12 eggs
1/2 cup milk or cream
1/2 cup to 1 cup shredded cheese
salt and pepper
~ all ingredients listed above are totally flexible, use more or less as you like it

Instructions
1. Spray the pan with non-stick spray. Evenly spread bell pepper, onion and cooked ham on bottom of pan. Spread cheese over the top of the veggies.
2. Whisk eggs and milk/cream together until combined. Pour eggs over veggies and cheese. Add salt and pepper (salt not really very necessary as the ham adds plenty of salt to the dish). Refrigerate until ready to cook.
3. On your way home from work, call home and ask someone to pre-heat oven to 400. Upon arrival at home, immediately put the dish into the oven, bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until eggs are set.

Why we love it
Four of us liked it. Then one of us decided he only liked it a little bit and asked for something else to eat, so I guess that's only three of us. I love the easy prep, the saving it for the next day, the way leftovers reheat and taste just as good (even frozen leftovers).

  

Best Meal Ever! aka Slow Cooker Roast

Oh my gosh is there any meal ever that got FIVE STARS???

The original recipe is here. I don't drink beer but beer in recipes is ok, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Five Star Roast Beef

Ingredients
1 2-3 lb chuck roast
1 bottle dark beer
1-2 cups beef broth
1 yellow onion, sliced/chopped
salt and pepper
hoagie rolls
cheese and whatever other toppings you like

Instructions
1. The night before cooking day, coat the roast with salt and pepper. Sear all the sides of the roast in  a very hot pan. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and refrigerate.
2. Cooking day - set cooker on low and cook for 8-9 hours
3. Butter and toast the rolls.
4. Shred the roast, it will fall apart with every touch.

Why we love it
Warm, tender, crusty rolls... All five of us loved it so much!! We each had our own version, topped with different kinds of cheese, and a couple of us even put french onion dip on the rolls.

Next time I'm going to try using something other than beer (the beer was fine, but I think we can do better). I'll cook only one 3 pound roast instead of two (lots of leftovers!). And I'll try some other seasonings. But seriously. This is the first time we've EVER had a 5 star meal. And it was so easy. Can't wait to do this again!!

                                      

Last Moments of Summer

School year has started, but the warm weather is sticking around and I couldn't resist picking up a dozen ears of corn from the roadside stand this weekend.

First, there was the kayaking. Thanks so much to Dad for inviting me out, it was very nice to spend some time on the water telling fishing tales and enjoying the sunshine. Feels like it's been way too long since I had a day like that.

I picked up the corn on the way home - I've driven past that stand at least a dozen times in the last month or two and always think I should stop. Finally I stopped.

We picked up a saxophone for Shelly. Every single one of us tried it out. This is going to be a great new thing in our house this year, more music, I can't wait to see where she takes it...

We came upon a movie night solution that made everyone happy. Some of us watched on the small screen with headphones, the rest watched the big screen. Thanks to wi-fi movie streaming and a headphone jack splitter, we all got our way. I'm sure glad that Archer was sitting close so I could grab his arm at every scary moment as we watched, there were more than a few of those!

Archer helped host a Court of Honor where all the scouts in his troop were presented with the merit badges they've earned over the last few months. He had no trouble standing in front of the crowd and telling about his camp experiences, along with performing in a couple of skits for the parents' entertainment.Way to go Archer, you've got 4 more badges to your name!

Finally, we got around to that corn. Eli and I went after that sweet corn and I just listened while he told me his strategy for the best way to get the leaves off. And identified the good ears and the bad. And talked about every single thing that came into his head during those 20 minutes that we sat out on the porch together. Priceless.

The kids finished out the day with tons of chasing around outside. They came in hot and hungry and tired. So summer continues, even as the school year marches on.

Brand New Favorite - Mini Chicken Pies

I ordered a little calzone dough press and got busy looking up recipes. When the little dough press arrived, I realized just how very small it is. It would make a dumpling sized pasta about three inches tall. Too small for any plans I had. Returned.

Still, I was anxious to try one of the recipes I'd found, kind of. I actually took a recipe I found online, modified it a bit, bought some pie crusts from the store and today, went to town.

Ingredients (From Betty Crocker, plus some extra seasonings)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all purposed flower
2 cups carrots, onion and celery
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
a few shakes of Italian seasoning, oregano and a pinch or two of nutmeg
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup cream or milk
1 lb cooked chicken
2 packages refrigerated pie crusts
1-2 eggs, beaten

Instructions
1. Butterfly the chicken breasts and season with salt, pepper, oregano. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, or until done. After cooled, dice or shred chicken into small pieces.
2. Heat oven to 425. Place pie crusts on counter to allow to wam to room temperature.
3. In a saucepan or large skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Stir in flour, veggies, salt, pepper and spices. Stir constantly until mixture is bubbly and veggies are soft.
4. Remove from heat, stir in broth and cream/milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken, remove from heat.
5. Roll pie crust on well floured counter, until thinned as much as possible without creating holes/tears. Use medium sized bowl to trace circles on the pie crust. Use a spatula to transfer circles from counter to baking pan (line baking pan with parchment paper).
6. Place about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture into each circle. If it's very runny, wait a few minutes - as the filling cools, it will thicken. Fold the circles in half and press the edges together. Make two slits in each pie.
7. Generously brush egg wash over each pie, do this 2-3 times per pie as the egg soaks into the crust. Dust each pie with a few pinches of salt (sea salt is even better!).
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until pies are golden and crusty.
9. Wait a few minutes before serving, they're super hot!!

Side Note - Make lots and bake only the ones you'll eat today. The rest can be individually wrapped in foil (spray the foil with non-stick spray first) and then freeze. Heat in the oven at 400 for 25-30 minutes at some future date.



This was a LOT more involved than I expected, even with the purchased pie crusts. It took forever. But, it was SO worth it. I only purchased 1 package of pie crusts so halfway through I had to come up with some homemade pie crusts (I've never made pie crust before). Half of the pies were baked immediately. The other half were placed in the freezer to enjoy at some future date.

Why we love it

These were so crispy and warm and wonderful, what's not to love? Eli said "This is actually good. It's like chicken gnocchi soup, but with a crust." And David says it's gourmet restaurant level of cooking. So that's a resounding good review! Archer didn't eat one (he's not hungry) and Shelly's not interested in anything resembling soup. So 3 stars for now. The good news is that we have a few leftovers in the fridge to enjoy for the next couple days.

*Updated - Archer just walked up to me with a pie in his hand raving about how good it is. 4 stars!

   

I had some serious help from Archer and David on this one. So serious that Archer and I both ended up covered in flour by the time it was over. Kind of reminded me of last year's camping trip. Loved the bonding time with the kid who is now taller than me. Thanks gentlemen!

Crock Pot Chicken Gnocchi

I'm desperately trying to be a little more functional this year. Some people have New Year's Resolutions that start on January 1. I have School Year Resolutions that start on September 1. So I'm trying to get my act together and feed my family home cooked meals a little more often than the once-a-month schedule I fell into last year. Too many crackers and ramen noodles for us last year. Shelly helped me put together a meal plan for the school year, and now I'm trying to plan ahead a bit and cook a few times a week.

Enter: Tuesday Crock Pot Meals

First Tuesday was awful, the soup was tasteless, and although the chicken was cooked, the potatoes were not. None of us could eat it.

Don't give up, try again, etc.

Second Tuesday I picked something just a bit more familiar (chicken gnocchi! guaranteed to be a hit!), and it was pretty good. We'll make a few adjustments next time to improve it, but this is definitely a keeper.

Crock Pot Chicken Gnocchi 

originally from Pinch of Yum

Ingredients
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts,
2 cups chopped onions, celery, carrots
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp dried basil
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp pepper
4 cups chicken broth
3 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
2 1 lb packages mini potato gnocchi

Instructions
1. In a skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat, cook onions, celery, carrots and garlic until almost softened.
2. Place veggies, chicken, seasonings, and broth into crock pot. Cook on low for approximately 6-8 hours.
3. Shred the chicken directly in the pot.
4. Add cornstarch mixture, milk, cream and gnocchi to crock pot, stir and cover. Cook another 45-60 minutes, until gnocchi is cooked through.
5. If desired, add more chicken broth as soup thickens. Salt and pepper to taste, enjoy!

Although this involves a bit of prep work, I can do that the night before, then just start up the crock pot on Tuesday morning before I leave for work. I don't really like having to add the gnocchi at the very end and then wait another hour (this makes dinner a little late for us), but maybe I'll explore another way to handle that in the future. (Can I put the gnocchi in the crock pot in the morning? Can I pre-cook it and then add it at the end, but just warm it up instead of waiting for it to cook?)

Why we love it
It's close enough to my tried and true Chicken Gnocchi that all four of us Soup Eaters liked it.