Top Twenty

I'm always on the lookout for new recipes.

I don't know about you but I get into major menu ruts. Whenever I can, I ask others what they've been making lately OR I steal a peak at their refrigerator menu slip. Real stealthy.

Here are 20 of our favorite dinnertime meals. Maybe they'll generate some ideas.

And then, you can add a few of YOUR favorites to my comment box...pretty please. :-)

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in no particular order...

1. Baked Potatoes with Fixin's (sour cream/ranch dressing, diced ham, shredded cheese) & Salad
2. Potato Corn Chowder with Crusty Bread *I posted a recipe for this 10/16/09 but have since changed it. Maybe a future repost.

3. Taco Soup with Cheese, Sour Cream, and Whole Grain Tortilla Chips

4. Beef Barley Soup (recipe) with Crusty Homemade Bread

5. Roast Beef with Mushrooms (recipe) with Mashed Potatoes or Rice *I also really like SHORT STOP's Roast recipe. You can find it here. I don't have lemon pepper seasoning (not sure why) so I leave this out and just add a tsp. or so of lemon juice to the broth later on. And I don't always do the mirepoix (aka carrots, onion and celery mix) if I'm making another vegetable side. Don't be impressed with my French--I googled it.

6. Homemade Meatballs (sandwiches or with pasta) and Salad *I recently started making my own meatballs. Hmmm...maybe that'll be an upcoming post.

7. Slow-Roasted Barbecued Pork (sandwiches or with potatoes)

8. Homemade Stromboli with Spaghetti Sauce for dippin'

9. Moroccan Chicken with White Rice, Cucumber Salad

10. Creamy Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms (recipe), Pasta & Salad

11. Bourbon Chicken (recipe) with Honey-Glazed Carrots (recipe) and White Rice

12. Mediterranean Baked Chicken Wings, Fresh Veggies and Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing

13. Meatloaf, Garlic Scalloped Potatoes (recipe) and Corn

14. Hungarian Goulash & Bowtie Pasta, Cucumber Salad (recipe)

15. Almond-Crusted Tilapia (recipe) with Veggies and White Rice

16. Baked Enchiladas (Chicken or Beef)

17. Baked Chicken & Wild Rice with Craisins and Almonds (recipe)

18. Chicken Tetrazzini with Baked Apples and Carrots (recipe)

19. Chili (recipe) with Corn Bread

20. Smoked Sausage with Sauteed Veggies and Orzo (recipe)

Suggestions?

Got milk...defrosting on your counter?

Yep. You heard me right. We're alittle wierd in this household.

Pete has his raw milk. And the rest of us drink pasteurized, homogenized, hormone-free milk from a local dairy store (but because it's 30 minutes away we buy it in bulk and free it). Oh, and did I mention it's in plastic 1/2 gallon sleeves?

Now. My quandary.

STORAGE.

Preferably glass, 1 gallon capacity, wide-mouth, screw-on lid (or something that can be used/cleaned repeatedly), and somewhat easy to pour from.

Anyone know where I might find something like this or does it not exist?

Wordless Wednesday

No Joke

Unless he's cutting teeth, my boy is serious about his food.

And that is a huge blessing, even if clean-up afterwards is also no joking matter.

Crockpot Granola

I recently posted my own CRUNCHY QUIZ just for kicks.


How fitting that I recently gave this recipe a try. It has quickly become a household favorite, so I thought I'd share it. It comes courtesy of my friend Stephanie Yoder--I'm not sure if it's her own creation or something passed along.


It is super easy, healthy, AND requires no bending over a hot oven door to stir, only to spill it everywhere! Or am I the only one that does that?


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4 c. old-fashioned oats
3/4 c. slivered almonds
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. oat bran (or wheat germ, ground flax seed...)
*dried fruit (optional)

Sauce:
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. honey
1/8 c. pure maple syrup
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Measure dry ingredients (except fruit) into crockpot.
2. Bring sauce to a boil, stirring, then pour over dry ingredients and mix to evenly coat.
3. Vent lid with a chopstick and cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
4. Spread onto wax paper to cool completely before storing.

*Dried fruit should be added after cooled.

**THE ONLY CHANGE I MADE: stir more frequently during the last 20 minutes, just so none of it blackens.

Makes about 9-10 cups.

The Things They Say...

Natalia's going to have some competition in the SILLY SAYINGS department I think. Adam is adding new words every day it seems, and while we still hear some incoherent babble, we're understanding more! He's turning into quite the character!



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Recently, Natalia has made similar remarks as we've been crossing over the Susquehanna River bridge or driving along a high ridge that looks down and out over a large area of farmland. "Mama! I can see the whole world from up here! LOOK--there's Belgium! And over there is California!"

(Belgium is where Uncle Tek lives, and California is where Uncle Ryan and Aunt Sarah live.)





A few weeks ago while we had a patch of warmer weather, we grilled up some hamburgers. As we were at the table eating, Adam pointed to the jar of mayonaise and said, "DA-DEES MAN-NAZE?" (For those of you not familiar with Pete's love of mayo, let's just say he considers it a food group. He couldn't have been more proud of his son in that moment. LOL.)





Other things Adam is pointing out to us and saying:

FWOWER (flower)

DACK DOOR (tractor)

BUS

CAW (car)

HEE HAW (what a donkey says)

GACK (what a duck says)

HONEY (he called Natalia this the other day bc I call Pete, "Honey")

DAH-YAH (Natalia)

IT HORT (something hurts)

I YEE YOO (I see/hear you!)

EE-YI-EE-YI-OO (when he's "reading" a book, or to mimick us spelling something we're trying to talk about in disguise)

PWEEZE (please)

DA-DOO MAMA/DADDY/DAH-YAH (Thank you, Mama, Daddy, Natalia)

DOOZ ME (Excuse me)

IT YOO! (when pointing to a picture of himself)



And his favorite sentences:

HORSEY, BARN, NIGH NIGH (The horse is in the barn, going night-night.)

I HON-GWEE! (I'm hungry!)

Bourbon Chicken

I found this recipe online somewhere months ago, and have been anxious to try it, but Jim Beam bourbon whiskey is not something I usually have on hand. :-P



I found a small (8 oz.) bottle of it for $5, a good size considering that the recipe calls for a few tablespoons, and I didn't want to make a return trip if we really liked the dish and I'd make it often.



We really liked this dish and I will be making it quite often!!!



IT COULDN'T BE EASIER!!! It is an excellent way to use up all of the legs and thighs I have in my freezer. Those cuts are always the last ones remaining, despite our family enjoying the dark meat as much as the white. I just don't have many different ways to prepare bone-in chicken.



Let me know if you give it a try!


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4 chicken quarters (4 legs and 4 thighs)
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. light soy sauce
4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
4 Tbsp. bourbon whiskey
4 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. dried minced onion, (or 1/8 c. raw onion, diced fine)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic


Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a 9 x 13 baking dish, then put in the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Turn the chicken occasionally to marinate on all sides.


Preheat oven to 350, then bake the chicken, uncovered, in the marinade for 1 hour, turning every 1/2 hour. (The chicken we raise is more muscular, so I baked it 1-1/2 hours.)


Makes 4 servings.

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Juicy and delicious! A perfect balance of sweetness and spice.
We like this with rice and honey-glazed carrots.