And sometimes it flops...

I made cookies the other day. Cake mix cookies which are easy and delicious. But as I was pulling the second batch out, this happened...

I grabbed the pan but missed with the hot pad. So I jerked to adjust so I wouldn't get burned and I dumped the whole thing everywhere!

This is just what was in the oven. There was more on the oven, on the floor and smooshed on the cookie sheet. What a mess!

Here's the heap of cookie disaster. Good thing they're easy or else I might have been really mad.

Tostadas

A while back I was scrambling to get the menu made, again. Kev suggested we try tostadas. I'm not a huge fan of corn tortillas, but I thought we could give it a whirl. He always eats what I cook without a single complaint, so I thought it was only fair to take and try one of his ideas.

Now, they are one of my favorite go-to meals. We eat these all the time. They are so quick and easy and we usually have the ingredients on hand. Even my mom, whom we lovingly gave the nick-name of 'food-snob', likes these.

Start with tostadas, refried beans and shredded cheese.

Assemble like so and put them under a broiler until they are bubbly and melted, like so.

My boys don't like tostadas. I don't know why, they are just picky eaters and just don't. So they felt left out when their dinner wasn't being photographed. So here is one of their lovely bowls of mac and cheese, straight out of the box.

Here is our delicious dinner. A bit better than mac and cheese and just about as easy. We topped ours with what we had on hand. Tomatoes, olives, green onions and corn. But you can do whatever you like. Put all your favorite things on top and then dig in!

Easy Garlic Cheese Rolls

I saw someone do an onion cheese roll, with swiss cheese. It looked good, but I don't love swiss cheese, so this is my version.

First you set out 12 frozen rolls. Let them rise for a bit, so they aren't frozen anymore, but not totally risen either.

Then brush them with melted butter. You could roll them in butter, but I have a hard time not smashing the dough, so this is easier.

Then sprinkle cheese over the top. We like the bag of pre-shredded Italian cheeses. It gives a lot of good flavor and makes it super easy. Again, you could roll, but, this is easier.

Then sprinkle lightly with garlic powder. I've also thought about mixing garlic into the butter, but that requires a bit more effort and I usually makes these when I am in a hurry, and this is easier.

Then let them fully rise. Bake them at 350 for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Don't worry that the cheese fell off a bit. When you bake them, all that cheesy deliciousness is on the bottom and sides.

Here's what they look like finished. As you can tell, we ate before I remembered to get a picture. They are that good.

Corn Chowder

I got this recipe from Judy, my mother-in-law, and I think she got it from ABC 4. I've made a few adjustments to fit my family, but it is still one of our favorite meals.

What's this you ask? My boys, especially Ty, cannot handle even the smallest piece of onion or celery. So I put them in my food processor and make them unrecognizable. Still giving us the flavor and veggies, but too small for Ty and Jordo to know they're there.

Careful though. Chopping onions this finely causes a lot of tear-producing juices.

Here's the veggie mush added into my pot where I was crisping my chopped bacon. Here's another of my switch-ups: I don't like cooking bacon. I feel like that is all I can smell on me and in my house for days after. So I use the pre-cooked, microwaveable bacon and add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil for the base.

Yet another weird picture. I've cracked a blender before putting the hot soup so I pre-heat my blender with warm water so there isn't the hot-cold shock.

Blend some of the soup to thicken it up. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups, but I like to do a lot more. Just go until you like the consistency.

And here is dinner. Served with this easy to make fresh baked bread, it was just what this cold spring day needed.

Corn Chowder

4 slices of bacon, chopped

4 T flour

1 sm onion-diced

2 celery stalks- chopped

6 cups corn kernels

4 1/2 cups milk

2 cups chicken broth

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 T butter (I don't use this)

salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon over low-heat til crispy. Add onions and celery, cook til tender. Add flour and stir til smooth. Add milk, broth, corn, potatoes, salt and pepper. Cook, covered over medium heat until potatoes are fork tender. Puree 1 1/2 cups of soup in a blender and then add back into the soup. Add butter and stir til melted. Garnish with scallions if you'd like.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Since I decided to start this blog on an impulse, the first few posts will just be what was already on the menu.

This one is actually from The Pioneer Woman. To get her full post and instructions, which is quite detailed, click here.



I boil my noodles first and then while they are in the strainer, I use the same pan to make the sauce. Anything that makes clean-up faster, makes me happy. Since this is Macaroni and Cheese, the recipe calls for macaroni, but my boys get to pick whatever pasta shape looks the most exciting to them. Today it was rotini.


This is the started sauce. I added a bit of ground red pepper for a kick, and I think next time I'll add a bit more. Also, the original recipe calls for whole milk, which I am sure adds to the creaminess, but for the health factor, we use skim, and it seems to taste just fine.

Here's the tempering of the egg, which you will want to do. I wouldn't think scrambled eggs would compliment this dish much.

After the sauce is thickened, carefully add the noodles back into the sauce, or like I did, you'll drop some onto the floor, then step on one. Ty, my four year old, quickly reminded me that the recipe didn't say to put a noodle on my shoe. Thanks. I top my finished meal with seasoned bread crumbs and then put it in the oven to give it the baked taste and texture. If you are lucky, you'll have time to color a few pages with some cute kids while it bakes. That always makes waiting a bit easier.

For full recipe, follow the link at the beginning of the post. Enjoy!