Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Update from Last Week

Okay, its been a few days since I posted and I want to give an update on new recipe successes/failures from the past week.  I hope I can remember everything.  As usual, things did not go according to the plan, BUT, it was okay, because, A) we did not eat out, and B) we ate food that needed to be eaten, like leftovers, or just stuff John and I wanted to clear out of the fridge/freezer.

Sunday, 1/22:  No one was available to eat with after church, so the kids and I picked up Taco Bell on the way home...Emma's choice (since she was the only one awake in the car at the time!).  I think I made sandwiches for supper.
Monday, 1/23:  I put a pork butt in the crock pot in the morning to make Pork Tacos and by 5:00 it was ready...oh, yum, these are dee-licious!!!
Tuesday, 1/24:  We went up to church to play with homeschool friends this evening and we were all supposed to bring our own supper.  I had pizza on the menu, and I made these pizza muffins that I found on Pinterest.  Now, that night when the kids first ate them, they were very "so-so" about them.  I should have known not to ask for opinions on a new food when they were so distracted.  They ate them, but they didn't want to talk about it, they wanted to play.  Anyway, I threw the rest in the freezer and today we had them for lunch.  First of all, they reheated beautifully.  Secondly, the kids LOVED them.  So, that recipe is going into regular lunch rotation!
Wednesday, 1/25:  Tonight I was super short on time so I fixed Hamburger Helper.  I know.  In my defense, the kids like it...in fact, Emma once told me that it was the best meal I ever made!!  I tried not to feel insulted. She doesn't know yet that its basically slop.  However, they did NOT like this one...whenever I do fix it, I should just stick to the cheeseburger or cheesy mac stuff...this flavor was Philly Cheesesteak and it did not go over well.  John summed it up in two words, "Bland-burger Helper!"  Supper fail.
Thursday, 1/26: I tried to redeem myself by cooking a new recipe tonight.  Chicken Roll-ups...I would link the recipe again, but I'll save you.  It was horrible.  The kids didn't like it.  I didn't like it.  John wouldn't even eat the leftovers....you KNOW its bad at that point.  Fail-URE for the second night in a row!
Friday, 1/27:  I felt bad for everyone, having cooked such horrible suppers two nights in a row, so I let the kids have fish sticks and tater tots for lunch on Friday, and that evening we went to our nephew's birthday party at Chuckie Cheese, so I knew they would be happy with that.  Junky processed crap and pizza...what more could a kid want?
Saturday, 1/28:  We had spaghetti tonight.  No brainer.  They loved it, as always.
Sunday, 1/29:  After church, we ALL (John was with us because he now has Sundays off--YAY!!!) went to my parents.  Mom made roast, potatoes, carrots, all the usual sides...it was great.  Grandma made chocolate pie.  Yum, yum, yum yum.
Monday, 1/30:  John cooked tonight.  He made pork chops and mashed potatoes.  It was really good.  Kids gobbled it up.  Jessa kept asking for more chicken although we all told her 10 times it was pork.
Tuesday, 1/31:  Tonight I made chicken and rice.  This is one of our top ten favorites, I think...and it couldn't be easier.  I don't think I've ever linked the recipe, but here it is (because its so simple).  Melt half a stick of butter in a medium sized bowl in the microwave.  Add one can of cream of chicken soup, one can of cream of mushroom soup, one soup can of water and one chicken bullion cube.  Mix together, stir in one and a half cups of uncooked rice.  Pour in a greased 9 by 13 baking dish.  Push 3-4 frozen chicken breasts into rice/soup mixture, cover with foil.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  Uncover, bake at 375 for another hour, or until done.  You can also crank it up to 375-400 for 15 minutes if you like the edges of the rice brown and crispy, like I do!!  Or, if you have more time you can bake the whole thing at 350...or, if you have oodles of time you can bake it at 300 for three hours or so.  Its so forgiving and the kids LOVE it.  Husbands do, too.

So that's it for a week or so.  Tonight we're having sloppy joes because we have to go to church.  Quick and easy, but another crowd pleaser!  I'm going to try something new this week, I'm sure.

I still want to talk about morning routine...soon, I hope.