A Casserole Fit for Kings, or Hungry Kids

A better title for this post would be "What to Do When Junk-food Friday Rolls Around, But You're In No Mood to Strap 3 Kids Into the Car to Go Get Food." This is one of the recipes I'd been meaning to try, but never got around to. It's amazing how appealing it was once I realized I had all of the ingredients and could get it on the table relatively quick. 

Chicken and Cheese Anyone?

There's really not much to say about this one other than it's the definition of comfort food. Think of a hot chicken, or ham, and cheese sandwich. Pair it with some chips, or a salad if you want to be healthy, and you have a complete meal. We enjoyed it for dinner and found out that it makes a really tasty lunch the next day. You don't even have to reheat it if you don't want to. How awesome is that!

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Chicken and Cheese Casserole

Ingredients

1 loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1" cubes (I used stale oat bread & just ripped it into chunks)

1 pound deli meat of your choice, sliced in strips* 

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4 eggs

2-1/2 cups milk

2 teaspoons salt 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350deg F (180deg C). Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Toss the bread, meat, and cheese in a large bowl and then place in the prepared baking dish.

In the large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Whisk thoroughly and then pour onto the bread mix. 

Bake the casserole for 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Slice and serve with your favorite sandwich condiments.

*If you want to make a vegetarian casserole then just replace the meat with a mix of your favorite veggies. I'd say peppers and spinach would play well in this case, but go for whatever you like.

N.B. - You can prepare the casserole the night before and let it sit in the fridge so the custard can soak into the bread. Makes for an easy Sunday morning breakfast. 

Necessity and Invention, or Something Like That

Alright, here's my disclaimer. This is what happens when Pancake Friday (a tradition Nana started with the kids when we first got to Australia) meets the end-of-the-month-cupboard. (For those that don't know/remember, I go grocery shopping once a month so by the end of the month the pickings can get pretty lean.) In any case, the kids were all excited for some fluffy golden pancakes like Nana always makes, but then I realized we had no eggs and no milk. So what to do? Risk disappointment by offering them oatmeal or toast? If you could see their giddy little faces you would know this was not an option. So I did what I do best and scoured the Internet to find some kind of happy medium. After some searching and combining I came up with orange flax seed pancakes.

The Makings of a Winner

The Final Product

 The final verdict was a thumbs up from everyone. The kids enjoyed theirs with syrup while I had peanut butter and syrup on mine *yum* And Nana went a step further and had hers with whipped cream. Brilliant! I'd say this one is a keeper and I'll be adding it to the Pancake Friday rotation :)

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Egg-less, Milk-less Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon sugar (I used raw sugar, but you can use whatever you have on hand)

1/4 cup ground flax seed (you could eliminate this if you want, but it gives a nutritional boost)

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup water, or slightly more to get desired consistency

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

butter, oil, or non-stick spray for cooking

syrup of choice for serving

Directions

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Add the orange juice and stir. Add enough water and stir to create a crepe-like batter.

Heat a skillet on medium heat and add a teaspoon of oil. Once the oil is heated, add a 1/4 cup of batter to the skillet. When the pancake starts to bubble on the top and the edges start to crisp up, flip over. 

Give the pancake about another minute on this side and then remove to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter until you're done.

Serve the pancakes with a syrup of your liking or a dusting of powdered sugar. Enjoy!

N.B. - To make my apricot syrup I used about a quarter cup of apricot jam and thinned it out with hot water to syrup consistency. Really simple and quick, but very tasty.

It's Been Awhile

Alright, first off I must apologize for the long stretch between posts. It's been a busy few months for us with some major changes going on. After some serious planning and doing, I'm glad to say we've now moved to Australia! Yes, "we come from a land down under" <hehehe>

So you can see why it's been so long since I last posted. But now that we've gotten a bit more settled I'm going to get back to posting more frequently. So to start things off on a good note, and to beg forgiveness, I'm coming back with a sweet treat.

One one of our excursions we visited Dandenong Market. I can't begin to tell you how awesome it was, so you'll just have to check it out yourself (link). I spaced and didn't take any pictures of the market itself, but here's a snap of the minions enjoying the experience.

Ok, back to the food... While we were shopping I decided to go out on a limb and picked up 2 bunches of rhubarb. I've always wanted to try to make rhubarb pie, but always found a reason to wimp out. But at $2 I couldn't resist the pull so I decided to finally go for it.

Like I said, I was planning to make a pie, but after a certain set of little people ate half the strawberries I decided to try something else. We had a few mangoes that were super ripe plus some oranges so after some mixing and mingling, I ended up with a mango rhubarb crumble.

The consensus was that this is definitely a keeper! The tangy rhubarb paired wonderfully with the sweet mango. And the crispy crumble was literally the icing on the cake. Unfortunately we didn't have any ice cream so we made do with chocolate covered granola bars *yum*

So give the recipe a try, even if you don't have rhubarb. Just use any of your favorite fruits and be ready to indulge in a warm bowl, or in my case a cup, of yummy goodness :)

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Mango Rhubarb Crumble

Ingredients

For the crumble topping

     1-1/2 cups oats
     1/2 cup sugar
     1/3 cup flour
     3/4 tablespoons cinnamon
     pinch of salt
     5 tablespoons olive oil, or canola oi

For the fruit filling

     1 bunch rhubarb, diced
     1/2 cup sugar
     2 oranges, juiced and zested
     3 mangoes, diced

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together the oats, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the oil until you have a crumbly mixture.

In a large saucepan, mix all of the filling ingredients. Cook over a medium flame until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes or so. While the filling is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 deg F (180 deg C).

Pour the fruit into an 8"x8" baking dish and sprinkle crumble evenly over the top. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the crumble is a golden brown.

Serve warm with ice cream or custard...or even granola bars. Enjoy! 

Well Beginnings

Ok, not sure if I ever mentioned this, but a while back I signed up to be a Mom Ambassador for a really cool program called Green Moms Meet. As an Ambassador, I get the opportunity to sample natural/healthy products as well as share said samples with friends. In return, I just have to provide feedback on the products. Not a bad deal if you ask me. It's a win/win for everyone!

So, for this particular sampling opportunity I was chosen to write a blog post about my experience with the Walgreens Well Beginnings line. My kit included Size 4 Jumbo Diapers, Sensitive Wipes, Baby Wash, & Pediatric Electrolyte solution. We had a chance to try the diapers and wipes, but not the baby wash or electrolyte solution. I tend to buy baby wash in bulk so we're still going through a rather large bottle. Based on everything I've read about the Well Beginnings baby wash & our experience with the other products, I think we will like it as well. As for the electrolyte solution, hopefully no one is in need of that too soon, but it's always good to have it around just in case.

Well Beginnings Sampling Kit

First up, the diapers. You might be wondering why I got a package of size 4 diapers. Well, long story short, a certain little man is diligently resisting potty training & cloth diapers are no longer an option since he eats like a grown-up so we have to buy disposable diapers now. To be fair though, he's getting better & there are days where he will keep his diapers dry for the whole day so maybe there is hope for us after all. Back to the Well Beginnings diapers though. The first thing I noticed about the diapers when we put them on was the excellent stretch through the sides. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to put on a diaper & pulled the  tabs only to have them rip right off. What a waste of a perfectly good diaper *sigh*  But we've gone through about 15 so far & not a one has given me a problem *yay* On top of the stretch, the diapers feel very soft. I've tried some other brands that literally crunch when you squeeze them. All I can think is how uncomfortable that would feel rubbing up on my bum *ouch* We even experimented & little miss used a few of the diapers with no ill effects. Despite me having to fold them in half so they'd stay on, she had no leaks or anything after a full night's rest. Which to me is amazing as I've seen her completely soak through some other brands of diapers before. On top of that, we had no diaper rash or anything. This makes Well Beginnings the third brand of disposable diapers she can wear now. Hooray for more choices!  Did I mention that the regular price for a 31ct package of size 4 diapers is $8.99? Compare that to some of the other name-brand diapers & it's definitely a cost savings. So, throw that in on top of the quality of the product, and Well Beginnings diapers are definitely an option we'll be looking at next time we have to stock up on diapers.

Since we tried the diapers I figured we might as well try the wipes. I've had a container of "inexpensive" wipes that we're working our way through & the Well Beginnings wipes surpass them in every way possible! The wipes are so nice & soft that the first time I used them on little miss she actually stopped squirming for a change. It was like she was thinking, "What is this wonderful sensation I'm feeling?" <hehehe> They're nice & thick so cleaning up messes was not a problem. Unlike my other wipes where I have to use 2 or 3 for a single diaper change, I typically only use 1 Well Beginnings wipe per diaper change. It also helps that they're hypoallergenic & alcohol free so there's been no irritation for little miss. She's quite sensitive when it comes to anything that touches her bum so I'm always on the lookout for products that agree with her. At $2.39 for a 72ct package, it's definitely worth it.

All in all, I had a good experience with the Well Beginnings line. I can honestly say that had it not been for this sampling opportunity I probably wouldn't have tried these products. You know what they say, ignorance is bliss. But now that I know how well they perform, I'm planning on purchasing them in the future. Hooray for economical options!

So, that's it for my first Moms Meet blogger review. I hope you enjoyed the honesty & learned something new!

Oh, before I forgot...here's the requisite disclaimer. Gotta love the legal stuff ;-)
I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meets blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Another birthday...another birthday dinner :) Li'l man was on a roll with his birthday requests this year. 

     Me: "What do you want for your birthday dinner?" 
     Him: "Cake!" 
     Me: "Well you can have cake for a treat, but you need to have some real food first. So what do you want to eat before the cake?"
     Him: "Hmm...how about crackers cheese & jam?" 

Yeah, I convinced him to have pizza instead ;)

Well that was actually the pre-birthday celebration so I was racking my brain to see what special dish we could have for the actual birthday dinner. Thanks to Facebook (and Aunt Tony) I was inspired to try a recipe for brown sugar garlic chicken. I tweaked it a bit and came up with some finger-lickin' good chicken. Both boys had seconds and li'l miss kept trying to steal chicken off my plate. This meal was definitely a WINNER, WINNER...CHICKEN DINNER!!!

Happy Birthday

The brown sugar made for a nice crisp skin on the chicken & the pan sauce was so good I used it as a dip for the potato chips. And yes, those are homemade potato chips. Mommy went all out *yay* Top that Wendy's nuggets & fries...yes, that was his request too <hehehe>

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Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried herbs (I used a rosemary mix)
1 teaspoon olive or canola oil*
2 chicken leg quarters

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375deg F.

In a small bowl, mix the garlic, sugar, herbs, and oil to make a rub. *If it seems a bit dry, just add a little more oil.

Place the chicken into a roasting pan or baking dish. Rub the mixture over the chicken, making sure to coat both sides. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until the juices from the chicken run clear.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

"Can we have pancakes?" That's the question I hear every birthday weekend from a certain little sir; and like a doting mommy, I always make said pancakes & cut them into cute shapes. Not sure why though as no one ever notices that they've just inhaled a teddy bear or a star. In any case, this year I decided to try something different. I had 2 sweet potatoes on the counter & that got me to thinking, "hmm, I wonder if he'd like sweet potato pancakes? Hang on, is there such a thing as a sweet potato pancake? Surely there must be." So after searching through my cookbooks & the usual websites, I did some combining & came up with an awesome pancake. 

Breakfast Fit for a (Little) King

Add some cheesy scrambled eggs & brown sugar bacon, and you have an amazing Sunday breakfast. Heck, this would make a good dinner too. Leave off the bacon, like I did, an it's a perfect Meatless Monday meal. So give it a shot & let me know what you think!

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Sweet Potato Pancakes

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, grated

2 tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat to make it a bit healthier)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

oil for frying

Directions

Place all of the ingredients, less the oil, in a large bowl & mix thoroughly.

Heat 3 - 4 tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.

Add a heaping tablespoon of the potato mixture to the pan and flatten into a thin patty. Fry for 5 minutes per side, until pancake is crisp and golden brown. 

Place the pancake to drain on paper towel lined plate. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture.

Let the pancakes cool slightly and serve warm. 

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Kedgeree, or Mikie's Version Anyway

You're probably wondering what exactly is kedgeree. Here's a description courtesy of Wikipedia, my go-to knowledge-base repository. Yes, I said repository...I'm making use of those SAT word lists every day ;-)

Alright, back to the kedgeree. As usual I was trying to think of a quick meal for a manic Meatless Monday, because although I have monthly meal plans there are days when I'm just strapped for time courtesy of the minions keeping me busy all day long. In any case, I went through all of my cookbooks & came upon this simple recipe. Rice, eggs, and seasoning...what more could you ask for! Well, there was some fish involved, but since a certain island boy doesn't eat fish that gets omitted by default.

I'm happy to report that the meal was as quick as the cookbook's title suggested, "The Best Ever 20 Minute Cookbook." I tweaked it a bit of course, but the end result was very yummy. There were no complaints from the penny section and the boys even had seconds. So all in all, I'm giving this one a thumbs up!

My Kedgeree

P.S. - Please pardon the picture. I wasn't going to blog about this one, but then I changed my mind so I took a quick snapshot after I had it in a bowl to go in the fridge. Better that than no picture at all though, right...right? :-)

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Kedgeree
Ingredients
2 cups brown rice
4 cups water
1 chicken bullion cube
4 eggs
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp Chinese five spice
salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions
Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot. Once the water is boiling, add the bullion cube and rice. Stir and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow the rice to cook for about 45 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed and it is cooked through. Make sure to keep the lid cracked so you don't have a boil-over. (Just trust me on that one.)

Alternately, you can cook 2 cups of your favorite rice using whatever method works best for you.

Meanwhile, place the eggs in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Cook for 6 - 7 minutes. Once the eggs are done, drain the water from the pot and fill up with cold water. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, shell them and cut into a large dice. (Don't worry too much about an exact size.) Set aside.

After the rice is finished cooking, melt the butter in a small pot (or microwave-safe bowl) and add the spice, salt, and pepper. Add the butter mixture to the rice and stir to combine. Next add the eggs and stir gently, taking care not to mash the eggs. 

Serve immediately and enjoy!