Day 15: Macaroni and Cheese

This is the recipe we tried in Texas with Angie. She found it on Pintrest and thought it looked like something the kids would like. Once we followed the link, we realized that it was actually a Paula Deen recipe which meant that some major substitutions were going to have to be done if we wanted my dad to eat it. He is crazy about eating healthy so Miss Paula Deen isn't exactly his favorite chef. Therefore, we went low fat on the sour cream, milk, and panko breadcrumbs.

We had a ton leftover and heated it up for the next day. There will be two ratings in order to represent how we felt about the mac and cheese each time we ate it.

Here is the link to the recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/the-ladys-cheesy-mac-recipe/index.html

Kitchen Play by Play: When we measured out the 4 cups of cooked macaroni we decided that it didn't look like enough, so we added another 1 1/2 cups. Because of the addition of macaroni we chose to add double the sour cream, a few more tablespoons of milk, and another cup of cheese. The kids helped with all the mixing and really enjoyed watching the cheese melt into the noodles. We chose to add panko because we like a little crunch. The kids had a blast sprinkling the breadcrumbs on top of the casserole. We did not top it with additional cheese though. It did bake for exactly 40 minutes.

The second day we spread the leftovers onto a cookie sheet and baked it at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. We grew up on second day crispy Kraft Mac and Cheese out of the oven, so we figured this would be pretty tasty.

This is a day one picture:

The Verdict:
Nicole: Day 1: It was pretty dry except for the bites that had sour cream shooting out of the noodles. It could have used more flavor too. I'd give it a 3. Day 2: It was dry but in a crispy and delicious kinda way. It reminded me of those fried mac and cheese bites that all the chain restaurants serve now. I give it a 5.

Austin: Ate it, but didn't devour it. He did not like the crunch. He gives it a 3. On day 2, I gave him some before we put it in the oven and heated his and Peyton's in the micro. Again, he ate it but wasn't overly excited about it.

Peyton: She ate it on day one, but not on day 2. She was too busy consuming every berry in the house to realize that there were other things available for her to eat.

Angie: Day 1: "It was good.Needs a little bit more flavor. We used mild cheddar for the kids, maybe a stronger cheese next time." She gives it a 3.5-4. Day 2: "Great and toasted." She gives it a 5.

Dad: Day 1: He gives it a 3. "The flavor wasn't there, and it needed to be crunchier." Day 2: "Excellent. Fabulous." He gives it a 5.

Day 14: Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

We're back! We had an amazing time in Texas. We went to zoos, the rodeo, Bonkers(a massive play area), the park, the children's musuem, the Cowboy's stadium and ate until our tummies hurt. We even cooked while we were there, so look for that blog soon.

Tonight though we needed something quick, easy, and edible for the kids. They were both ready for bed by 4:15 tonight, but Austin was beyond exhausted. He was like Goldie Hawn in Overboard, " Ah ba ba ba." If we had a barrel full of water on our porch, I would have dunked him in it. He was that tired.

Dianna gave me two great children's cookbooks, so I decided to try out a recipe from the Rachel Ray Yum-o Family Cookbook. Since both of my children would lick a shoe if it had peanut butter on it, I figured this would be a guaranteed crowd pleaser. It also was the winner because I actually had all the ingredients in the house. I haven't grocery shopped yet since I got back, and I also had 36 eggs from Costco($3.49) that needed to be used.

PB and J French Toast
8 slices whole grain bread
4 Tbs PB
4Tbs Jelly
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teas vanilla extract
4 Tbs butter

Directions:
1) Make 4 PB and J sandwiches
2) Beat eggs, vanilla and milk together
3) Dip sandwiches into egg mixture and let excess drip off
4) Use 1 Tbs of butter on hot griddle(med heat) per sandwich. Cook sandwiches until golden brown(3-4 minutes per side)
5) Serve with syrup

Kitchen Play by Play: Paul was actually the one who cooked with the kids tonight. He is the french toast master in our house. He made the sandwiches and did not measure out the PB or the jelly, and Peyton helped him measure out the ingredients for the egg mixture. She then helped him stir it. He did not use any butter on our non-stick skillet and only needed to keep the sammies on there for about 2 minutes per side. I made cheesy scrambled eggs to serve with the french toast. We were eating 12 minutes after we started preparation.

The Verdict:
Nicole: It was good. I feel like next time I would put more PB and J on the bread. I wanted it to be more gooey than it was,but,overall, it was tasty. I also feel like it is a better alternative to plain french toast because the kids are getting some protein from the PB. I give it a 3.8.

Paul: He gives it a 3.5. " I like Pb and J. I like french toast, but I don't really like the two together. The jelly with the french toast and the syrup didn't really work out for me."

Austin: Stayed awake for it which is saying a lot given his state of exhuastion. He ate half a sandwich and a few bites of eggs. He said he gives it a 100.

Peyton: Ate the whole thing. She would eat PB and J for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I let her so I'm not surprised she loved it. She would give it a 100 too, I think.

** I do think I am a fan of this cookbook. Look for more recipes this week coming from good ol' Rachel Ray!

Day13: Calzones

This is from a kids' recipe book I forgot I had called The Magic Kitchen Cookbook by Disney. I'm not a huge fan of the book because a large majority of the recipes are not even really recipes. It's a lot of "how to make a turkey sandwich" kind of recipes. But, my kids love pizza, and I thought they would have fun making their own calzones.

The kids and I are off to Texas tomorrow to visit my dad and Angie for a week. There may be one or two posts if we decide to cook at home, but most likely we will be on a break next week. We will be eating BBQ, amazing NY pizza, Tappy's yogurt, the best guacamole and frozen pomegranate margaritas on the planet, and all of our other Dallas favorites.

Cheesy Calzones
3 oz Canadian style Bacon
13.8oz pkg Refrigerated Pizza Dough
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1 cup shredded Mozzarella
1 Tbs skim milk
1 Tbs Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Dice Canadian bacon(about 3/4 cup)
2) Unroll pizza dough and divide into 6 rectangles
3) Fill each calzone with pizza sauce, mozz cheese, and Canadian bacon and fold one side on top of the other side
4) Brush each calzone with milk and sprinkle with Parmesan
5) Bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes
6) Serve with warm pizza sauce

Kitchen Play by Play: Extremely easy. The worst part for us was the attempt at folding over the dough and sealing the calzones. They did not exactly come out as triangles, but I hoped they would stay taste the same regardless of their shape. We popped them in the oven for the full 14 minutes, and they came out perfectly.

The Verdict:
Nicole: I'm pretty sure I have never met a pizza that I didn't like, and this recipe was no exception. It was very good. I'm most excited about the flexibility of this recipe. I can add veggies, pepperoni, etc to make it different each time. I give it a 4.

Paul: " When you get a bite with sauce, cheese and ham, there is a ton of flavor." He ate two. He gives it a 4.

Austin: Ate all but the end crusts. He said they were too crunchy. He ate the entire middle portion though. He gives it a 4.

Peyton: Ate it ALL! Literally every last bite. She took down an entire calzone by herself and a large portion of green beans. Based on this, I'll be making it once a week :) She would give it a million, I think.

Day 12: Peanut Butter Chocolate No Bake Dessert

Top 5 reasons I chose this recipe tonight:

5) It's a Pintrest recipe, and I have been talking about trying a recipe from Pintrest since I joined 4 months ago and still haven't. It is actually from the Taste of Home website though.
4) It's no bake. End of story. I do not bake, but LOVE dessert so this was a no brainer for me.
3) I was at the movies today with the kids and hadn't thought about what I was going to make until about 2:00. This seemed easy and quick enough.
2) The kids and I are leaving for Texas on Tuesday while Paul stays behind to work and hold down the fort. So, tonight I wanted to make something he would really love and that would be leftover for him to snack on while we are gone. This recipe has all of his favs:Peanut Butter, Oreos, chocolate pudding, and cream cheese
1) It called for 16 PBcups and Oreos. I don't know about anyone else, but I feel like from October to April all my kids do is get candy, eat candy, get candy, eat candy. It starts at Halloween and doesn't end until Easter. We have sooo much candy and cookies in the house from all the recent holidays that I was looking for any excuse to get rid of some of it. It was seriously therapeutic.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Peanut-Butter-Chocolate-Dessert

Ingredients

• 20 chocolate cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
• 1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 15 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix

Directions

• Crush 16 cookies; toss with the butter. Press into an ungreased 9-in. square dish; set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups.
• In another large bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and remaining confectioners' sugar on low speed for 2 minutes Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in remaining whipped topping.
• Spread over peanut butter cups. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 piece) equals 366 calories, 21 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 22 mg cholesterol, 307 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g protein

Kitchen Play by Play: Austin had a blast unwrapping all the PB cups and crushing the oreos. I personally was a little confused on how to "toss" the butter with the crushed oreos. I just treated it like a crumble and pinched the butter around the oreos. The PB and pudding mixtures were super easy and caused no problems. We put it all together and put it in the fridge for 3 hours. The only negative so far about this recipe is that it did call for a lot of mixing bowls. A lot of dishes to be done :(

The Verdict:

Nicole: I don't really like any of the ingredients separately, but together this was actually really yummy. Crazy, crazy sweet. This is a perfect recipe to practice portion control because it is so sweet that you cannot handle more than just a small piece. I give it a 4.

Paul: He would like me to try and make it next time with less or none of the powdered sugar because he thinks it's too sweet. He still ate it and gives it a 4.5. He says it would probably be a 5 with a little less sugar.

Austin: Gives it a MILLION. He loved it, but also could not finish his piece. You know this is super sweet if Austin can't even finish it.

Peyton: Ate half of her bowl. It was all over her face. She loved it and kept asking for "more cookie."

Day 11: Egg and Sausage Souffle

Confession: I am writing this at 9:45pm after going to a wine tasting with my husband at 4pm and dinner with all my cousins at 5pm where we proceeded to drink 6 bottles of wine between the 10 of us. I should have been cut off after the wine tasting. Therefore, I take no responsibility for any spelling or grammar errors. Tonight I am not a former English teacher; I am a girl who was over served and is very tipsy :)

This recipe is a leave it overnight recipe, so the kids and I actually made it yesterday around 4pm and ate it this morning for breakfast. It is my Aunt Caryn's recipe and has been a Christmas Eve staple at my house for the last 10 years.

Egg and Sausage Souffle
1pkg Bob Evans Pork Sausage Roll
7-8 pieces of white bread, cubed
6 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
salt/pepper to taste
2 cups Milk
1/2 teas dry mustard
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1) Brown sausage until no longer pink, drain
2) Saute green pepper and onion
3) Combine milk, eggs, cheese, mustard and bread together and mix well
4) Add in sausage and veggies. Mix well
5)Pour into 9X13 glass pan and let sit covered overnight(at least 12 hrs)
6) Take out of fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking
7) Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes

Kitchen Play by Play: This was completed in less than 10 minutes. I use frozen veggies which would kill my Aunt Caryn to know, but personally, I cannot tell the difference. The kids helped with all the measuring, and Austin especially loved putting all the bread in the bowl and watching it soak up all the liquid. I took it out at 7:45 am this morning and let it sit for 1/2 hour. It was perfectly cooked and hot after 35 minutes. It stuck a little to the bottom of the pan which I don't remember happening before, but oh well. Next time I'll PAM the 9x13 before pouring the casserole in. We ate it with leftover Monkey Bread.

The Verdict:
Nicole: I don't really do eggs, so for me this is never a huge hit. It tastes fine, but it's just not my thing. I give it a 3.

Paul: " It's good. Never disappoints." He gives it a 4.

Austin: After the first bite, he gave it a 5. However, then he told me he was done and did not want anymore. I'm not exactly sure if this is because he didn't like it or because he had already eaten his weight in Monkey Bread and was full. We'll try again tomorrow morning.

Peyton: No way, Jose! Pretending as if it didn't exist. She ate a Greek yogurt instead.

Day 10: Minestrone Macaroni

This recipe is from one of my bestest friends, Laura. We have been best friends since we were freshman in high school. We have shared everything: clothes, secrets, and even pregnancy, so of course it's only natural that we'd share recipes too. Laura swears by this one pot wonder meal, and I do too. It's so easy and so healthy and is prepped and on the table in less than 20 minutes. The other huge bonus is that it makes a TON. It feeds my family of four three times. I'm sure it would freeze well if you wanted to save some for a later date rather than eating it a few days in a row, but I do not freeze and reheat anything(another one of my weird food phobias). The kids were super tired after a full day at Legoland with me followed by an igloo building class in the backyard from Daddy, so I decided we needed to pack in the protein/fiber to restore some of their energy which is why I chose this meal. BTW: Austin told me that we(him and I) were going to be sleeping in the igloo tonight. I said, "I don't think so, buddy." He replied, " Yes we are. George does, and I want to be just like George." I tried to explain that George was a monkey with a lot of fur, but he wasn't buying it. I asked him if he wanted to play UNO in an attempt to change the subject, and he took the bait. Phew, I was starting to worry that my big tushie was going to have to crawl into that igloo with him just to prove a point about how cold we would be. I may have to call PBS in the morning and have them add a "Do not try this at home" clause at the beginning of Curious George.

Minestrone Macaroni
1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)

2 cans (14 oz each) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained

2-1/4 c. water

1-1/2 c. uncooked elbow macaroni

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

small onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

chili powder (you decide how spicy you want it)

Directions:

1) In large skillet cook beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain.
2) Add the tomatoes, water, macaroni, salt, chili powder, and bouillon. Bring to a boil.
3) Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12 - 15 minutes or until macaroni is tender.
4) Stir in beans and cook til heated through.

Kitchen Play by Play: I have to admit that technically tonight I failed this challenge. I couldn't get the kids to come inside to help me cook. Cooking did not seem as fun as building an igloo with Daddy. So, tonight I cooked alone. It took about 6 minutes total to prep this dish. I only put in 1/2 of an onion because Austin hates them and picks every single one out. I used whole grain penne pasta because I didn't have macaroni. I used about a teaspoon of chili powder and thought that was plenty. I didn't want it to taste like chili since we had chili earlier in the week. Dinner was on the table in 17 minutes. We sprinkle ours with grated Parmesan and call it a day. Everything you need for a well balanced meal is all in one pot: meat, carbohydrate, veggies, and cheese on top.


The Verdict: Nicole: I really enjoy how simple this is to make and clean up. I also find it really tasty. I give it a 4. And, as stated above, we had a lot leftover which makes it a winner in my book because now I don't have to think about lunch tomorrow :)

Paul: He gives it a 3. Didn't have much to say about it, but he ate it.

Austin: He ate almost his entire bowl. He especially likes the garbanzo beans. He asked what they were and I told him that they were beans that gave him lots of energy and helped him go to the bathroom. Within seconds, he was grabbing his tush and running to the bathroom. He is quite the jokster these days. He gives it a 5.

Peyton: She took down every bean and noodle in her bowl, but not one single piece of meat or tomato touched her lips.

Day 9: Chicken Soup(for the soul)

Peyton has an ear infection; Austin is still fighting a cold;and it hasn't stopped snowing since 8:00am. I can't think of a better chicken soup day. This is my mother's recipe and is the only thing that made me feel better growing up when I was sick.

But as much as I love this soup, I can't make it. Not because it's hard or because I'm afraid it won't taste like my mom's, but because it physically makes me ill to think about the fact that the same water that an entire raw chicken was floating/cooking in is the same water that I am drinking in my soup. I know that it's what gives it flavor blah blah blah, but seriuosly it disgusts me. My cousin heather and I have this conversation at least four times a year, and it's never really about the soup itself. It's always in regards to something one of us is making, and we compare it to the chicken soup process. Heather makes chicken soup all the time and sees nothing wrong with salmonella infested chicken floating in her future soup broth. She thinks I'm crazy and doesn't understand my rationale which is why during a recent conversation she asked how boiling chicken and then putting it in a casserole didn't disgust me, but making chicken soup did? Duh, the chicken is cooked when it is put in the casserole. The possibility of salmonella has been eliminated. Now, I understand that the act of boiling kills all the bacteria, but that doesn't mean I'm 100% on board with the soup making process. It still creeps me out. Like I previously stated, I have eaten this soup hundreds of times and survived, so in reality I am being ridiculous for being worried about getting salmonella. However, I have always been able to go by the philosophy, "what I don't know won't hurt me." If I make the soup there would be no denying that this is how the soup is made. I was afraid I would never eat it again if I was the one to prepare it, but my love for my sick children won out over my hatred for raw chicken.

Chicken Soup
Whole Fryer Chicken, no giblets or neck
carrots, peeled and sliced
celery, washed and sliced
3-4 Chicken Bouillon cubes(we use Knor)
Kluski noodles

Directions:
1) Put chicken in large pot and fill pot with water(about 2 inches above chicken)
2) Add 3-4 bouillon cubes
3) Boil for 1 hr
4) Add carrots and celery and boil for 1/2 hour
5) Remove chicken and shred meat
6) Boil noodles according to package directions

Kitchen Play by Play: Oh man. I had to give myself a pep talk while I was filling the pot with water. I added 4 boullion cubes and let it boil away. In the meantime, I prepared the veggies. I then added the veggies while trying not look at all the fat, etc floating on top of the pot. Once it was time to remove the chicken, I started to freak out a little. I had a strong suspicion that this chicken that had been boiling for 1 1/2 was going to break into a million pieces as soon as I tried to fish it out. I was correct. I used tongs and a spatula and still I watched it break in a half and drop into the pot. I used the tongs to fish out most of the pieces and tried to relax. The meat was perfectly cooked and tasted amazing. Because I'm a nutcase, I did strain the soup to get out any remaining bone/skin fragments. Thankfully, there were next to none of these items left in the pot or I would not be partaking in this meal. Typically, my mom keeps the chicken and noodles separate from the broth, but this time I put it all together right before serving. I figured that would be easiest for leftovers. The Verdict:
Nicole: I no longer give a shit about salmonella. I'm willing to take my chances because the soup is that good. It tastes just like mom's and is just what I needed on this snowy day. I give it a 5!

Paul: "Good choice for the first snow storm of the year." He gives it a 4 because he can't put Franks in it. If he could, he'd give it a 5!

Austin: Loved it. He ate his entire bowl except for the celery. He drank all the broth first through a straw and then spooned the rest into his mouth at a rapid rate. He gives it a 5. I told him it would make his cold feel better and after two sips he said, "Mom, it works!!! My cold is gone. See?" Then he tried to suck up snot and couldn't. He thinks it's magic soup.

Peyton: Ate like 5 noodles and then decided dinner was overrated.

Day 8: Monkey Bread

I am in a good mom vs bad mom battle with myself tonight. Good mom: this is by far Austin's most favorite thing that I make. He asks for it ALL the time. I bought Butter Braids from his school fundraiser and when I made one for him, he asked me where the monkey bread was. Butter braids are delicious, and yet it still didn't compare to my monkey bread. He's too sweet!! So, I am arguing that making this for him is being a really good mom. However, Bad mom: Why wouldn't he love this? It's sugar, butter, biscuits and more sugar, covered in sugar. No joke, probably the worst possible thing a mother could feed her children. It is easily a dentist's and dietitian's worst nightmare.

So, you can see my dilemma...good mom or bad mom? Final answer: good mom. Everything in moderation, right? We had grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner and Monkey Bread for dessert!

Monkey Bread
3 12oz packages of Buttermilk Biscuits
1 cup sugar
3 teas cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter*

Directions:
1) Cut biscuits in quarters
2) Mix white sugar and 2 teas cinnamon
3) Coat biscuit pieces in sugar mixture and layer in a fluted bundt pan
4) Melt butter, brown sugar, and 1 teas cinnamon over the stove top and pour over biscuits
5) Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes
6) Let cool for 10 minutes and then turn upside down onto a plate

Kitchen Play by Play: The kids LOVED coating the biscuits in the sugar and were actually really good about not licking their fingers in the process :) They did a great job layering the pieces into the pan too then I took over the rest and all hell broke loose. It was a monkey bread malfunction. I have literally made this recipe 25 times off of the same recipe card and yet, only today did I realize that I Mary Tyler Moored MYSELF. WTF? How is that even possible!!!!!! *Though the recipe is 1 stick of butter, on my recipe card I have 1 CUP of butter written down. I think normally I don't even look at the recipe I just know it's only one stick, but this time the kids were distracting me, and I was just following the card. I knew immediately that something was not right. It was too soupy, so I just added more brown sugar. I figured worst case scenario it would just be a little extra sweet. I put it in the oven and hoped for the best. Then I realized that I never added the cinnamon to the butter mixture. I opened the oven and sprinkled the cinnamon on top. Shit, at this point what did it matter, this monkey bread was doomed. Thirty five minutes later, I took it out and it looked awesome. We very patiently waited the ten minutes, and then I turned over what should have been a glistening mountain of butter and perfectly browned biscuit, but instead watched in horror as the clumps of raw dough fell onto the plate. It took everything I had not to scream SON of a BITCH. The extra butter kept the entire bottom half of the pan from being cooked. The look on my poor son's face was heartbreaking. New final answer: BAD MOM. I picked off a few of the cooked pieces to give to him and Peyton and then emptied the entire contents into a 9X13 pan and put it back into the oven for another 10 minutes. Woohoo, when I took it out it was fully cooked.
Still in the pan. Looks good!
Just out of the pan right before it fell apart.

The Verdict:
Nicole:Clearly, it was not a 5 on preparation or execution. Due to its extra time in the oven, some pieces were definitely overcooked, but the buttery, sugary taste was still there. A past monkey bread of mine would have gotten a 5. Today's is a 3.

Paul: He was at Snowboard/Ski club, so he didn't get to witness the monkey bread massacre.

Austin: Though he was disappointed that he didn't get a huge portion, he still told me how much he loved it and gave it a 100.

Peyton: Didn't like it at all. Like seriously. She gave her pieces to Austin. This made Austin very happy.

Day 7: Chili

Peyton does not do vegetables, but she will eat kidney beans. She especially likes them if they have flavor to them. So, tonight I decided to go with one of my childhood favorites and make my mom's chili in hopes that she would at least eat the beans.

My favorite thing about this chili recipe is how easy it is to make. When I talked to my dad earlier this afternoon, he told me that he and Angie were making chili tonight too, but that they had already started cooking it. Total cook and prep time for his chili is about 4 hours. My recipe takes about 65 minutes total. Super easy, super yummy.

Cathi's Chili
1 lb 80/20 ground beef
1/2 cup diced green peppers, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup diced onions, fresh or frozen
1 Tbs chili powder
2 Tbs water
2 teas sugar
2 teas salt
2 cups whole tomatoes, crushed
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:
1) cook ground beef, drain
2) add all ingredients except beans
3) Cook 1/2 hour on low
4) add beans and cook another 1/2 hour.
5) Add chili powder and water to taste

Kitchen Play by Play: I cooked the ground beef, and then enlisted the help of the kids to add all the other ingredients. Austin and I crushed the tomatoes with our bare hands. It's my favorite part, but Austin crushed three tomatoes before he looked at his hands and said, "I'm done." He went straight to the sink to wash his hands. I always add about 1/4 cup of the tomato juice from the can because I like a juicy chili. I stirred the chili about every ten minutes just to make sure it did not burn. I grew up eating chili over elbow noodles with cheddar cheese sprinkled on top. We also eat saltine crackers with butter on them and scoop the chili mac onto the crackers. We were too hungry tonight, and I completely forgot to take a picture. Sorry :(

The Verdict:
Nicole: This chili never disappoints. I love it. But to be honest, I actually like it better on the second day which is saying a lot because I do not do leftovers. I give it a very strong 4.

Paul: He wasn't home tonight, but based on past chili dinners he gives it a 5. " Good meaty flavor, the right amount of spice, and beans."

Austin: He crushes all his crackers on top of his chili and then eats his entire bowl. He gives Grandma Cathi's chili a 22. He told me he loved it much more than a 5.

Peyton: Mission accomplished. She dug out every single bean in her bowl plus the 20 extra I threw in. She liked the crackers too but wanted nothing to do with the meaty component of this chili.

Day 6: Stinky Pretzels

Austin went on a ten minute tangent when I told him we were making stinky pretzels. Here are just a few of the things I remember him saying, " Stinky pretzels? Why would we eat something that stinks?" "They won't be good because they're smelly." " Dad, you won't believe this; Mom wants to make stinky pretzels!" "They are going to taste terrible." "How do pretzels stink?"

Don't let the name of this recipe throw you off. They may sound gross, but I assure you that they are worth reading about. Paul is the head girls' golf coach at Rolling Meadows High School, and last year one of his golfers gave him a bag of these pretzels. He brought them home to me in a sandwich sized bag, but informed me that they had started out in a gallon sized bag and that after 3 hours this was all that remained. He told me not to be turned off by the name and explained that they were called stinky pretzels. I asked him why he thought I'd be turned off by that considering I call hamburger snacks dog food burgers and still manage to pound those down. Anyway, I tried a stinky pretzel and immediately understood how Paul had consumed three quarters of a bag of them in 3 hours. They were AWESOME. Once he knew I liked them, he handed me the recipe. It turns out that these pretzels are so well received that his student's mom actually staples the recipe to the bag because everyone always asks her for it. The recipe is from the Chicago Tribune, and is part of a cute little article about a granddaughter who used to eat these with her grandmother and how it has been a family recipe ever since. The author of the article thought the story was worth telling and the pretzels seemed too interesting not to try. So, she makes them and is floored as to how tasty they are. She even tells the readers not to stray from the recipe at all as far as brand, portion, etc. In one weeks' time she played with this recipe and made 5 batches, all of which she ate, but admitted that none compared to the batch that followed the recipe verbatim.

So, even though these could not be any easier to make; my husband loves them; and I enjoyed them too; until today, I had never made them. Here's to hoping I don't disappoint my wonderful husband and my very skeptical son.

Stinky Pretzels
2 16 oz bags of small pretzel twists
1 1oz envelope(powder) of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix(Original)
12 oz of Orville Redenbachers' Popcorn Oil
1 teas garlic powder
1/2 teas lemon pepper

Directions:
1) In a small bowl, stir together dressing packet, garlic powder and lemon pepper.
2) In a VERY large bowl, add pretzels, the popcorn oil, and spice mix. Blend well.
3) Every 15 minutes for 1 hour stir preztels making sure to scrap the bottom each time.The preztels will absorb the majority of the popcorn oil during this time.
4) Place the pretzels on a paper towel to drain excess liquid.
5) Place in zip lock bags for 6-8 hours to meld.

Kitchen Play by Play: Seriously, like 1 minute total prep time. Austin measured and mixed the dry ingredients and made sure to let me know that he thought it smelled very bad. I had a 16oz popcorn oil, so I measured out 12 oz and mixed it all together. We mixed the bowl more like every 8 minutes because we were incredibly inpatient and were dying to try them. We may have sneaked a few :) We still gave it the full hour though. I emptied the pretzels onto paper towels and made sure to use a rubber spatula to get every last drop of the remaining oil mixture out and spread it around the pile of pretzels. The two most difficult parts of this recipe are 1) finding a bowl big enough. I used my salad spinner bowl, and it was perfect! 2) Waiting for them to be completely done. There is no way in hell that they are going to sit in the bag for 6-8 hours tonight. As I'm typing this, I am eating them off of the paper towel. In fact, the author of the article admits that her pretzels never made it to the "zip lock and set" stage either. I didn't take a picture because they just look like pretzels...little pretzels of deliciousness that is.

The Verdict:
Nicole: Can you guess? I haven't exactly tried to hide my obsession for these pretzels. I give the recipe a 5!

Paul: He came into the other room and asked me why I didn't double the recipe. He has consumed about 50 of them already. He gives the pretzels a 5!

Austin: Suprisingly, Austin didn't even hesitate to try one. He loved them! He was still chewing his first pretzel when he shouted, "It's a 5!" But then he said, " Wow, my breath is stinky."

Peyton: She licked all the seasoning off and then handed Paul the plain pretzel. It's going to be hard for me to watch her throw away pretzels once she has licked all the yummy goodness off of them.

** Thankfully, we all love them because now we can still hug and kiss each other without worrying about being called stinky.

Monte Cristo Loaf

Tonight, I went into my recipe box for one of my guilty pleasure recipes. When I was younger, I would always choose a monte cristo sandwich if we were eating at a greasy diner or breakfast joint. It was basically a ham, turkey and cheese sandwich but instead of bread it was french toast. Then they added strawberry jelly and deep fried it to get it all ooeey and gooeey. It was sprinkled with powdered sugar. It was to die for. I mean, really, what was not to like? I can almost guarantee that consuming that entire sandwich, which I did, was probably three days worth of calories and fat, but I was like 12 so I didn't give a shit. Now, however, I would have a really hard time ordering this sandwich because I know that I have no self control and would end up eating the whole thing and hating myself for it later.

So, when my mom made me this "less terrible for you" version, I was crazy excited. It is super easy and totally satisfies my craving for the sandwich. The reason I added it to this challenge is because, though I have tried on numerous occasions to give it to him, Austin has never touched a piece of turkey or ham in his life, and I wanted to see if I could trick him into eating it with this yummy recipe.

Side Note: This is great for entertaining. I have served it to guests several times. I have made it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's great with some scrambled eggs and some fresh fruit!

Monte Cristo Loaf
2 8ox pkgs crescent rolls, rolled out into 4 rectangles
6 oz deli honey turkey, sliced thin
6oz deli honey ham, sliced thin
60z Munster cheese, sliced
2Tbs butter, melted
2 Tbs honey
1/2 cup red raspberry preserves or any jelly
sesame seeds(optional)

Directions:
1) On a non-stick cookie sheet, roll out crescents into 4 rectangles pressing the seams together. Make sure that there is plenty of space between each row so they don't cook into each other.
2) Mix butter and honey together and then brush it over the dough
3) Bake for 8-12 minutes at 375 degrees
4) Let cool for about 10-15 minutes
5) Layers: crescent, turkey, crescent, ham and cheese, crescent, jelly, crescent
6) Brush honey over the top and sprinkle sesame seeds(optional)
7) Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cheese melts at 375 degrees

Kitchen Play by Play: The crescents rolled out great, and Austin brushed the honey mixture all over the dough with his cute little basting brush. It was in the oven for the full 12 minutes. Of course, two of my rectangles molded together, but I just slide my rubber spatula between them to break it apart. It was already 5:30pm which is really late for the kids to eat, so I cheated and only waited like 5 minutes for the crescents to cool. To be honest, I really don't understand why you have to let it cool anyway if it is going to go back in the oven. Mom, care to comment? I bought my turkey at Jewel, and it was sliced perfectly, but my ham was from Costco, and it was much thicker of a slice then it should have been. Also, since it was in a bulk package, I had to guesstimate what 6oz was and I think I went a little heavy on the ham. I used strawberry jelly to make it more kid friendly and left out the sesame seeds. It went into the oven for 15 minutes. I sliced a piece for the kids and noticed that the ham row was still a little cold, so I put the rest back into the oven for Paul and I. After 5 minutes, I checked again and it was luke warm, but the top crescent was starting to look a little too brown to keep it in the oven any longer. Lesson learned: no more buying ham from Costco when making this recipe.


The Verdict:
Nicole: I love it. It's the perfect balance of sweet and salty. I actually like it better than the restaurant version because it is not as heavy or greasy. I feel less guilty about it especially when I grab a second piece! Even though it should have been hotter, I still really enjoyed it. I cannot wait to heat it up for lunch tomorrow!!! I give it a 5.

Paul: Said it was hard to eat because it is tall, but also said that it was sweet and tasty. He gives it a 4.

Austin: Shocked the hell out of me and ate all the lunch meat out of his and Peyton's and didn't touch the crescent or the jelly part. It baffles me, but hey I'm tickled pink. Mission accomplished. He gives it a 4.

Peyton: Ate like 4 bites of the crescent with jelly on it and then proceeded to sneak the meat to Bella, our dog. Based on her fondness of the crescent, I think she'd give it a 3.

Day 4: Abby Cadabby's Disappearing Strawberry Muffins

After two nights of disappointing dinners from this cook book, I decided to pick a breakfast recipe instead. I announced last night that today would be Elmo and the gang's last chance to prove they have what it takes to be a part of this challenge. Shape up or ship out.

My kids are HUGE breakfast eaters. They will nibble on lunch and usually choke down dinner, but they will devour breakfast. They would sit at the table for an hour in the morning eating if I continued to shove food in front of them. They love yogurt, scrambled eggs, cereal, fruit, and cold pizza for breakfast. But they would live on any type of breakfast carbohydrate:pancakes, waffles, french toast, and especially muffins. There are a few muffin recipes in the book, but I chose this one because Peyton will ,and normally does, eat her weight in strawberries or "stra-la-las" as she likes to call them. Thus, Abby was given a chance to dazzle them with her muffins and restore my faith in this cook book.

I am bad mom. I just told you how much Peyton loves strawberries, and I refused to buy strawberries for this recipe. One pint was $4.00. Normally, I would think of nothing to spend that kind of money on something I know my kids will eat. However, seeing as though we have been severely disappointed by each recipe that comes from this book, I have a hard time buying $4 worth of strawbeerries that could very well end up in the trash. I read the substitution suggestions for these muffins, and they listed strawberry jelly as an alternate filling. SOLD!


Abby Cadabby's Disappearing Strawberry Muffins

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas baking soda
1/4 teas salt
1 cup low fat plain yogurt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 lg egg
2 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line muffin tin with paper liners
2) In medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
3) In large bowl, use a rubber spatula to stir together the yogurt and oil. Then stir in the egg until well blended. Stir in flour mixture until just mixed. Fold in strawberries.
4) Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake 20-25 minutes

Kitchen Play by Play:
We started baking at 7:45am, and the muffins were in the oven by 7:58. I thought that was pretty damn quick considering they were made from scratch, the kids were helping me, and I had yet to have my first cup of coffee and ,therefore, was still a little out of it. The kids had a great time measuring out all the dry ingredients. They are getting to be pros at measuring and dumping the contents into the bowl. Since past meals have lacked flavor, I bought vanilla yogurt instead of plain yogurt. I figured it would give the muffins a little more flavor and sweetness. Once we added the wet ingredients to the bowl, I was immediately depressed. This batter looked like paste. I could have turned the bowl upside down, and the batter would not have moved. Any muffin, cake,or cupcake I have ever made has always been a liquid base; so I was not at all convinced that these muffins were going to bake correctly. Since we still had fresh blackberries, I split the cement, I mean batter, in half and folded the blackberries in one batch. I then used the other batter to fill the muffin cups 1/3 full, added some jelly, and topped them with more batter. I made six of each type of muffin. They went into the oven for 21 minutes.

The Verdict:
Nicole: To my surprise, my muffin was actually very moist on the inside. That is all it had going for it. I chose a blackberry muffin, and when I took a bite with a berry in it, it was good because I could taste the berry. A non-berry bite was not good at all. It had absolutely no flavor and tasted like I was eating a bowl full of grain. To be honest, I'm getting a little sick of the cornmeal and whole wheat flour. Why are these needed in every recipe in this book? I understand that they are healthier alternatives for the kids, but it makes everything taste nasty. Abby was right. The muffin did disappear...right into the garbage. I give it a 2.

Paul: After his first bite, he looked at me and mouthed, " These are not so good." He thought they were dry and crumbly and the flavor was only where the strawberry jelly was. He gives it a 2.

Austin: He chose a strawberry jelly muffin and ate the whole thing. He said that, "abby makes good muffins." He asked for a second one but then got distracted by Peyton playing with his toys in the other room and left the table. We went to the zoo today, and on the way home he asked if we could have strawberry muffins as a snack when we got home. Apparently, my son and I have completely different ideas as to what good food tastes like because everything he has loved I have hated and vice versa. He said he gives it a 5 and was very confused as to why Paul and I gave it a 2.

Peyton: She took one bite of a blackberry muffin and then asked for yogurt. I tried to offer it to her again, and she just stared at me as if I was speaking a foreign language. I think she would have picked all the blackberries out if I would have left it there, so maybe she would give it a 1.

**Though Austin has eaten and enjoyed two of the three meals from this cook book, everyone else in the family struggled to choke it down. Therefore, beginning tomorrow we will be exploring other recipes to include in this challenge. I'm thinking that I will probably pull out my Rachel Ray 30 minute meals cook book because I figure that if it only takes 30 minutes to cook, it should probably be relatively simple to prepare and kid friendly. We shall see.

Day 3: Elmo's Chicken Pot Pie

It's January, so when I planned my menu last week I thought a pot pie sounded like the perfect winter meal. Today it was 60 degrees outside when I left the Dupage Children's Museum which is not exactly a pot pie kind of a day. However, I had all the fresh produce, and I didn't want it to go bad; so even though it was definitely more of a chicken on the grill kind of a day, I made the pot pie.

I have never had a pot pie. I don't do creamy food. But, Peyton is a bread lover, and I thought that I could maybe disquise the five different vegetables in this dish under the biscuit and she would fall for it. Stay tuned to see if she did.

Tonight's blog though is not about how good the food was or how easy the prep was, but how many one liners Austin busted out during today's cooking process. He was on fire.

I am going to try to use the pictures of the recipe rather than type them out tonight. If it's hard to read, please tell me, and I will go back to typing it all out :)

Kitchen Play by Play: The majority of the vegetable mixture was prepared by me since it was a lot of chopping and cooking on the stove top. The kids helped measure out the liquid ingredients, and they helped break up the mushrooms rather then slice them. Austin pulled up his stool, excited to help, took one look at the mushrooms and said, " What are those? They look very icky. I'm not eating them." I told him that they are really good once they are cooked. He shrugged and pulled the mushrooms apart very diligently. Peyton had no problem with the mushrooms and ripped away at them like a champ creating perfect little pieces. The most exciting part of this recipe for me was the long overdue return of the Ziploc Steam Fresh bag. I forgot how much I loved these puppies. I only needed to cook one chicken breast. You cannot beat 3 minutes in the micro to get a perfectly cooked boob. The other two uncooked breasts will go on the grill for lunch tomorrow. Once we began making the biscuit dough the kids were the ring leaders. Austin used his small whisk to stir together all the dry ingredients without any issues. Then came the butter. I had to use 2 tbs to get it to form a crumble. Both kids really enjoyed this part. Austin took this job very seriously and used his little fingers to pinch all the butter into the flour. Peyton really enjoyed putting her little hands into the bowl, grabbing a handful of flour, and sprinkling it all over the top of my arm. She thought she was pretty funny. It kinda was. Once we added the wet ingredients to the bowl, Austin asked to stir. This time though he told me that he had to stop stirring because, "his muscles were not big enough for this job." Where does he come up with this stuff? We did choose to add the Parmesan cheese to the dough to give it some extra flavor, and then the kids took turns plopping the dough onto the filling. Into the oven it went for 30 minutes. Within ten minutes, the smell of pot pie was wafting throughout the house. I was getting pretty excited about my first pot pie experience!


The Verdict
Nicole: The biscuit was crunchy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. A drastic change from last night's dough. The biscuit was also really yummy. Salty and cheesy. The filling was pretty bland. It needed salt and pepper. Some of the larger pieces of potato were not fully cooked, but they were still edible. This was way better then the enchilada pie, but I was really hoping to LOVE it since it was my first ever pot pie. Since the filling lacked flavor, I give it a 3.

Paul: " It was okay. The biscuit had a lot of flavor. The filling had no taste." After three bites without it, he invited his BFF Frank to the meal. Paul gives the meal a 4.

Austin: Upon first bite, he said, " Elmo is a much better cook then Rosita." This was very promising since he hoovered his meal last night and rated it a 5. After his second bite, he said,
"I am not going to eat as much as I did last night." On his third bite, he said, " I'm not eating this. There are vegetables in it. Gross." Paul sprinkled some Parmesan cheese on top of it at this point, and we got two more bites out of him. He gives it a 2.

Peyton: Didn't look at it, touch it, or acknowledge it in any way. She was crazy overtired and just wanted to sit on my lap and scream about every little thing. However, once Paul brought out the cheese, she screamed until he shook some into an empty bowl for her. She then proceeded to spoon grated Parmesan cheese into her mouth. Hey, at least she ate something, right?

** Austin begged for a banana instead which then made Peyton scream for a banana too. So, before I handed them their bananas I told them both that tomorrow night they were going to eat what was on the table for dinner instead of rummaging through the pantry for an alternative. I then asked if they understood and Austin's reply was, " well, are you going to make something good?" The line itself is funny, but without hearing the tone of his voice you cannot get the whole effect. Though we tried to keep a straight face, within seconds we were laughing hysterically. The kid had a point. This recipe book was not exactly cranking out mouthwatering recipes. Tomorrow morning we are going to give a muffin recipe a chance, and, if it fails us too we are tossing this cookbook to the curb.

** This is not cooking related, but too funny not to mention. Both kids were way overtired and fought bedtime tonight. Peyton spent about 5 minutes yelling in her crib(not crying, yelling). Austin kept yelling for me too. I went in to see what the problem was and, he told me that he couldn't fall asleep because "Peyton is yelling, and she is organizing me." Organizing=antagonizing. He is something else.

Day 2: Rosita's Beefy Enchilada Pie

My family hearts tacos. Big time. Therefore, when I saw a taco like recipe I thought it would be right up our alley. The kids were super excited to cook again, and so was I until I showed Austin the recipe and picture of what we were cooking and he said verbatim, " That does not look good(pause) AT ALL." My heart sank. It's only day 2 and already he doesn't like something. I told him that we were still going to make it and that maybe it tasted better then it looked. He agreed. Fast forward to the step where we needed to mix the meat mixture. Austin spoke his peace again, " This is disgusting looking." SHIT, he's right. With a smile, I again reminded him that it would probbaly taste really yummy when it was finished, but really I was thinking, " my god, this looks like what Bella hacks up when she eats too fast." Needless to say, my expecations for beefy enchilada pie were not too high.

Rosita's Beefy Enchilada Pie
Prep Time:30 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes

Double Corn Crust:
1 8oz can sweet corn, drained and rinsed
1 tbs olive oil
2/3 cup finely ground cornmeal
1/2 teas salt
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Filling:
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 sweet green or red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 teas salt
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 14oz can of diced tomatoes with onion and garlic or jalapenos

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9 inch deep dish pie plate or shallow casserole.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the corn, oil, cornmeal, and salt.
3. Add boiling water to the bowl and stir to mix well. Stir in the cheese. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Use a rubber spatula to spread the corn mixture evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan to form a crust.
5. Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool slightly.
6. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute 3 minutes. Add the peppers and saute 2 minutes longer. Stir in ground beef and salt. Cook, stirring often, until meat is browned. Set aside to cool slightly.
7. In another large bowl, mix the beans, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup cheese together. Stir the cooled meat mixture and pour into pie plate. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
8. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Kitchen Play by Play: The kids made the entire crust themselves except for the step with the boiling water. Austin did an excellent job stirring it all up, and Peyton was a pro at pressing it down. We put it into the oven to bake, and the kids played while I chopped, sauteed and cooked the meat mixture. I chose a red pepper because Austin picks out any green item he sees in his food. Last week, while eating pizza he spent five minutes digging a piece of oregano out of the sauce. It was hysterical. Once I was finished cooking the meat mixture, the kids mixed the final ingredients together before we put everything together and saw how absolutely unappetizing it all looked. I questioned at that point how this was ever going to remotely taste good especially since the mixture was runny and ,therefore, would surely soak the crust. Peyton sprinkled the cheese on top, and I popped it in the oven with my fingers crossed. It was done in 25 minutes, and to my surprise it looked really good.


The Verdict:
Nicole: Sweet Jesus. This was by far one of the most inedible things I have ever created in my kitchen. The smell: Bad. The taste: Bad. The way it looked once it was on the plate: Bad. The texture: BAAAAAAAAAD. I don't know what I was expecting from a cornmeal crust, but I was not expecting a mushy mess. It was like polenta but mixed in with a whole lot of other non tasty stuff. I don't get why it did not taste good though. I love all the ingredients in this recipe, but put together this was just not Kosher. I literally took one bite. I ate a PBJ after the kids went to sleep. I give it a 0.

Paul: "Lacked texture, decent flavor." He took one bite without Franks Red Hot sauce so he could accurately rate the recipe, but then doused the rest of it. He told me that he liked the meal, but, " if a shoe had Franks on it, he probably eat that too." He gives it a 3.

Austin: Very, very skeptical at first. We always tell the kids that they need to try at least one bite. I figured that was all we would get out of him. He took his required bite and said, " I don't like it. I LOVE it." He ate the whole bowl within 3 minutes, but not before he dug out half the onions. I explained the rating scale to him, and he gives it a 5. Later he said, " no, a 7!"

Peyton: Like mother, like daughter. She wouldn't even look at it. I tried to feed her a bite and her lips went on lock down. I managed to get her to eat like 10 black beans out of her bowl. I told her she wouldn't get a treat if she didn't eat dinner. She looked right at me and said, " Mommy, no treat" and got down from the table. She gives it a 0 too.

** All in all, as much as I loathed everything about this recipe, my goal was to get the kids to eat things they normally wouldn't eat and in Austin's case he certainly did.

New Year, New Challenge: 30 Days of Cooking with the Kids

It's been a year and a half, and I am back in my cooking rut. Gone are the days of cooking beef stew, casseroles and homemade soups. Polish sausage, store bought pasta sauce, and tacos are as gourmet as I get these days. In my defense, my lack of cooking is mostly due to the fact that when I do cook homemade meals my children stick their tongues out at it and ask for Easy Mac instead. I adopted the philosophy, "Why cook if no one is going to eat it?" I feel like a horrible mom for saying this, but it's true. I hate spending an hour in the kitchen preparing dinner and watching all the food go straight off their plates and into the garbage. It saddens and upsets me.

So, when my dad asked what to get the kids for Hanukkah, I asked him to get them kid friendly cook books and kid sized kitchen utensils. My theory is that maybe if the kids help me prepare the food they will be more likely to eat the food regardless of its ingredients. They got two cookbooks(Sesame Street: B is for Baking and Better Homes and Garden: New Junior Cook Book) and the most adorable kids baking and cooking sets from the Martha Stewart Collection at Macys. When the kids opened these gifts my brother, Eric, immediately said that I should blog about the kids' cooking expeditions. I was excited and touched that my brother remembered that I had blogged and figured if he enjoyed reading my blog maybe others did too. So, here I am.

Since they will basically be ruling the roost, here are some updates on the kids. Austin turned 4 in November. He is crazy about dinosaurs, bugs, and anything Disney. He makes me laugh everyday with the stuff that comes out of his mouth. He is seriously one of the smartest kids I know and not just because he is mine :). He loves helping around the house, so I am hoping that he really takes to this challenge. Peyton turned 2 in September. She is ALL girl and a total drama queen. She adores Austin and basically follows him around all day and mimics everything he does. She is obsessed with the kitchen. She is constantly taking her stool from the bathroom and bringing it over to the kitchen counter to see what I am doing. They are both such amazing kids, and I cannot wait to start this challenge and create lasting memories with them.


Day 1: Circus Waffles with Cool Whip and Blackberries

We had an amazing play date today with Dianna, Maggie and all the kids. The kids spent 4 hours running around, laughing, and eating. To say that they were tired when we got home would be a huge understatement. Therefore, I knew we needed to eat something fast and something yummy because they were going to be in bed EARLY, and I didn't want them going to bed hungry. I wasn't quite prepared to start the challenge tonight and did not have any of the ingredients I needed for the recipes in their cookbooks, but I did have the adorable circus waffle maker that my beautiful and wonderfully generous co worker, Barb, sent us for Christmas. I figured, " What's more kid friendly then elephant and lion shaped waffles?" I quickly went on allrecipes.com and found a fast and 5 star recipe for waffle batter. And, Viola..the challenge began.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.
2. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

BEST PART: You can keep leftover batter in the fridge tightly sealed for up to 48 hours!!! Or you can make it the night before for a quick homemade breakfast. We have about 8 waffles worth leftover that I will use for breakfast tomorrow. I think I may add apple to it as an added bonus.

Kitchen Play by Play: The kids were ecstatic about using their new bowls and utensils. They both washed their hands, rolled up their sleeves and pulled their stools up to the counter. I decided to put everything in the blender to make it easier for the kids. I cracked the eggs straight into the blender and whipped them for about 45 seconds. They each have their own set of meauring cups and spoons and took turns measuring out all the dry ingredients into their medium sized bowl. It was freakin' adorable. I dumped the dry bowl into the blender and then measured out all the wet ingredients. I lifted them each up so they could pour it into the blender. They each pressed the button on the blender and got a kick out of the noise. Within 2 minutes we had the perfect consistency. They helped me clean up and put away all the ingredients. Then I sent them into the living room to play while I made the waffles. I had preheated the waffle iron when we started preparing the batter, so it was good and hot. I sprayed it with Pam and each set of waffles took about 1 minute to cook. I gave both kids 3 waffles(1 of each design) and topped them with coolwhip and fresh blackberries. Side note: Costco had blackberries for $2.99 for an 18oz container. This is a ridiculously good price especially since they were phenomenal! No picture tonight because I wasn't sure I was starting the challenge until about 30 minutes ago, but starting tomorrow there will be visual representations of our masterpieces!

The Verdict:
Nicole: They were so yummy. They were light and fluffy. I think in a Belgium waffle maker they would have been out of this world. This particular waffle maker was designed to make thinner waffles which is perfect for the kids. Adding the cool whip and blackberries made this feel like I was at a five star restaurant eating Sunday brunch. I give it a 4.8.

Paul: Had snowboard/ski club tonight. He will weigh in on future recipes though.

Austin: He ate all three of his and only one of the waffles had cool whip on it. He ate the other two plain. He gives it a 5. He did not, however, enjoy the blackberries. He is more of an apple man.

Peyton: She went straight to the blackberries. Ate about 10 of them before she even noticed that anything else was on her plate. She then looked over and saw me putting a piece of waffle, a blackberry, and a dip of cool whip on my fork and insisted on having a fork as well. She then proceded to copy my strategy and take down 2 of her 3 waffles. She doesn't really understand the rating scale, but based on her nearly empty plate I would say that she gives it a 4.5.