No way my child will be a picky eater!....oh ok.

Am I the only parent that is over the creative ideas to get your kids to eat? I read so many articles about “Kid Friendly Meals” and my son more so than my daughter is not eating ANY of these things. It's either too "adult like" or too cutesy cutesy and I am not up for doing it. Do we really want our kids to only want to eat food that is cut into stars and hearts? A smiley face pancake is one thing but sometimes it’s so over the top.

My friends and I have all types of eaters, the ones that eat veggies but no meat, the ones that eat fruit but no veggies, the ones that love to dip everything in something and those that want it all super plain. One thing we all have in common is that we all have made the speech that we are no ones short order cook or that no child of mine will get their own meal different from the rest of the family or we will also eat every meal together and NEVER in front of the TV! Clearly we don’t seem to have as much control as we thought we would. Add it to the list of parenting things not going our way. Of course I also know some kids that eat everything. Their parents usually claim that it's because they eat what the parents eat and offer no options. The key is not to waiver. What's for dinner is what's for dinner. And to those parents- WHATEVER! You lucked out, trust me you don’t hold the key to getting your kids to eat everything so stop judging the rest of us! …yes I am a little bitter.

The best advice I ever heard is to keep offering it. So I put a little of my tomato salad next to his mac and cheese, or a new fruit with his pb and j in the hopes that sooner rather than later my children will eat everything. And instead of dreading mealtime I will love every minute of sharing recipes, planning the week’s menu and preparing our meals with my little ones. Until then- let the battle continue and the non stop screaming, "PLEASE take one more bite!!" This week however we did have a little breakthrough of sorts. A turkey and cheese sandwich, strawberries and celery sticks!! He used to eat these things when he was younger but stopped and wanted nothing to do with them. It was like Christmas morning for me. We are practicing lunches for kindergarten. Yes kindergarten!

Here is an article that I did think wasn’t bad. Some healthy ideas that my kids may actually go for.

http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/feeding/healthy-eating/the-20-best-snacks-for-kids/#

 

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad - From Alice at Savory Sweet Life

This is my go-to summer salad. Fresh, full of flavor and easy peasy. Think of this the next time you need to bring a salad to a BBQ. My favorite food blogger- Alice from Savory Sweet Life posted it and her pictures blew me away so I included one. Thanks Alice!

http://www.savorysweetlife.com/

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad

 Recipe Type: Side Dish

 

Author: Savory Sweet Life

 

Serves: 4-6

 

A simple but flavorful recipe for Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad.

Ingredients

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 8 ounces fresh “mini” mozzerella pearls
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 18 basil leaves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Add the cherry tomatoes and mozzerella cheese to a medium bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes and mozzerella. Add the basil, salt, and pepper, and gently toss all the ingredients.

 Enjoy!!

 

Two of my favorite comfort foods which are perfect for this cold wintery weather.

My mac and cheese is my wonderful, amazing, fantastic cook, Gram Rae’s recipe. After she passed I started to make it from memory and this is what I came up with. Wow that was 14 years ago. I have realized over the years that we are very similar cooks. She used to prepare the entire Thanksgiving meal. Now I know why, she wanted everything exactly as she imagined and likely thought her recipe was the best for the things she wanted to prepare.  I will admit that I have been known to do that. I get it Gram.

Mac and cheese

1 1lb elbow noodles

1 lb American cheese (I use Land O’Lakes yellow American from the deli)

8 oz sharp shredded cheddar (I use Sargento)

3 cups milk (add more if needed)

2 tablespoon butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Put on a pot of water to boil the pasta. At the same time combine the milk, butter and both cheeses, salt and pepper in a sauce pan. Reserve a little of the shredded cheddar for the top before baking. Keep the temperature at medium low heat. Melt the cheese and the milk until slightly bubbling, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to boil over.

When the pasta is done pour it into a baking dish. If it is glass or ceramic, no need to grease the pan. If it is metal I would grease it with butter. Pour the cheese sauce over top. If there is not actual sauce in the pan stir in a little more milk until it is creamy and sitting in a little of the sauce. Sprinkle with the reserved cheddar cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 for about 30 minutes. Until the top browns a little and the edges and corners are bubbling.

 

This is my own recipe for meatloaf that I think I have perfected over the years. I like to make it for people that think they don't like meatloaf. My rule is that I don't use too many breadcrumbs. I want it to taste like a juicy burger not mystery meat.

 

Meatloaf

2lbs of ground sirloin

1 red bell pepper- chopped

1 small Vidalia onion- chopped

¼ cup of breadcrumbs (eyeball it)

2 eggs (beaten)

Ground cumin

Salt and pepper

Chop all vegetable and combine. You can use a green pepper but I find the red is nicer because it is slightly sweet and mild. When adding the cumin be generous. It offers a nice smoky flavor and you need more of it than you think.

I bake my meatloaf in a baking pan. I shape in into an oval shape and cover with foil. Bake it at 350 for about 45 minutes. I take the foil off for the last few minutes to let it brown.

These two recipes would be perfect enjoyed together with a side of some green vegetable. Kale, Green beans, Spinach or Broccoli would all be great.

Enjoy!

A favorite frugal and delicious holiday gift.... the Christmas cookie.

Most people love a bargain when it comes to Christmas shopping. Giving gifts of food is always suggested as a frugal gift. And I think most people really enjoy getting them but grossly underestimate the time and effort that goes into making them.  Especially if you are not a baker yourself.  I am guilty of this myself. I am a new baker. I never really enjoyed it before because the rules and strict instructions made me shy away from it. But then I watched "Julie & Julia" the movie about Julia Child and a food blogger and I gave it a try and love it! So this year I am making my first ever gift of cookies! Yippeeeeeeeee I get to take part in this awesome and FRUGAL holiday  gift and realize how much of a labor of love it is. Speaking of labor of love, I think only 4 of my 7 bosses are getting any. 

 

My mom's recipe that she has made for years and that we all love. It's my first time making them. My mom has been making them for 35 years. This is definitely her famous cookie. Plenty of church events, bake sales, events for all three of her children and colleagues have enjoyed this simple yet delicious cookie.


Cherry Squares

1/2 lb butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 can cherry pie filling
Powdered sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and mix well. Add vanilla and mix well. Add flour and mix well.

Spread onto a baking sheet. It will be thin. Lightly scor into squares. I usually do 6 horizontal and 8 vertical.

Place a cherry into the center of each square.

Bake for 20 minutes, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!