The Littlest Chef

Jayden was a huge help in the kitchen this weekend. I previously blogged about the casserole day here, but she also helped me make homemade salsa (from The Pioneer Woman) and nachos. As a neat little side note, adding lime juice and lime zest to meat while cooking makes for amazing nachos, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, chili, etc. :)

Look at her holding her pink spatula at the ready.

She was happy to announce that the meat was ready to go in the enchilada nachos.

I went ahead and jarred the leftover salsa to put in the freezer.

This is totally random, but Spencer worked so hard on his Valentine's for school and then I told him he was supposed to put the message on the outside, not the inside. :)  We had to go back through, peak inside at the names, and rewrite the names on the outside sticker... so much fun!

So, how was your weekend?

Casserole Crew

Tammy, my very dear friend, and I decided to start having casserole days. I am heading back to work, after enjoying some maternity time with Jayden, next week and wanted to do something to make the transition a little easier (plus, now Steen and Spence have easy dinner options if I have a "mommy hates working" meltdown). Tammy is the mother of three, one year old twins (Pierce & Anna) and an adorable three year old with special needs (Asher). She is busy, she never has time to relax, and she needs to to have some "easy" nights. A casserole making day (which I read about somewhere online) seemed like the perfect solution.

The Plan: We decided to each bring supplies to make 2 casseroles, which we would split in half and share. Tammy made ham & onion quiche and chicken divan. I made sweet potato chicken casserole and lasagna. Oh my word, it was a fun morning. We were supposed to start at 9 am but, since I was up until 2 am with a wired baby, I slept through the alarm and got to her house, minus most of my supplies, at 9:45. I had to make a trip home for the missing items and then we were underway.

Ok, I love to cook, but I have to confess that there are times when I feel like I am missing out on fun social time because I am in the kitchen. This morning, it was a social girls day as well as a productive, time and money saving activity. The twins were wandering around looking adorable, Asher was watching Dr. Seuss, and Jayden was chilling in a chair, or being snuggled by whichever mom wasn't stirring the hot meat.

Asher loves Dr. Seuss and he copies the characters while watching "The Cat in the Hat".

This is just the most adorable thing.

Anna recently learned to work a zipper and now thinks she is a male model for a bodice ripper.

Pierce is channeling Lionel from Peanuts.

Jayden is just a little American Sweetheart.

:) I finally got a picture of Anna wearing a headband.

Pierce too.

They are just too cute (Asher is absent from this picture 'cause he was taking a nap).

Me and my girl. In case you're wondering, I always wear bandanas when I am working. It's not a fashion statement or a gang thing... I just want the flyaways to stay out of my eyes.

She smells amazing and snuggling her is the most wonderful sensation.

The Outcome: I came home with 4 meals (6 or so counting leftovers) that I can freeze for those nights when I am stressed, tired, and just need to throw something edible on the table. We decided that next time we'll each bring stuff for 3 casseroles. :) Anyone have any great recipes that they want to share?

Sweet Potatoes & Poached Eggs

Yummy and easy breakfast.

What you need:

1 sweet potato, diced

1 onion, diced

1 red potato, diced

olive oil

dried dill weed

kosher salt

pepper

herbs de provence

eggs

How to make it:

Dice the potatoes and onion and throw in a pan with one tablespoon of olive oil. Add 1 tablespoon of herbs de provence, 1 teaspoon of dill, as well as a pinch of salt and a few turns of freshly ground pepper and saute until the onions are clear and the potatoes are nicely crisped.

While you are cooking the potatoes, boil water in a shallow pan and add some vinegar. Once it has boiled, turn down the heat. Crack an egg into a small bowl and then stir the water and gently slide the egg into the water, repeat (you can cook two eggs at a time) and set the timer for 3 minutes. Once the time goes off, scoop out the eggs, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add to the plate. Add a serving of the potatoes and enjoy. This feeds our family (Steen, Spence, and I) so alter recipe accordingly based on how many you will be serving.

Great Recipe

I made this recipe, brussels sprout hash with eggs, for dinner tonight and the boys and I loved it. It is yummy, healthy, and filling. I found the recipe on heatherchristo.com. I wish I would have remembered to get a picture but instead, above is the picture of her success. If you like brussels sprouts, you'll enjoy this recipe. (I added garlic powder and kosher salt to the shredded brussels sprouts as well as to the onions as I was cooking them and I only used 1 tbsp of oil when cooking the sprouts, I didn't need it for the onions). Enjoy!