Sunday is for Supper: crescent burgers, shredded beef tacos, slow cooker breakfast casserole, slow cooker spaghettie sauce italiano

I want to challenge you.  I want to challenge you to sit down and have a meal with your family.  There are so many positive outcomes that comes from just reconnecting with your family over a shared meal.  We were blessed to have the chance to sit down together at every meal today:  breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  It was awesome and a rarity.  During the work week we are usually rushing out the door to work and preschool, and breakfast becomes a grab and go type of event.  Lunch, of course, is on or own at our workplaces and preschool, but dinner is a time for us to be together.  I know this may change as the kids get older and we are pulled in different directions, so realistically for most, would be to sit down together at a meal 2-3 times a week.

When we sit down for dinner, we turn music on and talk about our day.  We all share what our favorite part of the day was.  Tessa loves this and will often look at us and say, "So, what was the favorite part of your day?"  Ry and I are taking a parenting class through church and they suggested playing a game over a meal called, "Sad, mad, and glad."  You take turns going around the table sharing one thing from the day that made you sad, mad, and glad.  We have fun with it and makes for a fun dinner conversation and I think Tessa thinks it's interesting to hear about things that actually made her parents sad and mad.

I hope you have a chance to sit down to a meal together this week!  My wish is that maybe one of these suppers will be one you can make for your family. 

Pinterest has become one of my go-to sites for recipes.  I usually spend part of my weekends scouring the internet and cookbooks for recipes to use for dinners for the week, but pinterest has it all in one place and it has been so fun to find new recipes to try.  Have fun trying these recipes:  crescent burgers, slow cooker breakfast casserole, shredded beef tacos, slow cooker spaghetti sauce italiano.

Crescent Burgers: (thanks to www.budgetsavvydiva.com)  Tessa took one bite of these and threw her arms around me and said, "Thank you Mommy!  These are so yummy!"  No lie, this actually happened.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of ground beef
worcestshire sauce
1 egg
1/3 packet of dry onion soup mix
1/2 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup cheddar cheese
1 roll of crescents

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.  In a skillet heat a small amount of oil and brown meat.  In a medium size bowl mix – 1/2 cup of cheese, onion soup mix, couple drops of Worcestershire sauce, pepper; meat.  Unroll the crescents. Place a rounded tablespoon of the meat mixture towards the larger end of the crescent dough.  Place crescents onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.Brush the tops of the dough with an egg wash ( simply break and egg in a bowl and whisk egg until well blended and 1 tablespoon of water to the mix).  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the egg wash and bake for 10 – 15 minutes.

Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole: (thanks to the http://crockingirls.com)  I love my slow cooker and love when dinner is already done for me when I get home.  I think my slow cooker is too big, but it still does its job.  I think I need to go get a 4 quart one, though.

Ingredients:

1 Package of Frozen Hash Browns

1 Pound of Cooked Sausage

2 Cups of Colby Jack Cheese, shredded

1 Cup of Diced Peppers (green, red, yellow and/or orange)

1 Cup of Sliced Mushrooms

1 Can of Diced Chilis (optional)

1 Quart of EggBeaters (can also use 16 eggs)

                      

Directions:

Spray the slow cooker with Pam.

Starting with the frozen hash browns, layer the ingredients, repeating twice.  Shake the EggBeaters well and pour over the top.  cook on LOW for 8 hours on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

 

Shredded Beef Tacos: (thanks to http://userealbutter.com)  These were a true OMG moment.  These are amazing tacos!  Ryan and I totally stuffed our faces and did it again when we had leftover night!

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs eye of chuck (which is NOT beef chuck roast)
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsps vinegar
2 tbsps fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsps ground cumin
1 1/2 tsps chili powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup beef stock
salt to taste
~ 24 corn tortillas
lettuce, queso fresco, salsa, guacamole, etc. (for toppings)

 

Directions:

Trim the fat and cut the beef into 1 inch thick slices. In a ziploc bag, combine the oil, vinegar, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and garlic. Place the meat slices in the bag, seal, mix it around and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Bring the meat to room temperature. Place all contents from the bag in a baking dish with the beef stock. Cover the dish and bake for 1 1/4 hours (I baked it for 2 1/2 hours) at 350°F. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes and then shred it with forks or process it quickly in a food processor with the plastic dough blade (I prefer the forks method). Salt the meat to your liking. Fry the tortillas lightly in a little hot oil.  Double the tortillas and stuff them with shredded beef, lettuce, cheese, guacamole, and salsa.

 

 

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce Italiano:  (adapted from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

 

Ingredients:

1 pound bulk Italian sausage or ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

2 4-oz. cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1 bay leaf

2 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1 cup chopped green sweet pepper

12 to 16 ounces hot cooked spaghetti

 

Directions:

In a large skillet cook sausage, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat browns.  Drain fat; discard.  In a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker combine undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.  Add meat mixture.  Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.  Stir in sweet pepper.  Discard bay leaf.  Serve meat mixture over hot cooked spaghetti. 

 

553 cal, 23 g fat, 51 mg chol, 1,506 mg sodium, 62 g carb, 6 g fiber, 27 g protein.

 

On the Menu: Grilled Chicken with White Barbecue Sauce, Chicken Fajita Salad, Banana Pecan Pancakes

For this week, I have another fun spin on breakfast for dinner and a couple chicken dinners that will do double duty for you.  The white barbecue sauce has multiple uses-not just for chicken!  I hope you enjoy the recipes!

Grilled Chicken with White Barbecue Sauce adapted from Southern Living 2007 Annual Recipes
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
10 chicken thighs (about 3 lbs)  ***I used thighs and drumsticks.

1.  Combine first 7 ingredients.  Rinse chicken, and pat dry; rub mixture evenly over chicken.  Place chicken in a zip-top plastic freezer bag.  Seal and chill 4 hours.  Remove chicken from bag, discarding bag.
2.  Grill chicken, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350-400 degrees) 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 180 degrees.  Serve chicken wtih White Barbecue Sauce.  Makes 5 servings.

White Barbecue Sauce (This sauce is so delicious.  It's tangy and pairs perfectly with the spices in the chicken.)
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp coarsely ground pepper
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp horseradish (I LOVE horseradish!  It's one of the weird cravings I had when pregnant with Tessa.  I made as many things as I could that had horseradish as an ingredient.)

Stir together all ingredients until well blended.  Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week.  Makes 1 3/4 cups.
You can serve the sauce as a topping for baked potatoes or a condiment for burgers.


***Now, you will have leftovers from this dinner, so why not chop up some of the chicken, removing the skins and use it in the Chicken Fajita Salad????  Nice!

Chicken Fajita Salad adapted from Southern Living 2007 Annual Recipes
1/2 (24 oz.) package frozen grilled chicken breast strips (just use leftover chicken!)
1 large onion, sliced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
4 (10 inch) burrito-size flour tortillas
1 medium head iceberg lettuce, torn (about 6 cups)
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers (I just used regular Monterey Jack)
Toppings:  sour cream, salsa, guacamole, Ranch dressing, lime wedges, chopped fresh cilantro

Prepare chicken strips according to stovetop package directions.  (Or just warm up last night's leftovers!)  Remove chicken from skillet.
Saute onion, bell pepper, and next 3 ingredients in hot oil in skillet over medium-high heat 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned.  Stir in chicken strips and 2 tbsp water, and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated.
Arrange tortillas in 4 individual serving bowls.  Divide lettuce and cheese evenly in tortilla lined bowls.  Top with hot chicken mixture.  Serve with desired toppings.  Makes 4 servings.

***I love breakfast for dinner, so when I have the time to make it, I try to put my own spin on the trusty old toast and eggs or pancakes and waffles.  This recipe starts with your own homemade Pancake mix-so no Bisquick up in here!

Pancake Mix adapted from SL 2007 Anuual Recipes
6 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp salt

Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl; store in a zip-top plastic bag up to 6 weeks.

Banana-Pecan Pancakes (My husband said these tasted like banana nut bread in a pancake.)
1 1/2 cups pancake mix
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I use the powdered buttermilk that you can find on the baking aisle.  You just add water to it.  Thanks Mama for that suggestion!)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 chopped banana  (You can omit these if you want to.)
1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans  (You can also omit these, too.)

Combine Pancake mix and sugar in a medium bowl.
Whisk together 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, egg, and oil; add to dry ingredients, whisking just until lumps disappear.
Stir in 1 chopped banana and 1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans into batter.
Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or large nonstick skillet.  Cook pancakes 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges begin to look cooked; turn and cook 2 more minutes or until done.  Makes 4 servings (about 15 pancakes)

Happy Anniversary! Menu items: Brunch for a Bunch, Honeyed Chicken, Grilled Hamburgers with sour cream and herbs

Ry Guy and I are celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary on July 15th.  We have had a very eventful 6 years of married life.  I filled out a questionnaire about us and will include some meals to make this week!

1.  How did you all meet?
   We met in college.  We both attended Lynchburg College.  A mutual friend, Kevin Graves, told me I had to meet two of his friends who were also from Richmond.  He introduced me to Ryan and his roommate Justin our freshman year.  All three of them ran cross country and track together while I played soccer.  Being an avid football fan, I was looking for someone to watch Sunday football with and someone who was a fan of the Redskins.  Every weekend I would head over to Ryan and Justin's dorm room to watch football with the two of them and Kevin.  I only considered Ryan to be a friend and enjoyed spending time with him and the guys.  Second semester of our freshman year, we found out we had a class together called Argument and Reasoning.  Luckily for us, our first assignment was to interview a classmate and present the interview of the other person as an introduction to the class.  Ryan and I got paired up.  It was a perfect opportunity to get to know him better and we realized we had more in common than we thought. 

2.  When did you all start dating?
     We made our relationship official on March 15th of 2003. 

3.  Where was your first date?
      To be honest, we don't remember our first date.  As freshmen, we did not have cars on campus, so we had to make do with just hanging out with each other.  We did end up borrowing someone's car to go on a date, but honestly don't remember where we went.

4.  What were your favorite memories of your courtship?
      We dated all through college.  Some of my favorite memories together were hiking the Peaks of Otter, going with Ryan to the various lakes in Lynchburg while he fished and I did schoolwork, running track and cross country with Ryan and the rest of the team....I loved meeting his family and introducing him to mine.  Ryan has a very goofy personality and he definitely was not afraid to show it to my family.  I brought him with me to our family's river house the first summer we were together.  We had an awesome time with my parents and sister and started packing up our stuff to go home on Sunday.  Ryan put the towel he had been using all weekend on his head and walked out to my parents who were sitting on the screened-in porch.  In a high-pitched voice he asked my parents where they would like him to put his towel.  It made my parents laugh and they still remember this story.

5.  When did you realize you were in love?
      For Ryan, it was a little sooner than for me.  He kept telling me he would just wait until I was ready to love him back, which made me like him even more.  I realized I loved Ryan when I met his family.  He wasn't shy about hugging both of his parents in front of other people and telling them he loved them.  I watched him interact with his younger sisters.  His younger sister was in high school at the time and his youngest sister was 6 and in the first grade.  I knew this relationship was very different from any of the other relationships I had been in.

6.  How did he propose?
      Little did I know, but Ryan had contacted my Dad to ask for his blessing before he popped the question.  I had just gotten back from a cross country meet and had the day off from practice.  Ryan wanted to hike the Peaks of Otter together.  It was a rainy, cloudy day, but as we hiked up the mountain, we went through the clouds and ended up finishing our hike in sunshine.  I went to the edge and looked down at the clouds below us and turned around to see Ryan on his knee and a ring in his hand.

7.  What was your wedding day like?
     We got married July 15, 2006 in Lynchburg.  We exchanged vows at the Snidow Chapel on Lynchburg's campus and had our reception at West Manor Bed and Breakfast.  It was really hot that day, but it didn't matter.  We had an amazing time with our family and friends and then enjoyed our honeymoon in Key Largo.

8.  What major events have happened since you got married?
      Geez, we bought a house and have steady careers.  In 2008, we welcomed our daughter, Tessa to the family and then in 2012, we added our Dempsey boy to the fam.

9.  What marriage advice would you give to other couples?
      Remember to laugh together and not take things too seriously.  Very often, Ryan and I find ourselves in stressful situations with our kids, work, or just life in general and we turn to each other and just start laughing because sometimes that's all you can do.  It helps us keep things on the light side.

Happy 6th anniversary, Ry!

The recipes for this week are fairly simple and of course include a new burger recipe to try.  The honeyed chicken recipe makes use of ingredients most of us have on hand and the Brunch for a Bunch recipe is a good one for breakfast for dinner.

Brunch for a Bunch
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage
3 frozen hash brown patties (I used 4)
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1 can green chilies, chopped
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk

Brown and drain sausage.  In a 8 x 8 inch greased dish, layer starting with potatoes, then sausage, cheese, and chilies.  Combine eggs and milk, stirring well.  Pour over layers.  Bake at 350 degress for 50 minutes.  This recipe can easily be doubled!

Honeyed Chicken
Ingredients:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. butter
Chicken pieces
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Combine honey, mustard, lemon juice, and salt.  Melt butter in foil-lined pan.  Place chicken skin side down.  Baste wtih honey mix.  Bake 1/2 hour (350 degrees).  Turn, baste, bake 1/2 hour more; basting with remainder of mix.

Grilled Hamburgers with Sour cream and Herbs
Ingredients:
2 2/3 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespon minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried, crumbled
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried, crumbled
3/4 tsp ground black pepper

8 hamburger buns, split

Combine first 6 ingredents thoroughly in medium bowl.  Shape beef mixture into eight 1-inch thick patties.  Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.  Place burgers on grill.  Cover grill and cook burgers 4 minutes.  Turn burgers.  Cover grill and cook burgers to desired doneness, about 4 minutes longer for medium-rare.  Grill buns, inner sides down, during last 2 minutes if desired. 

My Rock

My mom is one of the strongest people I know.  It's her birthday today and I am so thankful for her strength.  She is watching her best friend, my dad, go through his third bout with cancer.  Dad has been fighting tonsil cancer since July.  We thought it was gone and he was on the road to recovery when we found out this past week that it was back.  My mom is the reason we found out it was back.  Doctors kept dismissing my dad's pain as a part of the healing process.  But after my dad had lost 30 pounds and was starting to refuse to eat because it hurt his throat too much, my mom raised hell with his doctors and got stuff to happen.  The news has been overwhelming and it has been an emotional few days, but it is making me realize how thankful I am for my two parents.

What do I love about my mom besides her strength?  I love how she becomes a completely different person when you put a baby in her hands (especially when it's her own grandbaby).  Her eyes light up and her tone of voice changes.  My mom has the best laugh.  When you can really get her going, it's awesome.  I love her drive and cut the crap attitude.  When my mom wants to get something done, watch out-there's no stopping this lady.  I love it when her "mama bear" side comes out.  Don't mess with her two babies.  I love how she still lets me sit in her lap.  I love how she always answers the phone when I call her on my way to work.  Our daily chats at 7 a.m. or earlier have been happening ever since I started working 6 years ago.  I love it when she picks up the phone and says, "Hi sweetie!"  I love that my mom can outrun me right now.  She's a beast when it comes to running.  She just ran a half marathon a couple of weekends ago with the best cheerleader there to support her:  my dad.  I love my mom's sense of style.  I'm the one shopping at Target for clothes and she's the one making sure she gets good quality clothes at Nordstrom.  I love her cooking.  You all know that.  She can cook up an amazing meal.  I love how many dishes she goes through just to get that amazing meal to the table.  Believe me, I've washed many a dish of hers in my time.  I love how I rarely call her 'mom.'  This seems too formal to me.  Yes, I have lots of different names for my mom:  Mommy (even at 27 I still call her this), Mama, Mammers, Mammer Jammer, Marmie...  Most of all, I love how my mom loves my dad and her family.  My mom is my rock and I hope my own daughter has as much respect for me as I do for my own mom.  Happy Birthday, Marmie!

My mom is the reason why quiche is one of my favorite meals.  So, in honor of her birthday here's a quiche recipe to make this week:

Quiche Lorraine
1 (9inch) unbaked pie shell
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 med.onion, diced
12 to 14 slices bacon, or equivalent ham (I usually just use however much bacon we have in the house)
4 eggs
2 c. half and half (or part half and half-part milk)
3/4 tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cayenne paper
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 c. grated Swiss cheese
Prepared Dijon mustard

Saute onions in butter until soft but not brown.  Fry bacon until crisp.  Drain and break into small pieces.  Combine eggs, cream, salt, nutmeg, cayenne, and pepper.  Beat until well mixed.  Spread mustard onto pie shell.  Sprinkle pie shell with bacon.  Spread onions over bacon.  Cover with grated cheese. pour egg mixture in carefully.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake 40 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.

Christmas Morning Breakfast

Growing up, my family always had Eggs Benedict for breakfast on Christmas morning.  We always saved this breakfast for this special day.  It was soooo yummy!  My mom would make homemade Hollandaise sauce and we would use none other than Virginia ham to top off the English muffin.  My husband is not too crazy about runny egg yolks, so when we got married I searched for something to make special on Christmas morning.  I tried a few different things, but FINALLY settled on cinnamon rolls.  The recipe comes from Paula Deen, but I do NOT use her glaze on the rolls.  Please, who wants glaze on a cinnamon roll when  you can have icing???  I usually just find a cream cheese icing recipe to top them off.  These are too die for and will be making them in the next few days, but wait to bake them on Christmas morning, so we can have fresh, warm cinnamon rolls after opening presents.

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1/4-ounce package yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup scalded milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter or shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

• 1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional

Glaze:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 to 6 tablespoons hot water

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.