Swedish Apple Pie

Years ago, my then boyfriend now husband and I went apple picking. As usually happens, we ended up coming home with more apples than we could possibly eat.  A friend was well known in her family for an apple pie recipe she had learned years ago from a Girl Scouts cookbook her troop put together, so I asked her for it.  It's been a favorite of ours ever since.  Easy, yummy and a staple at our Thanksgiving and Christmas tables

5-6  Macintosh apples

2 sticks butter

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Peel, core and cut apples into chunks.  Put into a 9x9 baking dish. 

  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top to cover

Combine egg, flour and sugar.  Melt the butter and add that to the sugar mixture.  

Pour on top of the apples to cover.  

Sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. 

Bake for 35-45 minutes (until golden brown).  Serve with vanilla ice cream.  Since I often bring this to Thanksgiving dinner, I bake it about 35 minutes at home, and then bake for another 10 or so at the hosts' house.  

Crockpot Frikadeller

This is a mix of Mark Bittman's recipe for Frikadeller and a crockpot Swedish meatball recipe I found online. Growing up we ate frikadeller a lot and I always found them to be really dry, sorry Mom. I like these because of the rich sauce.

Frikadeller
1-1/2 lb of ground meat - should be mix of pork and veal, but I can't bring myself to use veal, so I use pork and beef.
1/2 cup or less of plain bread crumbs
3/4 cup of cream
a pinch of ground cloves
pepper to taste

Sauce
2 (10 oz) cans cream of mushroom condensed soup with roasted garlic
1/2 cup water
1 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine all the meatball ingredients. I add the bread crumbs and cream a little at a time and mix as I go.

Make meatballs about golfball size or smaller, put in crockpot.  Mix the soup and water and pour over the meatballs.  Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, flour and pepper and blend well.  about 30 moniutes before meatballs are done cooking, add a spoonful of the hot liquid from the crockpot and blend.  Add the sour cream mixture to crockpot, stir well, cover, and cook on low for 30 - 40 minutes until thickened and blended.  Serve over mashed potatoes (or hot cooked rice).

Spaghetti & Meatballs

1 lb ground beef

1 egg, beaten

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup italian bread crumbs

2 - 14 1/2 oz cans diced tomatoes

1 - 6 oz can tomato paste

1/3 cup water

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried marjoram

Combine meat, egg, garlic, cheese, and bread crumbs in a bowl.  

Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in oil.  Roll small balls and drop into hot pan. When all the meatballs are in the pan, give the pan a good shake and cover.  Cook for about five minutes, turning the meatballs frequently, remove from the pan before cooked through completely

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, water and herbs to the pan.  Stir well to combine, and cook over medium heat - about 5-10 minutes.  Once sauce has thickened, add meatballs back to the sauce and cook a few minutes more until meatballs are cooked through.

Serve over spaghetti. 

Invites Are Out

Less than a month til my Lia Sophia party so I'm getting in to the details of the party planning The advisor has made the invitation to go with my theme - Bubbles & Baubles. She's sending them out with a mini catalog so people can see the jewelry (and hopefully get motivated to come). I love that she's doing that. The last time I had a party the advisor just sent out those tiny 3x4 generic invites and sent them 2 weeks before the party, so turn out was pretty low.

I came up with a list of 37 people to invite - friends, neighbors, and people I know from my kids' schools who I'd like to get to know better. Now is when I start to get anxious. Aside from our Super Bowl party we don't have any parties, partly cause our kids are still little, partly cause it stresses me out, and partly because I am pretty insecure and always wonder if anyone will show up. As much as I know some people hate these home parties, it is a good excuse to get people together. I mean there are people who hate these home parties and never attend, there are those (like me) who will attend if they like the product because they know they want to buy something, and then there are those who will attend any party if they are available.

The advisor is sending me some of the invites to hand out myself (to neighbors) as well as a few extras if I come up with more people. I plan on just dropping them in the mailboxes as we walk to school. She is also setting up an event on Facebook for me and will send little teasers and pictures of popular pieces and notices about specials as we get closer. She's already tons better than the advisor I worked with last time (who to the best of my knowledge is no longer working with LS. She also doesn't do any cheesy ice breaker games, just one easy one kind of a good "hot potato" where you pass boxes of jewelry based on a text she reads about Lia Sophia and every time a celebrity is mentioned, you pass the box. Whoever has the box when she's finished wins what is inside. She does a couple of demonstrations of some of the more versatile pieces and then leaves people to shop and chat.

My kids are excited cause it means that they get to go out to eat just with their Dad, and will probably watch a movie when they get home to keep them out of the party area.

I have no idea how best to set up the party in terms of flow and seating for the presentation. But I guess I'll work that out once I have a final count. I am having fun trying out new recipes though to figure out what I am going to serve.

So far I'm planning
- raspberry swirl mini cheesecake cupcakes

- baked brie bites (in phyllo dough)

- Cheesecake stuffed strawberries

- Kahlua chocolate cake

- Raspberries with white or dark chocolate chips

I'll probably also include a cheese tray and fruit tray and maybe also Katherine Hepburn's brownies or Nutella fudge

Drinks - All sparkling for the sake of the theme

- Limoncello champagne cocktail (I've had a bottle of Limoncello in the freezer for ages that I used a small amount for a recipe and since no one liked the meal, never touched it again, time to dust it off)

- Bellinis

- Prosecco - probably Cupcake
- St Hilaire sparkling wine (recommended by a friend who like me loves Veuve Clicquot) This is not officially champagne so is cheaper, but still French
- Regular red or white wine
- And just in case there are any pregnant ladies (I think at least 2 on my guest list are), I'll have raspberry ginger ale or sprite

Obviously the final menu will depend on how many people plan on coming, but I figured since the party starts at 7 and most of the women I am inviting have young kids they may eat dinner before they come and just want some desserts or savory treats.

Anyone have an suggestions to add to my planned menu?

Cajun Chicken with Pasta

Have you ever had one of the recipes where you know it has the potential to be really good, but you just can't get it right?  For me that was Cajun chicken.  A friend had posted her recipe on Facebook and no matter what I did it didn't turn out like I wanted.  I loved the idea of the spice with the creamy sauce but her recipe called for sour cream and mine always curdled.  Then I stumbled upon this recipe from Comfortably Domestic.  I combined the two and finally got what I was going for.

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ¼ lbs.)

1 ½ Tbs. Cajun blackening spice (you can buy it in the spice aisle but I make my own using this recipe)

2 Tbs. butter, divided

1 Tbs. olive oil (or more if needed)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 C. (1/2 pint) thinly sliced red bell peppers

¼ C. dry white wine (or chicken broth)

1 ½ C. heavy cream

1 ½ C. freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese 

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (or more, to taste)

1 pound cooked pasta

1 Cook pasta according to package directions

2.  Season the chicken with the Cajun seasoning.  Add some EVOO to a warm skillet and brown the chicken.  Don't cook it completely as it will be cooking more in the sauce later.  Take it out with a slotted spoon when it looks like this.

3.  If the skillet looks dry, add a bit more olive oil. Re-heat the skillet over medium heat.

4.  Pour in the dry white wine (or chicken broth) into the skillet to deglaze the pan. (1-2 minutes)

5.  Add the garlic and peppers to the pan and sauté to soften and lightly caramelize, stirring occasionally. (1-2 minutes)

6.  Reduce heat to medium-low and pour the heavy cream to the pan with the pepper mixture, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

7.  Add the salt, pepper, and the remaining tablespoon of butter.

8.  Continue to stir the cream mixture while it simmers for 3-4 minutes. The cream will reduce slightly.

9.  Remove the peppers from the pan. Add the Monterey Jack to the cream sauce. Stir constantly until all the cheese has melted, and sauce is smooth. Taste sauce and adjust seasonings.

10.  Add the chicken and peppers back into the sauce and cook until done (another minute or two).  Serve over pasta.

Chili

We make chili every year for our Super Bowl party and it has evolved quite a lot since the first year. My husband likes it spicy and this year by replacing some of the beef with chorizo and using tomatoes that already had habaneros mixed in, it definitely was hot. Too hot for me honestly, but he and all the chili lovers loved it.

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 pound chorizo sausage crumbled
6 slices of bacon crumbled
2 small chopped onions
12 cloves garlic, minced
3- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
3- 15 ounce can red kidney beans, drained
3- 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes with Habaneros (Hot) undrained
3 tablepoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 tsp garlic powder
2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp Bobs Big Boy Seasoning Salt (optional)

Directions

1. In an 8-quart saucepan cook and stir ground beef, chorizo, chopped onion, and the garlic over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat.

2. Stir in tomato sauce, drained beans, undrained tomatoes, bacon pieces, chili powder, basil, pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and Bobs Big Boy Seasoning salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. To serve, ladle chili into bowls. If desired, top each serving with cheese, and/or sour cream.

This makes a lot of chili - probably about 6 quarts.  But the base is pretty easy to reduce, just adjust the spicing accordingly. Or make it all, it freezes well.

I made a mild version too, for the kids and the wimps like me.  Just to make sure people chose the right one for them, I put chalkboard labels on the pots.

Nutella Fudge

After the spicy and savory Super Bowl fare I always feel compelled to bake something. Even though my chocolate chip cookies are a standard part of our Super Bowl menu, but there are usually none left after the party is over.

Months ago I pinned a recipe I found for Nutella fudge on Not Your Momma's Cookie and since today is World Nutella Day I finally made it.

Normally I don't do anything to commemorate these silly food "holidays" but I like this one because
1. I love Nutella
2. It was started by a blogger who loves Nutella (not a self promotion by the company)
3. I love Nutella

I've made fudge before but it's usually grainy. This one uses powdered sugar which I think makes it smoother.  Whatever the difference is, it was awesome and I suggest you try it if you like Nutella.  Happy Nutella Day :)

Tortellini Alfredo

Linking up to Mom's Test Meal Mondays - favorite recipes using cheese

First of all, asking me to pick which is my favorite recipe using cheese is like asking me to pick a favorite child.  I love them all for their own reasons.  The best I can do is narrow it down to my favorite app and favorite pasta dish.

Favorite app is the Kraft Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

My favorite pasta dish is tortellini alfredo, because it super easy, and very filling.

1 lb of tortellini
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup shredded parmesan - the good stuff, not the powdered or preshredded stuff (no offense Kraft but it just doesn't melt as well)
3-4 slices prosciutto, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup frozen peas (thawed)

Make tortellini according to package directions.  Combine cream, butter and parmesan in a pan, warm over medium heat stirring occasionally until well blended. Reduce heat to low. Add the prosciutto and peas, stir some more to combine.  Once pasta is finished drain and add to the pan.  Mix the pasta in until well covered.  Serve with a little more shredded parmesan on top.

One tip: the sauce is smoother if the ingredients are at room temperature before you start. For me that just means, getting the cheese, cream, and butter out at the same time you start the water boiling for the pasta.

Tip:  the cheese melts better and the sauce combines better if the ingredients are at room temperature before cooking.

Makes about 4 servings

Swedish Apple Pie

This is my go to dessert when I need to bring one to a fall pot luck.  I've brought it to every Thanksgiving I've attended since my friend first gave me the recipe almost 15 years ago.  It's super easy as it is more of a crisp than a pie, and is always well received.  For the record, I am not Swedish, neither is my friend, so not sure where the name is from.  She got it from a Girl Scout cookbook her troop put together.

5-6  Macintosh apples

2 sticks butter

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Peel, core and cut apples into chunks.  Put into a 9x9 baking dish.  

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar so all apples are covered.  

Combine egg, flour and sugar.  Melt the butter and add that to the sugar mixture.  

Pour on top of the apples to cover.  Spread out the flour/sugar mixture with a spatula if needed.

Sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar.  

Bake for 35-45 minutes (until golden brown) and a little crisp on the edges.

Let cool a little and serve with vanilla ice cream

 

Jack o Lanterns & Jack o Peppers

As I've mentioned one of my favorite parts of Halloween is carving pumpkins. Luckily as each year goes by the kids are willing to do more of their own.  A couple of years ago I would end up carving 3 pumpkins.  My husband would do his own, I'd end up doing the kids cause they didn't like touching the goop and weren't able to use the sharp tools.  After everyone was in bed I'd carve my own.  Not ideal but we always wanted everyone to have a pumpkin.  Anyway, here are this years jack o lanterns....

My husband's is the top one.  He does the same face every year, but I guess now that my daughter's are following my lead and going away from traditional face jack o lanterns, it's ok.  The mummy is mine.  Little Reader did the witch and carved most of it herself.  Little Hugger did all the stenciling and prep work on her cat, but I had to do the carving.  Little Man didn't do much aside from tell me how he wanted his carved, but that's ok he's only 3.

We got lots of compliments on our collection from the trick or treaters and Little Man especially liked pointing out his scary pumpkin to anyone who commented on them.


The night before Halloween I decided to make a Halloween themed dinner that I saw on Pinterest.  I wasn't sure if my kids would eat it as they're not really fans of stuffed peppers but they ate them this time.  Here are our "jack o peppers".

Here's a link to the recipe I used.  I didn't time it right to use the crockpot though, I put them in the oven at 375 for about 30 minutes and they came out perfect.  The only change we made was adding some shredded cheddar on top (I may mix it in next time)

Why I love Pinterest

When Pinterest first started I resisted joining.  I was an early Facebook adopter and have since become quite addicted.  I was afraid of a similar time suck from Pinterest.  Friends joined, offered me invites (back when that was still necessary) and I declined.  Finally one day curiosity got the better of me, and I requested an invite from a blogger I followed at the time.  At this point I never admit to my friends I'm on Pinterest.  I use my blogging name and keep it separate.

The first time I went on, I repinned a few things checked out my friends pins (but didn't follow anyone) and followed a few bloggers.  Over time I started using the bookmarklet and actually find that I use that more than repinning.

What it comes down to is that I know myself and my talents and limitations.  There are some beautiful things and delicious recipes on Pinterest that I will never pin because I will never actually attempt them.  It's like Gourmet magazine.  I am intimidated by it, have never bought a copy and would never attempt a recipe from it.  It just seems beyond my abilities and I'm ok with that, because I know there are enough things I am capable of that I don't need to reach for that level.  That's not laziness, that's just knowing myself. 

I like the simple stuff.  I pin recipes from magazines and websites I like, but I don't follow the actual publication.  I don't want to be inundated with ideas, but if I see a recipe that sounds good in my Better Homes and Gardens magazine, instead of ripping it out, I'll find it online and pin it for later.  I also am a little annoyed that corporations are trying to get in on all the social media.  I understand why they do it, they want to make money, but supposedly this was started by some computer geek whose not very techsavvy grandmother wanted to be able to share recipes and knitting patterns with her friends - and don't blame me if that's wrong, I didn't factcheck it, just heard it somewhere and it makes sense.  

When it comes to crafts I stick to easy things I can do with my kids (not for my kids).  If you check out my pins you'll see what I mean.  If I see a cute picture, I'll check out the tutorial.  If I only need to buy one easy inexpensive item to do it, I'll pin it.  If there's a long list of tools I need, forget it.

I have two separate boards for recipes.  One for recipes I want to try and one for recipes that I tried that worked.  When I try something new, I view the recipe on my iPad as I cook.  If it was successful, it gets repinned as a recipe that works and I print it out.  If it didn't work, I delete it. 

The other thing that Pinterest has a ton of is organizing tips.  When I first started reading blogs I found a lot of homemaking sites.  Some had helpful tips once in a while, some made me feel overwhelmed, and some made me feel like a failure.  I no longer follow the blogs but I have pinned a few of the things that I liked and maybe follow that pinner so I can quickly weed through their lastest posts.  As useful as I found one series a blogger did on the multitude of uses of vinegar (and I mean it, I use a bunch of the "recipes" now), it wasn't the type of stuff I wanted to read everyday. 

So to sum up, my Pinterest tips are
1. Follow selectively.  You don't need to follow your friends, if they tried a great new recipe or made a cool new craft they'll probably tell you about it.
2.  If you don't want to follow a blogger constantly but don't want to lose sight of them completely, follow them on Pinterest.  You'll get the highlights and can always check their blog for more stuff if you want. 
3.  Install the bookmarklet on all devices.  Like I said, I get emails from Real Simple and BHG with recipes, if I find one I like I pin it.
4.  Purge your pins on a regular basis. I love that Pinterest tells you when you originally pinned something.  I recently deleted a bunch that I had pinned 8 months ago.  If I haven't it done it by now it's not happening, away you go.  
5.  Have at least one board of things that make you smile.  For me it's cute pictures of animals, pictures of places I have been and have fond memories of, and pictures of places I want to go someday.  Sometimes you just need to go to your happy place, and visuals that I have pinned help me get there. 

And in case you're curious, here are my pins

Shrimp Scampi

1 lb pasta - Rachael says Angel Hair, but my kids have trouble getting it on their forks
1-2 lbs deveined, tail off shrimp
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp thyme
6 cloves garlic
1 cup dry white wine
juice of 1 large lemon
1 cup chicken broth
a couple drops Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons butter

Pat shrimp dry with paper towels.  Mix flour with thyme and pepper in a shallow dish.  Lightly coat shrimp in the seasoned flour. Shake off excess.

Pour olive oil in a deep skillet over high heat.  Cook shrimp in a single layer (in 2 batches if necessary).  Saute for 2-3 minutes, until edges are golden brown.  Remove shrimp from plate and place on paper towel lined plate.  Pour off any excess oil,

Return pan to heat.  Add garlic, then wine to the pan and scrape up any bits from the bottom.  Reduce wine by half.  Add broth and lemon juice.  Let the sauce simmer and reduce for 2 or 3 minutes.  Stir in butter with a whisk or fork.

Add the shrimp back to sauce and remove from heat.  Give the pan a shake.  Serve over a bed of pasta and crusty bread. 

From Rachael Ray Top 30 Minute Kid Meals

Korean Stirfry

Marinade:
2 tbsp oil (I use wok oil as it has garlic infused in it)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves of minced garlic
3-4 tsp ginger
1-1/2-2 tbsp sugar
black pepper to taste

1 lb diced chicken breast

Make marinade. Add chicken and allow to marinate at least 20 minutes. Stir-fry chicken until just starting to brown. Add vegetables (I usually use diced bell peppers, water chestnuts, baby corn, carrots) and Stir-fry until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through (just a couple of minutes). Serve over rice.

Weekend Wrapup

Saturday morning I made blueberry pancakes with Little Hugger. We used a new recipe that I found on Pinterest and they were very good.

We went to the pool to beat the heat. It was surprisingly uncrowded. I think some people thought it would just be too hot. We stayed about 4 hours camped out by the kiddie pool, with my husband taking the kids one at a time over to the big pool to work on real swimming.

Sunday morning I made banana chocolate chip muffins with Little Reader from a recipe she got from her baking class. They were really good and very easy.

Since it had cooled down a bit I went for a run while my husband watched Wimbledon. I made it further than earlier in the week, since it was about 10 degrees cooler. Unfortunately there were only a couple of people running their sprinklers - running through them is a great way to cool off along the way. Still, I managed to get a good run and felt good after. This was the first time I had everything working - Endomondo, my playlist, my heart rate monitor.

Later that day I got all our grocery shopping done and then we headed to the beach. Unfortunately the water was closed due to rip currents, but the kids still had fun. They played at the playground and my husband and I took turns watching them, or soaking up the sun and listening to the waves. 

After volleyball we went to dinner at Hackneys with our friends. I ordered a grilled cheese for Little Man (the first time I've gotten him a restaurant meal). He took a couple of tiny nibbles, but swore he wasn't hungry. Despite that he ate all of the comp ice cream the waitress brought ;)

We got home pretty late, got the sandy dirty kids straight to bed, watched Newsroom and then went to bed ourselves.  A good weekend, but it's amazing how draining it is just to be out in the sun, even when you're not doing anything.

Peppered Beef Sirloin Kebabs with Dijon Cream Sauce

1 tbsp four color mixed peppercorn
1/2 tsp ground cumin
EVOO
2 lbs top sirloin, about 1 1/4 in thick, cut into cubes
2 medium zucchini - cut lengthwise and then crosswise into 1/2 in pieces
2 large bell peppers - cut into 1 1/4 in sqaures

Cream
1/2 cup creme fraiche or Greek yogurt (the recipe actually lists sour cream as an alternative but I think Greek yogurt works better if you can't find creme fraiche)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp finely chopped chives
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (450-550 degrees).  If using bamboo skewers soak for 30 minutes prior to preparing kebabs
Coarsely grind the peppercorns.  Mix in  1 1/2 tsp salt and cumin.  Place the meat in a large bowl with the spices and add enough oil to coat the cubes lightly; toss to coat evenly.  In another bowl lightly coat the zucchini and bell peppers with oil and season evenly with salt. Thread the skewers alternately with zucchini, meat and bell pepper
In a small bowl whisk the cream ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve
Brush the cooking grates clean.  Grill the kabobs over direct high heat with the lid closed as much as possible, until the veggies are crisp tender and the meat is cooked to your desired doneness - 6 to 8 minutes for medium rare, turning occasionally.  Remove the skewers from the grill and serve warm with the cream

From Weber's Time to Grill cookbook

Recovering from a busy weekend

Saturday morning I finally took Little Hugger to Land of Nod to order her bed. On the ride up I warned her that even though we were going to pay for it today we may have to wait weeks for them to deliver it. I forgot that being in Chicago, the warehouse is local, and they're going to deliver it next Thursday. So not only does she get her bed before first grade starts, she'll get it before the last day of Kindergarten. She was eager to get bedding too, but I managed to convince her we should look elsewhere too. Land of Nod has really nice stuff, but it is expensive.I'm planning on a trip to IKEA before the bed is delivered.

I let her pick where we went for lunch, and lucky for me she picked my favorite pizza place - NY Slices - the closest I've found to NY style pizza in this area.

This weekend was our 12th anniversary. We went out for dinner Saturday night as that worked better with the rest of our plans. We had some gift certificates to Lettuce Entertain You so rather than going to the same old steak place, I picked Cafe Ba Ba Reeba. Sangria and tapas seemed like a good way to kick off summer.

After dinner we went to a nearby bar for a couple of beers and then back home where we had a bottle of champagne that had been chilling in the fridge for I don't know how long waiting for a worthy occasion.

Sunday we had some friends over for a barbecue. We grilled kebabs and had potato salad. For dessert, I made brownies and the flag strawberries which didn't turn out as cute as the picture because I overcooked the chocolate but still tasted good.

We had set up a kiddie pool in the backyard for the kids to play in which worked out well as it was 90 degrees. They all had a blast and one of the neighbor boys came over to join the fun.

Our friends have a little girl who is just a couple of months older than our Little Man. She's already potty trained and we're still working on it with Little Man.  At one point the kids all went upstairs to chill.  Little Man needed to use the potty, so I took his diaper off and stayed upstairs while he went.  He peed on the potty and then ran into his room where the little girl was reading.  He squatted down next to her (bare-assed) and said very excitedly, "I peed on the potty".  She briefly looked up at him, and then went back to her book.  I guess she wasn't impressed.

Monday we all got up early to head down to the parade. My husband and daughters were walking with Indian Princesses and I walked with my son and my women's group. There weren't a lot of people, but my son had fun throwing candy to all the kids. The route was about 2 miles long, and he managed to walk about half of it, before sitting in the stroller. We headed home for a while to relax (and forced Little Reader to take a nap because she was so tired from the day before) before heading to another BBQ. This time I made the berry tarts arranged like a flag. They were a little time consuming but not difficult and turned out well. They also happened to be the only dessert at the barbecue so were appreciated.

There were about 16 adults and a bunch of kids. Some good friends of ours and other were neighbors of our friends. The kids all had a great time playing in and outside.  Overall a very successful (but exhausting weekend).  I had hoped to finish my book, but I was too tired to get very far. 

Anysoldier.com

As with most people in this country I will spending this weekend attending and hosting barbecues, walking in a parade, and furniture shopping.

I'm still trying to figure out the menu for our barbecue, but plan on trying some of these fun desserts I found on Pinterest. 

No Bake Flag Tarts

 

Patriotic Strawberries

 

 Super Easy Fruit Kebabs

 

Since we're going to one barbecue and hosting another I will probably make 2 of the 3 not sure which, although when I was pasting all the pictures Little Hugger stopped by and gave her opinion, "Not to be mean, because they all look yummy but I think the flag ones are better cause flags are more Memorial Day-ish".  She has a point.  

 

Along with the fun though I do think it is important to remember those who died serving their country, and also honor those brave men and women who are still overseas.  A few years back, I discovered anysoldier.com.  It's a website where active military stationed abroad submit requests for care packages.  Some times they are real specific down to brands of toiletries and snacks, other times real general asking for anything to remind them of home.  There are quite a few rules of what you can and cannot send and lots of guidelines about how best to prepare the packages.  Important note: When you ship to an APO or FPO which all these military addresses are you only pay domestic shipping, so not worry that you'll be paying a fortune to send a box to Afghanistan.  Pick up a flat rate Priority Mail box and fill it up.  As the ad says, if it fits, it ships.

 

We've sent a few packages over the years and I always have the kids help me pick our recipient and help with the shopping.  They also write letters and send drawings.  Most of the time we have received thank yous, but not always (and that's fine, soldiers are busy staying alive.)  Either way, I know that the packages are appreciated.  

 

So somewhere in between barbecues, parades, and whatever else you have planned for this unofficial start to summer, take a little time to check out the Any Soldier website, pick a soldier using whatever criteria you want (there are tons of ways to sort), and send off a care package.

 

Weeknight Spaghetti & Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
1 egg beaten
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup beef broth or dry red wine
28 oz canned tomatoes
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 pinches dried oregano
3/4 lb spaghetti

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Combine meat, egg, garlic, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and pepper to taste in a bowl.  Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in oil.  Roll small balls and drop into hot pan.  When all the meatballs are in the pan, give it a good shake and cover.  Cook for 8 minutes, giving the pan a good shake frequently to keep meat from burning.  If balls are browning too quickly, reduce heat a little.

Add broth or wine and let reduce for 1 or 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and red pepper flakes, then oregano.  Simmer until pasta is ready.  Toss pasta with sauce and serve with garlic bread and grated cheese for topping.

From Rachael Ray's Kid Food

Bee Bim Bop

This recipe is modified from a book my daughter read in school but I don't remember the name, but she was very excited to try and make it.  It's a Korean dish that has many variations, this is mine.

Marinade
2 cloves garlic minced
5 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp wok oil
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 lb tender lean beef - sirloin tip
Diced veggies to stirfry - I use peppers, baby corn, carrots, peas, and sometimes cashews.

Make white rice per package instructions. Mix marinade ingredients. Slice the beef into very thin slices and put in marinade. Beat the eggs. Pour a little oil in a wok and add the eggs once the oil has warmed up. Rotate the wok quickly so the egg flattens out. Cook on medium heat until you are able to flip the pancake. Flip it and finish cooking, then remove from pan and set aside. Once it has cooled a little, cut into strips. Stirfry the vegetables one at a time. As each one is finished cooking, set aside and keep warm. Add more oil as needed.  Finally put the wok over medium high heat and add the beef and marinade. Stirfry for about 2 minutes or until desired doneness.

Serve by putting the rice and all the ingredients separately on the table and each person takes what they like. Mix together and eat. It's a bit more labor intensive than other stirfrys, but i like that each person uses the veggies that they like, rather than the kids picking around the stuff they don't like.

Quick and Easy Tarragon Chicken

1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 lb chicken tenders
3/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried tarragon
3/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in oil on a saute pan over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook until lightly browned.  Remove and set aside.  Add wine to the pan.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in mustard, tarragon, salt & pepper.  Whisk in cream and boil until mixture thickens about 3 minutes.  Return the chicken to the pan, turn in sauce to coat and simmer a few minutes more until chicken is tender.

From 365 Ways to Cook Chicken