Attempting to be a Super Mom

When my husband is at work, sometimes he goes out to eat with coworkers to some of the restaurants I don't get to because I always have the kids...  Like Nordstrom Cafe (inside the Nordstrom store) among many others.  While we visit the nicer restaurants every now and then when we get a date night.  While he was enjoying a salad, and by enjoying I mean that he came home bragging about how good it was, he thought of me and bought me the Nordstrom Family Table Cookbook.  This is the first recipe we tried from the cookbook but because it was so hot we didn't want to heat up the house so we changed the recipe from roasting to grilling.  Hey it's summer time. Grilled Herb Chicken Breasts 4 chicken breast, boneless and skinless 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper Lemon Pound the chick...

My sister told me about this recipe.  She found it on Pinterest.  It's so easy and so delicious, I can't believe it never hit me to do this.  When she makes them they at least double the amount because everyone wolfs them down.  I decided ok, I have to give them a try.  She was not lying they are easy, awesome, and my family was fighting over the last one.  I do recommend doubling or tripling the recipe depending on the amount of people eating them. Oven Tacos 1 lb ground beef, browned 1 pkg taco seasoning 1/2 can refried beans 12 taco shells grated cheese Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brown the ground beef and add the seasoning as well as any water that might be necessary with the seasoning packet.  Add the refried beans to the meat and mix well. In a 9x13 baking dish stand up your shells and spoon the meat mixture in to them.  Cover the meat mixture with grated cheese. and put in the oven for 10-12 minutes. When you pull them ...

I've been a little behind on posting recipes we've cooked and loved.  I'll try to get caught up on this today.  This recipe went so fast and the kids actually fought over the left overs.  Shawn even said it's in his top 5 recipes.  This one, like most of our favorites came from Sandra over at  Full Bellies, Happy Kids .  I did tweak it just a little to adjust for our likings.  You can see the original recipe here  or my version of it right here. My biggest regret is that I don't have a picture of this delicious meal. Amish Easy Chicken Casserole 8 oz. noodles, cooked 2 c. cooked chicken, cubed 2 c. chicken broth (can used canned) 1 c. milk 2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 tsp garlic powder 1/2 c. margarine 1/3 c. flour grated Colby Jack Melt margarine, then add flour and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk and broth, then seasonings and a handful or so of cheese. Combine chicken, cooked noodles, and prepared sauce. P...

I have all of these amazing recipe books that I never use.  When it came time to make a new meal plan, I thought, why not pull some of those books out.  This recipe came from Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2011.  It was so good Ben even had a second plate and didn't argue about eating his asparagus in order to get a second helping of Cowboy Casserole. Cowboy Casserole 1 lb ground beef 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided 2/3 cup milk 1/4 cup sour cream 1 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp pepper 4 cups frozen tater tots In a large skillet, cook beef over med heat until no longer pink.  Stir in corn, soup, 1/2 cup of cheese, milk, sour cream, onion powder, and pepper. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray and then cover the bottom with tater tots.  Pour the beef mixture over the tater tots.  Sprinkle the remaining tater tots over the top and cover with the remaining cheese.  Bak...

So, a little while ago, in one of my Taste of Home recipe books, I stumbled across this recipe that looked like one my kids would LOVE.  Honestly, I've been a little under the weather and have been adjusting to being so busy all day with running kids all over creation that I haven't really cooked a meal.  I mean I've done sandwiches or scrambled eggs for dinner or picked up food, but not really cooked a meal, and I was really missing a nice big home cooked meal. Mac'n'Cheese Soup 1 pkg (14 oz) deluxe macaroni and cheese dinner mix 9 cups of water, divided 1 cup fresh broccoli florets 2 tbsp finely chopped onion 1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted 2 1/2 cups milk 1 cup chopped fully cooked ham or bacon (I used bacon) Set aside the cheese sauce packet from the macaroni and cheese mix.  In a large sauce pan, bring 8 cups of water to a boil.  Add the macaroni; cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender. In another large sauce pan, bri...

Of course, going through Sandra's food blog , I found another amazing meal.   Savory Beef and Noodles .  I've been meaning to cook it for weeks, but didn't get the opportunity for some reason or other.  So sad we didn't get it done before now.  This was so good that everyone ate it.  Ben and Sydney even both had seconds of it.  That is a winning recipe to me. Savory Beef and Noodles 1 pound ground beef 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed french onion soup, undiluted 1/2 cup beef gravy 1 (4 oz) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained (I chopped mine into small pieces to avoid children picking them out) 1 tbsp all purpose flour 1 tbsp cold water hot cooked noodles (I used egg noodles) Brown the ground beef and drain off the grease.  Stir in the soup, gravy, and mushrooms.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and let simmer for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the flour and water until smooth; stir into beef mixture.  Bring t...

Today while at Laugh Out Loud, Morgan and I were discussing dinner plans and this I was telling her what I was making for dinner and she said "Everyone has their own way of making Texas Trash."  The name kind of  stuck with me, and she was totally right.  Everybody has a dish quite similar to this that they created from things they had in their cabinets and it just happened to be a hit.  Here's the recipe for my Texas Trash. Texas Trash 1 box of velveeta shells and cheese (I use the store brand) 1 lb ground beef 1 can corn, drained 1 can rotel or 1 cup salsa Brown the ground beef until there is no pink left. Add the corn and rotel or salsa and cook for another minute or two. Cook the macaroni according to the directions on the package. Mix everything together and serve. Easy and delicious.

I've been going through tons of cookbooks looking for quick and easy recipes.  I always love a good casserole, so this recipe from Southern Plate by Christy Jordan was a definite keeper. Crunchy Beef Casserole 2 cups rotini 1 lb ground beef 1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese 3/4 tsp seasoned salt 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes 1 green pepper, chopped 1 cup french fried onions Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 2 qt casserole dish. Cook the rotini as directed on the package; rinse and drain. Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink.  Drain the fat.  Combine all the ingredients except the french fried onions in the casserole dish.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover, top with the french fried onions, and bake for 5 minutes longer.

I find that lately I haven't been cooking with hamburger very often.  I was looking through some of the cookbooks I got from the library and found this amazing little recipe in Southern Living What's for Supper. Hamburger Steak with Sweet Onion Gravy 2 bread slices, crumbed 1 lb ground round 1 large egg, lightly beaten 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 (1.2 oz) envelope brown gravy mix 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 medium sized sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced In a large bowl, gently combine bread crumbs, ground round, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper using your hands.  Shape into 4 (4 inch) patties. Whisk together brown gravy mix with 1 1/2 cup water. Cook the patties in the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, 2 minutes on each side or just until browned.  Remove the patties from the skillet.  Add the onion to the skillet and saute for 6 minutes or until tender.  Stir in the prepared gravy and bring to ...

We eat a lot of chicken in our house and I'm always looking for ways to make it new and fresh.  Also, I love anything citrus so it makes this recipe from Southern Living, What's for Supper, a winner. Lemon Chicken 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/3 cup flour 4 tbsp butter, divided 2 tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup lemon juice 8 lemon slices 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise and flatten to 1/4 inch thickness.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Lightly dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off any excess. Melt 1 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook 1/2 of the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked all the way through.  Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm.  Repeat procedure with 1 tbsp butter remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and remaining chicken b...