Family Musings

Once a week, we eat breakfast for dinner, aka Brinner. Why? Because breakfast is the most awesome meal of the day! When else can you eat cake (i.e. pancakes) and call it a meal? No one even bats an eye if you serve panCAKES, especially when they are these awesome Pumpkin Pancakes . In fact, if you were at my house, you might even get cheered by the under 5 crowd when you announced cake for supper! Another brinner that I love to make is affectionately known as "Dirty Omelets," so called because it, well, because it looks dirty. (Get your mind out of the gutter!)  Now, I'm sure someone out there is going to want to argue the point that, technically, this isn't an omelet. And before you go there, I'll admit, this is not, officially, an omelet. But it captures the essence of an omelet, at least in my opinion. (Let's pretend that plate has a warm biscuit and a pretty fruit salad on it, okay?) Everyone has their preferences for omelet fillings, but if you...

I love microwave popcorn. The year I was on Weight Watchers, I ate it almost daily. It's a great source of fiber and very filling, but I have since then realized that even though it may be low calorie, it really isn't that healthy. Those chemicals don't sound anything like food I can buy at the store and I just can't bring myself to eat it anymore. When I found  a Fox News article on 7 Foods You Should Never Eat , it occurred to me that other people might be interested in an easy way to make microwave popcorn at home. A while back on Pinterest , I found a link for how to make your own microwave popcorn. It was so easy, I jumped up off my couch and made it with my daughters right then and there. I can't find the original link, but here's how I make it now. Homemade Microwave Popcorn 3 Tablespoons plain corn kernels 1/8 tsp oil or butter (I prefer coconut oil) salt to taste Stir together all 3 ingredients in a cup or bowl, then pour into a brown paper...

If you aren't pumpkined out (I'm not!), then you'll want to take that last 1/2 cup of pureed pumpkin out of your fridge and make these! Then smother them with real maple syrup. And eat them for breakfast, lunch, brinner, dessert... whenever you want. These are so, so good! I have to actually stop my girls when we eat these otherwise they'd get sick from eating as many as they liked. Pumpkin Pie Pancakes 2 cups Bisquick 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 - 3/4 cup milk 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin 2 T sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla 1-2 dashes pumpkin pie spice Combine all ingredients just until blended. Add more milk if your batter is too thick (I always do). Let rest for a minute while your griddle or pan heats up. As a nod to my husband's love of all things bacon, sometimes I'll grease my pan with leftover bacon fat, but usually I just use a touch of real butter. Leave your pancake along until the sides start to dry out just a tad, then flip.  Re...

I've been in a nutritional glut recently. In addition to experiencing a loss of appetite due to new medication, I've been too preoccupied with life to take the time each day to eat any decent food. A recent experience with vitamin supplements really woke me up to the fact that I need to do a better job of caring for myself. So, during a brainstorming session with Karissa , I decided to make a list of 31 quick snacks for moms. Most of these items can be eaten on the go, though some don't travel as well as others. To make it on this list the snack has to be made in 5 minutes or less and be reasonably healthy, in other words no homemade chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, or drive-thru french fries. I also tried to mostly include things that had some protein and good carbs in them. Crackers or pita chips w/ hummus Homemade microwave popcorn (the pre-made stuff is awful once you've made your own) Half a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread w/ a small glass of ...

Here is one way I get my girls to eat a variety of food at a meal. Otherwise, they'd eat half a box of pasta without blinking. I call this "Flower Dinner." I hope you can figure out why. Grapes, applesauce, pasta, yogurt, plus an unseen cheese stick. These are silicone baking cups that are more useful as single-serving snack cups.

Finally! Today the temperatures dropped into the 80's and stayed there! This is the first Fall-ish day we've had yet. While that might not seem like Fall to those of you who live where there are real seasons, it is to me. After sweating through this past week, I was so happy that the temperature stayed relatively low today. In honor of that, I decided to make myself a fall-ish snack. The kids are in bed and I'm home alone so I didn't want to bake something and be tempted to eat the whole pan of brownies. Instead, I settled on these. Pumpkin Mallow S'mores The Ingredients Ready to be toasted and assembled 2 yummy toasted pumpkin spice mallows, toasted just until I can smell the burnt sugar Almost completely assembled and ready for noshing Once I pulled those toothpicks out I thoroughly enjoyed this crumbly snack best eaten in private. Unless your friends and loved ones have a good sense of humor and don't mind crumbs. Oh, and if you a...

In case you hadn't heard, last Friday was National Donut Day. You better believe that was a holiday we celebrated at the Family Musings house! I remembered my mom making homemade donuts when I was a little girl but had never done it myself. The process is simple enough if you aren't afraid of a pan of hot oil. I even convinced my almost 4 year old to help me. Ok, I didn't really have to convince her, she loves donuts! Here are the ingredients you'll need to make easy peasy homemade donuts: Ingredients: Neutral flavored oil, canned biscuits, plus toppings. I recommend powdered sugar, cinnamon & sugar, and homemade frosting* with orange extract for a bright touch. Tools: Hands, high sided pan for frying donuts, slotted spoon for taking donut holes out of hot oil, chopsticks for taking donuts out, and cookie cutter or other small round device (I used a medicine cup and it was perfect!) First, you need to flatten the biscuits. Great step for the littles to help...

Someone was asking me about cookbooks and recipes today when I came across the  Take the Carrabba’s Personality Quiz on Facebook . I quickly took the 5 question quiz and discovered that my pasta personality is Penne Franco, a dish with sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and ricotta salata. It sure sounds like something I'd enjoy and now I might be inspired to make an Italian style pasta dish for dinner tonight!  My husband's favorite pasta dish is a Creamy Spinach-Chicken Lasagna. I was sure I had posted it before, but couldn't find it any where on the blog. And since it is one of our favorites, I thought I ought to share it with you now. It started out as a recipe from my mom, which I've now made so many times, I don't even look at the written recipe any more. Plus, since my life is busier, I've turned it into a no-boil lasagna to make assembly quicker.  Creamy Spinach-Chicken Lasagna 1 box lasagna noodles 2 cups cooked chicken 2 cups loosely pa...

I finally knew the Bag Holder had secured a permanent place in my kitchen when I went to cook dinner last night. Without even thinking about it, I reached for the Bag Holder to prepare a chicken and rice recipe I've made before using regular bowls. It wasn't until I added the last ingredient that I even realized that I had changed the way I cook, bake, and store food. Thank you Kara for sharing this simple yet innovative kitchen tool with me. It's a true multi-tasker that would make even Alton Brown proud! And before I sign off with this series of reviews, I thought I'd share a few of the ways I've used it that haven't been documented on the blog yet. I used the Bag Holder to put up about 70 pounds of tomatoes. I was able to buy them for about $3 so I couldn't pass them up, but I had to figure out a quick way to store these gems! Ready to be flash boiled to make skin removal easier. After their ice water bath and skin removal. They felt so ...

Crispy Tilapia with Mac & Cheese As reported last week , Kara has challenged me to prepare the majority of my family's meals in The Bag Holder. After using the BH for 7 days so far, I am definitely liking it more than expected. I've posted several updates on my Facebook page so far as well as some photos and videos. You can check those out over there, but for those of you not on Facebook, I'll try to recap my experience as well as share some new details. Items Made So Far: Riffed Chicken Enchiladas Maple Chicken Beef Fajitas  with homemade Tortillas (also made in the BH) Crispy Tilapia Mac & Cheese BLT Bowtie Salad Omelettes In A Bag  ( video of Charlotte helping ) Chocolate Dream Freeze  ( watch my video ) Baked Oatmeal (my friend Cyndi's recipe) Cupcakes (mixed in the bag, and then frosted in fresh bag) Deviled Eggs Muffins (mixed in the bag) Life meant I veered slightly from the original menu a couple of nights, so here is wh...

A nice lady named Kara issued a challenge to me. And I love challenges. You see, Kara invented something called The Bag Holder . When I first saw it, I thought, "it's basically a plastic bowl. What's the big deal?" Kara believed it was a big deal, so she pressed on and tried to show me why it was better than a plastic bowl. She said it could completely make over the way I approached cooking and cleaning my kitchen. This was her baby and she wanted me to believe in it like she did. So... Kara challenged me to cook the majority of my meals for 2 weeks using The Bag Holder (TBH) and see if I changed my mind. She even offered to pay for the groceries and give me a free TBH. So tonight, the challenge began. I've picked out 10 dinner, 6 lunch, 4 breakfast, and 4 snack recipes that I will be making over the next 2 weeks to see if TBH is all Kara says it is. Tonight I made Chicken Enchiladas , creating my own riff on the version on TBH's website based on what I ha...

A blessing of living in FL, besides all the sunshine we get in January and February, are the strawberries that are grown here. We can get them super cheap this time of year and I often have more than I can use. But don't you worry... waste not, want not! I have a plan for using them up. Most years, I make and can strawberry jam to last the rest of the year. For example, in January 2010, my family and I picked 30 pounds of strawberries. Most became jam, a bunch were eaten right away, and the rest were individually frozen to enjoy year round. This week, I found myself with a clamshell of strawberries that had frozen in my refrigerator. I do not like to eat previously frozen berries unless they are in something, so I made something with the berries. I think this recipe will hang around through the summer and next fall as a great way to have a taste of FL winter year round. Strawberry Quick Bread 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4...

A long time ago, I made Salmon Croquettes following a recipe from Paula Deen. They came out really good and were a frugal choice for lean times. Well, lean times continue so I began looking for more frugal, yet tasty recipes. After looking at several chicken croquette recipes, I combined what I liked best about all of them, using only what I had on hand. The canned chicken goes on sale BOGO at Publix often enough and the rest of the ingredients are what I consider pantry staples. Except for the red peppers, I picked those up at Big Lots a while back and have been looking for an opportunity to use them. Our dinner last night was the tasty result of my searching and pantry pilfering. Even Mary ate about 1 1/2 of them, though Charlotte didn't care for the soft texture on the inside. Jennifer's Chicken Croquettes 1 stick butter 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup chicken stock 3 cans chicken, drained (about 3 cups of chicken) 1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs 1 egg, lightly ...

I discovered the joy of making your own granola bars this week. And I might be hooked now. The recipe is super easy and highly customizable. I am looking forward to trying lots of different variations of it. Plus, it is highly frugal to make your own granola bars. For the cost of one box at the store I can make this recipe, which gives you any where from 24-30 bars depending on how you cut them. My friend Kim gave me the recipe, but she got it from someone else. So I'm just calling this Someone Else's Granola Bars. They come out soft and chewy and addictive. Someone Else's Granola Bars 4 cups rolled oats 1 cup whole wheat flour ¼ cup wheat germ or flax seed (I have used flax meal) ½ tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup sunflower seeds, pepitas, walnuts, almonds, pecans, etc… any kind of nut. 1 cup any – craisins, raisins, dried apricots, dried apples, etc… 2/3 cup peanut butter 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 egg, slightly beaten ¼ cup water ½ cup hone...

Recently, I've been making my own bread. And everyone in the family loves it. There isn't one of us who doesn't walk past it in the kitchen without at least pondering whether or not to cut off a slice. Some of us ponder whether or not to slather it with Nutella . The recipe is super basic and works well with white bread flour or with a combination of that and whole wheat flour. I adapted an Amish White Bread recipe for our family's personal taste and my bread maker. I picked it up for $10 several years ago at a yard sale. I've seen others just as cheap at the thrift store too. If you have a bread maker, add the ingredients in this order: 2 cups warm water 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup white sugar 6 cups bread flour (split between white & wheat if you like) 2 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast Once everything is in the bread maker, just set it to the dough setting and you can walk away for 90 minutes (depending on the manufacturer setting...

In the spirit of Titus 2, my new friend Belinda started a Southern Girls Cooking Club for women to get together and learn new ways to bless their families with yummy meals. We even have a Facebook group! Last Saturday night we met for the first lesson - potato soup and quiche. Both recipes came together so easily I was kind of embarrassed that I don't make either one of them. The basic quiche recipe is 5 eggs, 2 cups of milk, and then whatever else you want for your quiche, usually, cheese, a meat, and a veggie or two. And no need to get fancy, we used store bought crusts.  Lynda demonstrated a cheddar and ham quiche as well as a cheddar and spinach quiche. Lynda also taught me something about celery I didn't know. The majority of the flavor is in the leaf and it is okay to chop it up and add it to your dishes. I don't have the potato soup recipe just yet, but tried to make my own version of it today and posted that on my other blog, Eating It Up. Here are the be...

But, I want to share these easy waffle cookies Charlotte and I made this morning. These are a super simple cookie that can be modified in many ways. Add Craisins or other dried fruit to the batter to combat the 2 sticks of butter in the recipe! Use them as a base for an ice cream sundae, instead of a cone or waffle bowl.  Make them look like snowflakes by sprinkling powdered sugar over them. Add orange extract instead of vanilla and serve with hot mandarin tea. Almond extract would also be a yummy addition. How else would you modify these yummy waffle cookies ?

Another creation from Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make I didn't have access to green pull apart licorice for the vines, so I made swirly, vine-like things from green melting chocolate. The smaller cupcakes were dipped in hot icing before getting the orange sugar. I've also made owls , corn on the cob , and rabbit hole cupcakes.

This week I was feeling in the mood to bake and stumbled upon a recipe for Positively Pumpkin Cookies . Boy am I glad I did. These are super-duper yummy and you can really taste the pumpkin in them. I can't say for sure but that might have something to do with me adding more pumpkin than the recipe called for - almost 1 whole can instead of 1 whole cup. Oops! But what a happy accident! When they came out, I even decided to get fancy and put the icing in a baggie to make pretty designs on top. I should have let Charlotte help with that part, but she was busy throwing a fit about something. In FL, we need all the help we can get to experience Fall. Baking cookies like this and drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks is my trick. What are you doing to make it feel more like Fall?

Last fall, I checked out several "diabetic" cookbooks from the library in hopes of finding newer, healthier recipes to enjoy with my family. My favorite recipe so far comes from The All Natural Diabetes Cookbook , by Jackie Newgent. Everything seems easy enough to make and comes with the nutritional informaton and exchanges for each recipe. The recipe that is now a new vegetarian favorite (we try to eag vegetarian at least once a week to save money) is called Uno, Dos, Tres Bean Burrito , on page 198 of the cookbook. Here is my modified version of the recipe: 1 tsp canola or peanut oil 1 large red onion, thinly sliced 1 can black beans, drained 1 can white beans, drained (I used northern beans) 1 can pinto or roman beans (I used pinto) 1/2 cup salsa 4 10-inch tortillas 1/3 cup cheese (or more if you are like me!) 2 cups of mixed baby greens (I just used spinach) Saute onions in oil until lightly carmelized. Add the beans and saute 2 minutes. Then add salsa (and cilantro if yo...