Soup for Dinner

Dear Ladies,

Soup would be excellent for dinner now while the days are cool, so I was going to send you the recipe for Taco soup. However, I already send that one to you. It is on the blog page for you to use any time. http://amomlikeyou.blogspot.com/2008/04/easy-dinner-idea.html

Another easy dish for a cool night would be White Chicken Chili. All of the ingredients can be put in the crock pot in the morning and will be ready by dinner. Crock pots are great for days when you are going to be out all day. Either you can put it together the night before or in the morning before you leave. This chili isn't very spicy, so everyone should enjoy it.

White Chicken Chili

1 medium onion, chopped

3 Tablespoons oil

1 (4oz) can of chopped green chilies, drained

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 (15.8 oz) cans of great northern beans

1 (14.5 oz) can of chicken broth(I usually just use bouillon)

1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken

Put all the above ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low all day. Serve with Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, sour cream, andtortilla chips.

We like corn bread with our soup, so I'm including that recipe for you also.

Corn Bread

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup corn meal

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup milk

1/4 cup oil

1 beaten egg

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a 8x8" pan. I bake mine in an iron skillet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

The following link has all the recipes that have been sent in past letters. http://amomlikeyou.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes

Enjoy,

Melissa

Resurrection Cookies

Dear Ladies,
If you've never done made Resurrection cookies with your children it is a fun Easter activity and a great way to teach them about Easter. The link below has the recipe and walks you through each step.
http://www.annieshomepage.com/resurrectioncookies.html

Another easy activity for Easter:
-Take refrigerated biscuits that come in a can- pop the can open and give each child a biscuit. Have each child wrap the biscuit dough around a large marshmallow- this takes a bit of stretching. Brush melted butter on the biscuits, roll in cinnamon and sugar and bake according to directions on biscuit can.
Explain to the children as they wrap the biscuit around the marshmallow that Jesus is represented by the marshmallow and the biscuit represents the tomb. After the biscuits are done baking, cool a few minutes and give each child one to enjoy. Break the biscuit in half and notice that the marshmallow is gone, our biscuit tomb is empty just like Jesus' tomb was empty on Easter morning. My children loved this activity and I liked it because it was simple and easy to do.

Enjoy,
Melissa

Fun and Easy Easter Treat

Here is a quick and fun treat you can make with your children and share with them what Jesus did for us and the really meaning of Easter.

You will need a tube of refrigerator biscuits. I used the cheap ones that come 4 tubes bundled together. You will also need marshmallows(any kind you have will work), melted butter, cinnamon and sugar.

Have your children stretch out a biscuit as best them can and wrap it around a marshmallow. Brush each biscuit with butter and then sprinkle or roll them in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Bake your biscuits according to the directions on the tube. Remove from oven and cool a little before eating.

As they work and then enjoy share with them what each part represents.
The marshmallow represents Jesus and the biscuit is the tomb. Just as Jesus was put in the tomb, you put your biscuits in the oven. Have your children bit into there biscuit and notice that the marshmallow is gone, there biscuit /tomb is hollow. As they enjoy there sweet treat share with them the goodness of Jesus' resurrection and the empty tomb.

Enjoy,
Melissa

Dear Ladies,
I have sat down several times and started a letter only to never finish it. I have not forgotten you nor have I given up writing altogether.

The children and I are on our own for the month. Eric is in Afghanistan, so that means cereal for dinner, movies and pizza. We have been to see the cherry blossoms and have dinner with friends planned, and maybe a road trip to visit the University of Virginia, to help the time past.

On Sunday we had the great blessing of having our first service in our new building. I was very busy with the babies in the nurseries. We had a record number of children with a total near 40 in our second service. I never even got a chance to peek in at the worship service, but my day will come. Until then I will love everyone babies and will be glad for three beautiful rooms to care for them.

Of all the letters I send the recipes are the most popular, so I will add one to this update.
One of our favorite soups is "Brown Jug Cheese Soup"

4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 qt water
2 1/2 cups potatoes, raw and cubed
1 (20 oz) pkg. frozen mixed veggies(we like broccoli)
1 lb Velveeta cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup
Put all but the soup and cheese in a large soup pot and cook until potatoes and veggies are tender. Stir in soup and cheese(cut into large cubes). Stir until cheese is melted.

Add a loaf of bread and dinner is done. This is an easy recipe to put together early in the day and heat up just before dinner. We still have some cool days ahead that make good days to have soup for dinner, so enjoy.

Melissa

Apple Crisp Recipe

This morning I brought an Apple Crisp to our Mothers Of Preschoolers meeting. It was a big hit and was really easy to make. We picked a lot of apples last fall and I froze some of them. I froze them already peeled and sliced so they were ready to make a quick pie, apple crisp or applesauce. At the time this was alot of work, but i is very handy to have packages of sliced apples in the freezer. The night before MOPS I mixed up the topping, so in the morning all I had to do was put the apples in a dish, sprinkle on the topping and bake.


Apple Crisp

Peel and slice enough apples to fill a glass pie plate or a 12x12" baking dish. In a separate bowl soften 2/3 cup butter, add 1 1/2cup flour, 1 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix all together until you have a crumbly mixture. Try not to melt the butter, if you do and your topping isn't crumbly add a little more flour. Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top of your apples.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour or until the apples are tender.


This topping is from a recipe called "Crumbly Top Apple Pie"

Cookies for Breakfast

One of the items I like to bake is breakfast cookies. They are easy to grab if you are running out the door and are good for anytime of day. Plus I can tell my guys they can have a cookie whenever they get hungry. I haven't official compared them to Pop Tarts or granola bars, but I'm sure they are healthier. Both of the recipes below can be adapted to your taste. I like to use dried cranberries in my cookies, but you could also add walnuts or pecans, sunflower seeds, any type of dried fruit or nuts. You could also try replacing some of the butter with an equal amount of applesauce. If you use fresh apples, keep in mind they wouldn't keep as long as cookies with only dried fruit. Using the two recipes below you could invent a breakfast cookie that works for your family. Have fun experimenting with your cookies. When I first started making breakfast cookies I did a google search and found a lot of recipes. I would love to hear what ingredients you add and how your cookies turn out.

Jumbo Breakfast Cookies

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup old-fashion or quick-cooking oatmeal
1 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups cheerios cereal
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Stir together sugar, butter, peanut butter, water vanilla and egg. Stir in remaining ingredients, except cereal. Gently stir in cereal. Drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten dough to about 1 inch thick

Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before removing from sheet.

Hearty Cookies for Breakfast

3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 apple chopped
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup raisins
Mix all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees. My recipe doesn't say for how long, but my guess would be about 10 minutes.

Quiche Recipe

I haven't made quiche for my family in a long time, but when I have made it everyone enjoys it. If you use frozen pie crusts, it will only take you a few minutes to put the filling together. It is also easy to make several different types to satisfy everyone. Since most children like eggs and cheese there should be very little complaining. You can be creative with what you add to the egg mixture. A few ideas to try are broccoli, mushroom, bacon,sausage, ham, spinach, green peppers,tomatoes and of course cheese.

Pastry
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
2to 3 tablespoons cold water
Filling
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled (1/2 cup)
1 cup shredded cheese (4 oz)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
4 large eggs
2 cups milk, whipping cream or half-n-half
1/4teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions for making pie crust:

1.In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender or fork, until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).

2.Gather pastry into a ball.

Heat oven to 425°F.

With floured rolling pin, roll pastry into round 2 inches larger than your pie plate. Fold pastry gently and gently place in quiche dish. Unfold and press firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry.

Bake crust for 10 minutes. If crust bubbles, gently push bubbles down with back of spoon.

Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion( or your similar ingredients of your choice) in pie crust. In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly; add milk, salt and pepper. Pour into quiche dish. (Before pouring filling into crust, put the crust on a cookie sheets. The cookie sheets makes it easier to transfer the quiche to the oven and catches any over flow.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Time Saver: Use frozen crust or a ready-to-go refrigerated pie crust.
Prep Time: 25 min

Makes: 6 servings

Enjoy

Melissa

Easy Chicken Cassarole for Dinner Tonight!!

I love this chicken casserole. It has a unique flavor and the walnuts add a nice crunch. My family doesn't love it as much as I do, so on Sunday when I made it I made them a different chicken dish. You also could just leave out of half of the dish anything your little ones didn't like.

If you have cooked chicken in the freezer this dish will only take a few minutes to put together. Make the rice in your microwave sometime during the day when you have a free minute also cook the eggs early in the day; at dinner time it will just be a matter of mixing everything together and baking.

Deluxe Chicken Casserole

1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
1 can cream of chicken soup,undiluted
2 teaspoons finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup water
3 hard-cooked eggs-sliced

Combine first seven ingredients in a large bowl. Combine mayonnaise and water; stir with a wire whisk until smooth. Add mayonnaise mixture to chicken mixture. Gently fold in egg slices. Spoon mixture into a greased 11x17 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 6 servings


Enjoy!!
Melissa

Easy Breakfast/Dinner Recipe

Tonight's dinner was easy and delicious. I thought you might all be interested giving this one a try. It is called Sunday Breakfast Casserole, except we had it on Thursday for dinner. I guess that makes it Thursday Dinner Casserole.

We fried up the sausage earlier in the day, when we got home in the evening it was just a few quick steps before it was ready to bake.

1/4 cup onions and green peppers, chopped and browned
2 cups ham, bacon or sausage, cooked
1 cup grated cheese
12 eggs
1 cup milk
2 lbs frozen hash browns(chunks or grated)
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together onion, peppers, meat and cheese. Mix eggs and milk-add hash browns, salt and pepper. Combine meat mixture with egg mixture and pour into a buttered 9x13"pan. Top with 1/4 cup more grated cheese. Bake 30 minutes (ours took closer to an hour) until set. This made a large cassarole and we even had some leftovers.
We added some fruit and bread to complete our meal.

Enjoy!!
Melissa

Dear Ladies,
This week we tried a new recipe. The meal is simple to make and is a basic Mexican chicken and rice dinner that is bound to please most of the hungry people in your house. Below is the recipe. Since I rarely follow a dinner recipe exactly I also included the changes I made.
Enjoy,
Melissa

Foil-Pack Chicken Fajita Dinner
1 1/2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning mix
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb)
1 each green ad red pepper, cut into strips
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded taco or cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Use four 18x12 inch sheets of foil to make packets. Spray foil with cooking spray. Combine rice, water and taco seasoning; spoon onto centers of foil. Top with chicken, peppers, salsa and cheese. Bring up foil sides and double fold top and ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation. Place packets on baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.(165 degrees) Let stand 5 minutes. Cut slits in foil to release steam before opening packets.
Serving suggestion: top each portion with sour cream
Make ahead: prepare foil packets and refrigerate up to 1 day.


Melissa's Variations:

The first thing I did different was to use regular rice. The amount of instant rice I had in the house was not enough to feed my family, so I cooked regular rice.

Quick rice in the microwave technique:
Measure 2 cups of water to every 1 cup of rice and combine in a casserole dish. Leaving the dish uncovered cook the rice for 20 minutes in the microwave. When the time is complete there should not be any water on the surface of the rice, cover the dish and allow the rice to set for about 10 minutes. This allows the rice a chance to steam and absorb the water.

I thought the foil packets would take too much time, so I layered everything in a 9x13"dish. I topped the seasoned rice with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, salsa, green peppers and cheese. I covered the dish with foil and baked for about 1 hour. The chicken was very moist, but the rice needed more seasoning. I used more rice then the recipe called for, but did not increase the taco seasoning amount enough.
This is a very simple recipe and will probably please the majority of the people in your household. The green peppers add a nice flavor and color to the meal, but are easy to leave out or remove later for picky eaters.

Our Growing Girl

Easy Chicken Bake - recipe

Easy Chicken Bake

Just like the title says, this is an easy casserole. Next time you have chicken, freeze the leftover. Next time you don't have much time for dinner prep(that can be most nights), pull out the frozen chicken and in 10 minutes dinner will be in the oven. I like to buy the large packages of chicken thighs or quarters when they are on sale and put them in the crock pot overnight. The next day after they have cooled I bone all the chicken, put it into several quart size freezer bags and pop the bags in the freezer. This gives me several bags of chicken that are ready for casseroles, chicken salad, enchiladas, etc.

1 pkg. stuffing mix(we like the cornbread stuffing)
1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces or your bag of frozen chicken
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1 16 oz bag of frozen mixed veggies
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, prepare stuffing mix as directed on package;set aside. Mix chicken, soup, sour cream, and veggies in a 13x9" baking dish;top with stuffing. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 6 servings

Easy Beef Enchiladas

This is an easy Mexican dinner and if your meat is already cooked and in the freezer you would be able to prepare this meal quickly.

Easy Enchiladas

1 lb. ground beef(browned)

1 (19 oz0 can of Enchilada sauce

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

12 Flour Tortillas

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Stir 3/4 cup sauce and 1 cup cheese into browned ground beef.

Spoon sauce/cheese/meat mixture onto tortillas and roll-up. Place seam-side down in lightly greased 13x9" baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over top, sprinkle with remain cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

I find that if the tortillas aren't covered with sauce they get too crunchy. Chicken could be substituted for the beef.

They Will Grow Up!!!

Dear Ladies,

Dressed in a black tux with a broad smile on his face my baby boy(now 17) drove away in a bright red Camaro to escort a young lady to dinner and the homecoming dance. I had to blink back tears several times as I helped him get ready for his big night. Where have the years gone? Just a short time ago he was catching bugs, playing in the mud and looking for adventure in the trees behind our house. It has been just as exciting to watch him take on all the new adventures of being a teenager and some day I will look back on these years and wonder again how the time could have gone by so fast.

I told him today I have 6 more years before I have to share him with another woman. I have to make the most of those 6 years. Granted I still have three after him with one who is only eleven, but I know when the oldest leaves home it will be the hardest and the others will soon follow.

So how will I make the most of the rest of the time my children live with me? I will kiss them goodnight and rub their backs for as many years as they will let me, I will accept all hugs given, I will enjoy the little memories and make as many new memories as we can. I will remember the years go by fast and I have only a short time to instill in them a love for the Lord. I will do my utmost to be the best mother I can be and not get caught up in guilt when I make a mess of things. My goal will be to make the most of the time I have, so I can look back on these years with no regrets.

When the majority of the people you talk to in the course of a day are under the age of four and your primary thought is "If only I could sleep for five minutes" it is hard to think they will every grow up and leave home. BUT THEY WILL!! Before you know it you will be thinking "I remember Melissa telling me this would happen." Enjoy your children today. If your baby is teething skip the dishes and cuddle her, if your son wants to play Legos join him even if you're not very good at it, if your daughter is having an emotional melt down wrap her in your arms and hug away the tears. Choose something your children would enjoy for dinner and make it just for them, add food coloring to the milk and watch their faces glow with happiness, have ice cream for dinner sometime(I learned that from my mom), wrap up in a blanket and watch a Veggie Tale movie, color together(my 2nd boy use to love to do this with me), read to your children while they color or build with Legos(this is one of our favorite activities), have an indoor picnic for lunch invite the stuffed animals to join you, and accept any and all hugs.

OK your mission is clear - have fun being a mother. God gave you each child because He knew you would the best mother for that child and they are each a unique blessing.

Blessings to all,
Melissa

PS. Tonight we are having Nacho Spuds for dinner. It is an easy and affordable meal. The recipe is posted at http://amomlikeyou.blogspot.com/2008/04/whats-for-dinner.html

All past letters can be found at http://amomlikeyou.blogspot.com/

Soup for Dinner

Hello Ladies,

Fall is my favorite time of year; one of our favorite dinners in the fall/winter season is soup and bread. I thought you might enjoy a recipe for one of my families favorite soups. For quickness I would add everything, but the cheese to the soup pot and cook until the potatoes were tender, then I would stir in the cheese until it melted. If I was going to be pressed for time in the evening I would prepare everything, put it all in the pot so it was ready to cook that evening and refrigerate.

Brown Jug Cheese Soup

4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 qt. of water
20 oz package of frozen mixed veggies(we like to add just broccoli)
2 1/2 cups potatoes, raw and cubed
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
1 cup celery, finely diced
(dice a whole package of celery, spread it on a cookie sheet and freeze, when it is frozen transfer to a zip lock bag-this way you have diced celery on hand. The grocery store may even sell frozen diced celery)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup onion, finely diced( sometimes I will dice extra onion and freeze it. It is so handy to have onion, green peppers celery etc frozen and ready to use.)

Cook bouillon, celery and onion in water for 20 minutes. Add potatoes and mixed veggies: cook an additional 30 minutes. Add canned soup and cheese-simmer until cheese is melted. Stir frequently at this point-scorches very easily.

In the morning start your bread machine and by evening you will have a wonderful dinner. Enjoy,

Melissa

PS. All past letters are available at http://www.amomlikeyou.blogspot.com/
Please feel free to pass the letters on to friends or have your friends email to be added to the list. Also I am available to women's groups to speak and share on any topics covered.

Easy Dinner Idea

A friend gave me this simple, but delicious soup recipe. Depending on the size of your family you may have to increase your proportions. We expecially enjoy soup for dinner in the winter, serve this soup with corn bread for a super easy dinner. (Thanks Margot)This soup is super easy and the kids love it with the cheese and chips sprinkled on top. Add some cornbread using the simple Jiffy mixes and dinner is done.

Taco Soup
1 can of corn
1 jar of salsa or stew diced tomatoes
chicken broth or beef broth
cooked chicken slices or hamburger.
Simply combine all ingredigents and heat well. Serve with grated cheese and crushed tortilla chips on top.

What's For Dinner?

"What's for dinner?" Preparing meals seems to be an endless job for us moms. Sometimes the cooking of the meal isn't the hardest part it is figuring out what to make. In our house if my husband says "Thanks for making this.", that means it's edible, but not something he is really enjoying. If he says " This is good.", it really is GOOD. Tuesday night was one of those nights and I can only take credit for finding the recipe; my 14 year old son and 10 year old daughter did the cooking.
One thing I find helpful is to prepare a menu for a week or two weeks at a time. This can take awhile to do, but is a time saver during the week. You could make several menus and corresponding grocery lists and rotate them. As I make the menu I write down everything I need to purchase to prepare that dish. It is also a good idea to check the grocery store ads and plan your menu using meat that is on sale that week. I might purchase pork chops if they are on sale and freeze them to use in the future as it is a real money saver if you can get your meat items on sale.
We purchase the bulk of our staple items at Aldi- a German based stored that sells mostly their own brand of product, it is a very basic, no frills store, but the prices are the best around. www.aldifoods.com Since there is one in Woodbridge my husband will stop after work and do a major purchase for us about every 2 weeks. I email him our grocery list and he gets everything he can, certain items that are more specialized I have to pick up later or do without. We will also purchase some pre-made items for the weekend, ie pizza, stir fry veggies packs, hot dogs. Even though these items are more expensive they save us from spending money on take-out or going out to dinner.
I hope these ideas help you out with the never ending job of making meals. Lastly here is the recipe for our successful, delicious entree that we had this week.

Nacho Spuds
prep time 15 minutes
4 servings
Slice 2 large potatoes into 1/2" thick rounds(no need to peel), toss these with a little olive oil. Lay the potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake at 450 until tender, about 20 minutes.
While the potatoes are baking, cook 1/2 lb. ground beef. Mix in a 15oz can of black beans(any beans will do), 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning and 2 tablespoons water. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Layer the potatoes in an 9x11 over proof dish, sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese and layer the meat mixture on the potatoes, top with another cup of cheese. Place in the oven and turn the oven off. Let sit in the oven 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream, lettuce, black olives if you like.

We had to use a lot more potatoes, about 2 per person and a pound of beef and additional cheese in order to have enough to feed everyone. (I have 2 teen boys that are really putting the food away these days).

Have a wonderful week.
Melissa