Super Easy, Super Yummy Supper!

It is always a challenge to find a supper that we ALL will enjoy... and tonight we hit the jackpot! Even picky-picky #3 had thirds of this dish. I am currently using E-Mealz for menu planning every week (more thoughts on that later) which has been helpful as my appetite is less than typical. Our list of 'everyone will eat' meals is as follows:

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Bean & Cheese Burritos
Pancakes
French Toast
Chicken Nuggets and French Fries
Spaghetti (only with spaghetti noodles, though... don't try to feed her any other kind of noodle!)

And now... Chicken & Couscous!

Here's what I did:
-1 box of roasted pine nut couscous (I used Near East) prepared as directed on box... except I put a chicken bullion cube in with the seasoning & water
-4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks, cooked in olive oil seasoned with basil, oregano, garlic, majoram and thyme (can also use a Greek Seasoning)
-1/2 container of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
-2 oz. feta cheese

Stir everything together in a casserole dish and serve!
It took about 20 minutes to prepare on the stove cook top and we ate a fresh salad/fresh veggies as a side dish. There was enough left over for my hubby to take for his lunch tomorrow.

Strawberry Season

We visited DeLange's Redberry Farm yesterday to pick strawberries. Never picked strawberries before (in my adult memory). Always stayed away because I thought it was too much work. Well, think again! I picked 24 pounds of berries (mostly myself) in less than 90 minutes while chatting with friends and keeping an eye on the kids. They were $1.50/pound this year for the U-pick. And we had a great morning!

It had rained the previous day so the field was wet. We wore rain boots and just didn't worry too much about the mud. I was quite pleased to find that DeLange's use a technique for field drainage that makes picking much easier - there are troughs between rows so the rows seem elevated! My back was thankful for that. However there are other muscles that got a nice workout... stairs were a little slow this morning!

So far I've allocated strawberries for:
2 Strawberry Pies
2 loaves Strawberry Bread - not to self: do NOT over mix!!!
1 double recipe Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
1 double batch of no-sugar jam (recipe from inside the box of pectin)
1 double batch no-sugar strawberry-rhubarb jam (modified recipe from box of pectin)
7 quarts in the freezer for smoothies, topping, baking etc. over the next 12 months
about 2 quarts for eating fresh

Perfect Lasagna!

It's fall sports season... and for our family that means wonky schedules. That also means it's crock season! Wednesday we attended a district cross-country meet so I threw a lasagna in the crock pot. It turned out perfectly and the best part is that you don't have to precook the noodles. Click on the link for the original recipe

Ness's Crock pot Lasagna (with Joy's modifications!)

Brown: 1 lb ground beef with 1 onion finely chopped and 2 cloves garlic crushed & minced. Drain grease and mix with 1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce and a little extra (maybe 1/4 cup more) - I prefer chunky garden style.

Mix well: 1 lb. cottage cheese, 3 cups mozzarella/Italian cheese blend, 1 scrambled egg, 1/4 cup milk and 1 box of frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry.

Grease the bottom and sides of crock.

Spread about 1/4 of the sauce/meat on bottom of crock. Layer noodles (break to fit), 1/3 of cheese. Repeat with sauce - noodles - cheese for two more layers. Top with remaining sauce. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of water along sides of crock.

Cook on high for 3 hours.

Meat-less Loaf

While we are by no means vegetarian, occasionally I like to experiment with "meatless" recipes. Since Thing Two doesn't eat meat, it's a good way to get in some extra protein. Every time this dish has been prepared it has received accolades and requests for the recipe. So as the weather cools, whip up this wonderful Cottage Cheese Roast and enjoy a meat-less meal.

Cottage Cheese Roast (Recipe Zaar) with My Modifications in italics

16 oz. Cottage Cheese
4 eggs, scrambled
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup diced onion
1 oz (about 1 package) Onion Soup Mix
1 cup sesame seeds
2 cups Corn Flake cereal

Grease loaf pan. Combine all ingredients til well mixed. Spoon into loaf pan. Bake 60-70 minutes at 350 degrees. Let rest 5-10 minutes prior to serving.

Add my favorite meatloaf topping: 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 T mustard, 1 T brown sugar mixed together.