Chicken Noodle Letuce Cups

I made these for dinner last night and all the kids had fun helping me cut the veggies and put it all together and on the table. Zoe, Austin & I really liked them. Makayla mostly liked them & Holden wouldn't try them at all. As a shortcut, we used leftover rotisserie chicken, shredded.

2 (8oz) skinless boneless chicken breasts

2 tsp olive oil

sea salt & black pepper

1 Tbsp sesamie seeds

1 Tbsp honey

1 bundle dried fine Chinese egg noodles or rice noodles

1/2 cucumber

2 small carrots, pealed

1 cup snow peas

2 scallions, trimmed

1/3 cup cilantro leaves

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp soy sauce

1 head Bibb lettuce

Optional garnish: 1 red chili pepper, finely sliced

Cook the Chicken: Get your barbecue hot. If cooking indoors, put the grill pan on high heat. Score the chicken breasts with a sharp knife at 1-inch intervals to help them cook more quickly and evenly Drizzle with olive oil; add a pinch of salt & pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Coat the chicken with sesamie seeds and honey. Move to a cutting board, then use 2 forks to shred the chicken.

Make the noodle salad: Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package directions and rain well. While they're cooling, quarter the cucumber lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, then finely slice Use your vegetable peeler to cut the carrots into ribbons. Slice the snow peas in half, and finely slice the scallions. Toss veggies with cold noodles, cilantro, lime juice , and soy sauce. Peel whole leaves off the lettuce head, wash, and spin dry (or place between 2 paper towels).

Assemble the cups: Take everything to the table and let the family build their own lettuce cups.

Herb Roasted Salmon

1TBSP Olive Oil
1TBSP Butter, melted
1 tsp thyme
1/2C Onions finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
4 salmon fillets

Pre-heat oven to 475°

In roasting pan, place the oil and melted butter.  "Roll" the salmon in it till well coated.  Sprinkle thyme, salt, pepper & chopped onion over the top.

Roast fish in the oven for 5 minutes, then turn and finish cooking 3 to 5 min. (my hubby didn't flip the fish just cooked until an internal temp of 142°)

Chocolate Lava Cakes

This is from my Family Fun magazine - in the Let's Cook segment (cooking with your child). Makayla helped me for a while until I kept making mistakes and had to keep back tracking. When they were done they were AMAZING - they rivaled anything you could get in a restaurant!

1 stick + 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1cup (6oz) bittersweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate bar broken in pieces

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 tsp granulated sugar

3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup flour

Big pinch of salt

1. Heat the oven to 450. Use a double boiler or create your own by filling a saucepan with an inch of water then fitting a heat-safe mixing bowl in the top of the pan. Combine the butter and the chocolate in the bowl over hot (but not boiling) water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes.

2. When it is completely melted, stir or whisk the chocolate mixture to fully combine the ingredients. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and stir in the vanilla extract. Set it aside.

3. While the chocolate mixture cools, butter six (8oz) ceramic ramekins or custard cups (the sides of each cup should measure no taller than 2 1/4 inches). Place 1 tsp of granulated sugar inside each one. Tip and turn the cups to coat them with the sugar, then set them aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk. Add the confectioners' sugar, and whisk again. The mixture will look lumpy at this point, but it will become smooth as more ingredients are added. Whisk in the chocolate mixture, then add the flour and salt, and stir with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.

5. Divide the batter among the 6 baking cups and set 5 of them aside. You'll use the sixth cake to conduct a trial run of the baking process.

6. Place your trial cake in the coolest part of the oven and bake it until the top is flat (not sunken or bulging), about 9 minutes. Be sure to monitor the baking closely so that the cake does not overbake and become set in the center.

7. Remove the trial cake from the oven - making not of your exact baking time - and place it on a pot holder to cool for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the perimeter of the cake to loosen it from the baking cup. Place a dessert plate over the baking cup and, using the pot holder, invert the cake onto the plate. Wait 10-15 seconds, then carefully lift the cup off the plate. The cake should have a nice, round shape and be slightly sunken in the center. Use a knife to gently poke the middle of the ckae to find out if it's molten and lavalike beneath the surface.

8. Finish baking the cakes in 2 batches, adjusting your baking time up or down in one-minute increments as needed. Serve the cakes at room temperature (they need about 30 minutes to cool) with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. We recommend splitting each cake into two servings, as they are quite rich. Makes 6 mini cakes.

Sweet Grilled Pork

I got this one out of my Parents magazine. My whole family really likes it and they say that the apricots are rich in beta-carotene.

1 lb. pork tenderloin

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup apricot preserves

2 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce

4 apricots, halved and pitted

2 tsp canola oil

1. Season pork with salt and pepper. Grill pork, covered, indirectly (I turn on 1/2 the grill and put it on the other half) over medium-high heat for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, mix preserves and soy sauce. Brush 2 Tbs. of it on pork. Cover and grill 5-10 minutes more, or until the pork is cooked through. Remove from grill; brush 2 more Tbs. apricot mixture over the pork. Cover with foil and let stand.

2. Brush apricots with oil and grill directly over medium heat for 2 minutes per side, or until slightly softened and browned. Slice pork and serve with remaining apricot mixture and grilled apricots on the side. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition per serving: 259 calories; 25g protein; 5g fat; 30g carbs; 1g fiber; 20mg calcium; 1mg iron; 245 mg sodium

Thai Chicken Tacos

This was a good way to use up some cabbage. It comes from Better Homes & Gardens. For the most part, it was well received by the family.

1 lime halved (about 1 Tbsp. lime juice)
1 lb. boneless, skinless Chicken breast cut into 1/2-3/4 inch pieces
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
1 large shallot finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. fish sauce (I used oyster sauce. Hoisin sauce would work too)
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2-1 tsp. crushed red pepper. (I used less than 1/2 because of the kid factor, but there was no heat in the end.)
1/2 tsp. hot chili sauce (I used sweet chili sauce)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
corn tortillas (flour would be easier to get down my kids)
1 recipe cabbage slaw.
Toss together:
2 C. shredded napa cabbage
1/2 C. shredded carrot
1/2 C. sliced green onions
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
1/4 C. chopped peanuts (optional)
1/4 C. rice vinegar -- not allowed by my family :(


Combine lime juice with chicken, cilantro, shallot, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper and chili sauce in a bowl or bag. Marinate at least 1 hour.

In large skillet cook chicken mixture in hot oil until cooked, about 5 min.

To serve, layer two tortillas (I think this is because the tortillas tear, but I think it would be too dry if layered. Do what you want.) Top with chicken and cabbage slaw.

We liked sour cream on top. I think tomatoes would also be a nice addition.

Pork Verde Tacos

Brittney Goodey made these for us yesterday and they were YUMMY - at least Austin and I loved them. Holden and Makayla wouldn't try them.

4-5 lb pork roast in crockpot (if it's frozen, cook on high 9 hours, if thawed, 5-6 hrs on high, 10-12 hrs on low)

In Blender (looks like a lot, but it's just spices)
1 onion, quartered
3 stalks celery
1-2 jalapenos, seeds removed
3 garlic cloves
1/2 c water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
Blend together till everything is chopped. Poor onto roast. Add 3 bay leaves to the pot.

When the roast is shred-able, or 1/2 hour before serving, drain the juice (if you strain it, it makes a good base for taco soup or to use in rice). Shred pork, then add 1 16-oz jar green salsa.

Serve with shredded cabbage and Jalapeno Sauce.

Jalapeno Sauce
Blend together 1 cup mayo, 1/2 cup cilantro, 1 jalapeno (seeds removed), 1 Tbl vinegar, 1 Tbl water, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1 clove garlic.

I like mine with homemade tortillas:
Harina de Maiz flour
Water
Proportions on flour bag.

Cheeseburger soup

I got this recipe off another blog. I copied this from her blog, but I made a few changes. I halved the recipe - perfect for my family with no left overs. I also put in 1 whole tomato instead of a can since I had some that needed eating. My family isn't big on pickles, so I didn't add the relish to the soup, but I put some in my bowl. Everyone liked this soup, even Makayla who was disappointed that I didn't puree the tomatoes before adding them to the soup.

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

• 10 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (10.75 oz) can cheddar cheese soup
• 2 Tbsp, Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup dill pickle relish
• 1 (2.8 oz) can of French fried onions

1. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from the pot and drain on paper towels.
2. Add ground beef, onion , and garlic to pot with bacon grease. Cook until beef is no longer pink and onion is tender. Drain off grease.
3. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, cheese soup, and Worcestershire sauce to the meat mixture. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through. Mix in pickle relish.
4. Serve in bowls topped with the cooked bacon followed by the French fried onions. Serves 6 to 8.