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the apes

I really love the chimp exhibit at our local zoo. We go so often and I love them so much, that I recognize them and am beginning to know their distinct personalities.

Look at this face. Tons of personality.

Most of the chimps were doing this, though:

It *was* pretty early in the morning and itw as shaping up to be a hot day. You know that one on the right was all "People, just leave me alone. I want to take a nap."

So we're standing there, looking out at the chimps and I'm all, "Where's the baby?" It's not really a baby, it's more of a toddler, but it's the newest chimp and I love to watch him play. 

Then I looked up. There's a pole in the exhibit that extends a good 30 feet in the air. There -- on top -- was the youngest. Just sitting there.

When he realized we were watching him, he showed off. Jumped up and down a few times. Seemed to be enjoying the attention.

I would have stood there the rest of the day, but my kids know me too well and dragged me off. That's OK, we were about to have some more entertainment...

meatballs two ways: #2 Vegetarian Meatballs

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelopes Lipton Onion Soup Mix

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup dry Italian breadcrumbs

Dump ingredients in a bowl.

Mix it all together and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll into balls. I again placed on a foil lined cookie sheet.

Bake in 400 degree oven until brown. About 20 minutes. 

At this point, I put them in the fridge overnight. We've also frozen them at this point.

When you're ready to serve, put in a crock pot. Pour a bottle of barbecue sauce over the top. Cook on low for several hours. Maybe high. They're dense and it takes longer for them to get hot.

[P.S. I forgot to take photos of the finished products. Sorry!]

These "meat"balls taste amazingly like real meatballs. Brady loves them and they are a staple in his diet. We often make up a batch and put them in the freezer so he can defrost a few when needed. They're great when you have a vegetarian in the family and need to feed a crowd. Even the non-vegetarians will give these a try!

 

 

meatballs two ways: #1 Barbecue Meatballs

1 1/2 lbs ground beef 

1 large eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup breadcrumbs 

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 -2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/3 cup milk ( can use up to 1/2 cup milk)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley ( or 2 tablespoons dried parsley)

Dump it all in a bowl.

Goosh it all up. You're gonna get your hands dirty. It helps to leave the water running on warm. Your hands will get cold and it's easier to work the meat if your hands are wet. 

When it is very well mixed, roll into same size balls. I use a cookie scoop. I put them on a foil lined cookie sheet (and sprayed the foil with non stick spray).

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or so.

I drained these, then put the in a container in the fridge overnight. They could also be frozen at this point. On the day you want to serve (or could be the same day if you're doing this in the morning), put in a crockpot. Pour a bottle of barbecue sauce over the top. Cook on low for a couple of hours.

They're amazing. The hit of sharp cheddar. The spices. Delicious. 

And seriously feeds a crowd.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken

Garlic Parmesan Chicken

Today's post is yet another pinterest recipie. Oven baked parmesan chicken that is so so delicious! 

Ingredients: 

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (we used 8 tenderloins)
2 tsp. crushed garlic (we used garlic powder)
1/4 cup olive oil (we used canola)
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning 
1/4 cup italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Prep Work:

1.)Combine garlic, olive oil, and poultry seasoning in small pan and heat 1 minute, until just warm.

 

2.)Trim all visible fat and membranes from chicken breasts, then make small crosswise slits about 1/2 inch apart down the length of each chicken breast, being careful not to cut too far into the chicken. (This helps the garlic and herb flavor penetrate the chicken more.) Put chicken into zip loc bag, pour heated oil over, and marinate all day in refrigerator.

Cooking Directions:

1.)Take chicken out of refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for a few minutes while you preheat oven to 425.

2.)Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan (pulse a few times in food processor if the mixture isn't fine enough.) Place cheese/breadcrumb mixture in flat dish and dip each chicken breast into it, pressing on as much of the coating as you can.

3.)Place each chicken piece in casserole dish which has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake until chicken is firm and cooked through, about 25 minutes, then put under the broiler to brown more if desired. 

Serve with mixed veggies and garlic noodles and enjoy! :)

Yield: 4 servings

 

 

Oatmeal Muffins

Written by: Mykiah Lund

I'm always looking for new recipies to try on Pinterest. So when I came across a personal oatmeal one, I was intriuged. I adapted this recipie to better suit my taste. 

Oatmeal "Muffins"

Ingredients: 

 

(Raisins and PB are pictured above because I was originally planning on using them, but decided on chocolate chips and walnuts instead.)

-2 eggs

-1/2 cup applesauce

-1 1/2 cups pumpkin (canned)

-5 cups quick cooking oats

-1 banana,(mashed)

-2 3/4 cup milk (2%)

-1 cup honey

-1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

-3 teaspoons baking powder

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1 teaspoon salt

-1 cup chocolate chips

-1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Yield: 11 jumbo muffins

Directions:

1)Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2)Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, pumpkin, banana, and honey together in a large bowl.

3)Mix oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in another larger bowl.

4)Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well.

5)Pour in milk and combine.

6)Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

7)Spray a jumbo muffin tin with cooking spray or use cupcake liners.

8)Pour mixture evenly into muffin tin cups.

9)Sprinkle batter with a few chocolate chips/walnuts if desired.

10)Bake 30 minutes OR until a toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool and enjoy or freeze them in gallon freezer bags.

*Note- The batter is supposed to be runny, the oats will soak up the moisture while it bakes. The muffins are moist, and not overly sweet. They are meant for a filling breakfast, not a decadent dessert. ;)

 

recipe: Vegetarian Meatballs

It's been about six months since my son became a vegetarian. It's been a bit of a trial and error period for us. I usually buy him a box of vegetarian burgers once a month or so. I have some vegetarian frozen meals on hand. If there's something I can easily make and just not add meat to it (spaghetti sauce, for example), I do. 

But sometimes I struggle. Sometimes I come home tired after work and I'm just fed up with trying to figure out what Brady can eat while the rest of us are eating a meat-fueled dish.

One of our favorite meals is meatballs or meatloaves. I wanted to make some for Super Bowl Sunday, and I didn't know what to do for Brady. 

Lucky for him, I felt like cooking on Sunday. I did a little digging and found a recipe for meatless meatballs. I made up the whole batch, precooked them, and froze half of them. He's in meatballs for a week or two.

They were actually really good. Dan and Kiah both ate them, and Brady's already gotten into his freezer stash. 

Just in case you've got a veggie in your family, here's the award winning recipe:

Vegetarian "Meatballs"

4 eggs , slightly beaten

1 (1 ¼ ounce) envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

¾ cup chopped walnuts

1 cup dry plain breadcrumbs

Mix ingredients in order. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Form into balls and place on baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick oil. Bake at 350 minutes about 20 minutes or until brown, turning after 10 minutes. (At this point, I put half on a different cookie sheet and into the freezer to freeze. After they were hard frozen, I put them in a freezer bag to be taken out individually and heated.) Place meatballs in a casserole dish. Cover with soup/barbecue sauce/whatever you'd like. Meatballs should be covered within 1/2 inch of the top. Bake, covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.

Note: The sauce stays nice and thick with these because there's no fat/liquid to thin out the sauce. It looked really yummy!

recipe: Tortellini Soup

Since my son has become a vegetarian, I've sort of been trying to broaden our horizons to include a few more vegetarian meals. Brady's OK with making a separate meal for himself, but it really doesn't hurt us to have one vegetarian friendly meal a week.

This week's recipe was Tortellini Soup. I found the recipe on the internet (actually I think it was on Facebook). I altered it to suit our tastes and decided to make it on Monday night. Baked some Schwans cheese and herb biscuits with it and it was a meal.

Tortellini Soup

4 cups tomato juice (or V8 if you really want to veggie load)

1/2 cup water

2 cans vegetable broth (about 4 cups) -- you could use beef broth here if you're not a vegetarian

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 bag frozen cheese tortellini

some parsley flakes

Bring tomato juice, broth, water, basil, oregano and pepper to a boil. Add vegetables and tortellini. It will take quite a while to return to a boil (5+ minutes). Once it's back at a boil, turn the burner down to a simmer and let simmer about 5 minutes to cook the vegetables.

Serve warm with some nice crusty bread. Or cheese and herb biscuits. 

It was a hit. Mykiah, who has never eaten filled pasta, liked it. We all ate a big bowl and we had enough left over for Brady to eat the next day (when we had BLTs). Thumbs up to tortellini soup. 

ham and cheese sliders

I love Pinterest. I find the silliest things there. Like Ham and Cheese Sliders. 

I know you're all... I can make a ham and cheese sandwich. I don't need no stinking recipe.

But these are oh, so good.

 

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

 

Ham and Cheese Sliders

Take the buns. Cut them open. Put in ham and cheese. Place in a 13x9" pan. Jam 'em in there and get 'em close.

Then make the sauce. Here's how I made mine:

1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Pour this sauce over it all. Get it good. 

Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake another 2-3 minutes. 

The result is that the butter sauce makes the sandwiches nice and crunchy. The sauce gives the sandwiches such flavor. 

Two thumbs up for this recipe. Just delicious and very simple. 

a few recipes

We baked a lot this weekend. Actually, I chose the recipes and Mykiah made them. I helped a little with the snickerdoodles, but mostly it was all Mykiah. 

I've had a few requests for the recipes, so here they are:

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 1 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup canned pumpkin ( not pumpkin pie)
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1. Cream butter and sugars.
2. Beat in egg and vanilla.
3. Combine flour, salt, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg in a separate, large mixing bowl.
4. Stir in creamed mixture alternately with pumpkin.
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Drop by Tbsp onto greased cookie sheets.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

For the cookies:

3¾ cups all-purpose flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

¾ cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

 

For the coating:

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

Dash of allspice

 

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Whisk to blend and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the pumpkin puree.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated.  With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.  Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  Combine the sugar and spices for the coating in a bowl and mix to blend.  Scoop the dough (about 2½ tablespoons) and roll into a ball.  Coat the dough ball in the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheets, spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart.  Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in water, then in the sugar-spice mixture, and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slightly.  Recoat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mixture as needed.  

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just set and baked through. Let cool on the baking sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  Store in an airtight container.

 

Kiah's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Kiah is awesome. She keeps this family together when my allergies are horrible and I have no energy to do anything. Trust me, if I was feeling myself, I would have been baking these muffins myself. 

Really, I would.

So Kiah wanted to bake some muffins last week because, you know, muffins are our thing. She wanted Pumpkin and I wanted chocolate chip, so she compromised.

Kiah's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (we couldn't find the jar we bought at the store, so she used cinnamon and nutmeg)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Kiah used my Kitchen Aid to combine the pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar. She mixed the flour, baking powder, spices, baking soda and salt in another bowl and then added that to the wet ingredients. She was careful not to overmix because that is the key to good muffins. She added the chocolate chips last. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (30 for large muffins). She baked 2 dozen regular size muffins, then used my big muffin pan (my favorite) for the last six. She put extra chocolate chips on top of those and they were oh so yummy. I had two for breakfast Sunday morning. Delish... and perfect for fall. Try them!