31 Pins: Day 26

Now THIS is a good use for plastic eggs!

Original pin:

Elli is really into letters right now.  She is picking them out left and right.  "Mom, that's a C!  I learned that letter!"  Brings a smile to my face to know that my efforts are paying off. :D

This pin is simple, yet versatile.

Even the little ones can get involved! (with supervision, of course... these do pose a choking hazard, so be careful!)

I matched up the egg tops and bottoms (some match in color, some don't for a bit more difficulty).  The site suggested stickers, but I just went with Sharpie.  Write the capital letter on top (the bigger part) and the lower case letter on the bottom.  

Separate and let the learning continue!

Also, you could place a small treat (m&m or sticker) inside of each egg.  Tell the child to find the Dd egg.  If he/she picks the right one the first time, they get the treat!  If not, save for next time.  Also, eggs can be hidden around the house.  With multiple kids, you can keep score of  who can find AND identify the most.  Or, forget the competition... kids love hunting eggs. :)

31 Pins: Day 7

We had some overnight guests last night, and I was not exactly sure what to have for breakfast.  I remembered this pin and decided to take the opportunity to check another one off of my list.  And, of course, blog about it.

Original pin:

Click the image to see the original recipe.  I changed it up a bit according to what we have and our likes.  See below.

The results:

Recipe: 

6 eggs 

1/2 cup milk

1/2 lb. sausage 

1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup green pepper, chopped

2 tsp. Tastefully Simple Bacon Bacon (or bacon bits and dried minced onion)

1/2 tsp. ground mustard (I love mustard with my sausage, so thought it would work.... and it did!)

salt n pepper to taste (if you use the Bacon Bacon, no need for more salt)

Mix all ingredients together, and use a quarter cup measure to pour into muffin tin.  Should make about 12.

I used cupcake papers and sprayed with pam, but it still stuck.  I might try the bare tin next time, well greased.

Before baking, I added some breadcrumbs and a small pat of butter to the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes.

They were delicious!!!  They contain a lot of protein, and held me over until lunch.  You could add ham or bacon instead of sausage, potatoes, mushrooms, fresh onions, bits of toast, etc. to make these your own.  At our church breakfasts, a lot of the ladies make different variations of this in a casserole dish, which might be a better idea.  Muffins are just so cute!

Expense rating: Inexpensive (especially if you buy a whole pig and grind your own sausage)

Difficulty rating: EASY

Getting Creative with Meatloaf

Dear season begins in almost exactly one month.  That means we must clean out the freezer in preparation for new meat.  I have been craving meatloaf lately, which is a perfect way to use up a couple of pounds of burger.

Here are two recipes I made up:

Smokey Barbecue Meatloaf

1 lb. ground venison (or beef....)

1 egg

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1-2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce (Lea and Perrins is the best imho)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup favorite bbq sauce

2 Tbsp. ketchup

salt and pepper

Mix thoroughly and place in one large loaf pan or two small loaf pans (spray with Pam first).  This is optional, but I topped with french fried onions and drizzled more bbq sauce.  (That was the best part!)  Bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hrs.

Another option:

Mexi-meatloaf

1 lb. ground venison or beef

1 packet taco seasoning

1 egg

1/2 cup favorite salsa

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup (or so) tortilla chip crumbs (or salad strips)

(Perfect way to use up that partial bag that's been sitting in your cupboard for a few weeks...)

Mix thoroughly and place in greased (or Pammed) loaf pan(s).  Bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours.

Josh liked the smokey bbq style, and I claimed the Mexican, of course.  T.T. and I enjoyed the leftovers on soft tortillas with taco sauce, cheese, and sour cream for lunch today.  YUM!

The  colorful tortilla strips made for one patriotic meatloaf!

Basically, be creative with your meatloaf.  Use what you have and think of flavors you like.  Bacon would be awesome in this classic dish.  Throw in some diced jalapenos or green chiles for extra kick in the Mexican style.  What about a buffalo (ground) chicken meatloaf?!?  Does your family enjoy Italian?  Throw in some ground hot sausage, peppers, Italian seasoning, and tomato sauce.  And what about breakfast meatloaf with sausage?  Hmmm....  I'll have to try those next time. :)

Easy As (Homemade) Pasta

 I have been wanting to try this out for a while and finally made it to Peight's (Amish dry-goods, etc. store) for some semolina flour.  I found a great, EASY recipe and gave it a shot.  Very happy with the results!! http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fresh-semolina-and-egg-pasta/

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semolina flour
pinch of salt
6 eggs
2 T. olive oil
Sift the dry ingredients together onto a clean surface (I used the island).  Make a well and put the eggs and olive oil there.

Beat eggs thoroughly with a fork and then begin working in the  flour mixture.

When it gets too thick, use your hands.

Knead for 8-10 minutes.  Get in your upper body workout for the day.

After this step, cover loosely with plastic wrap (I used a baggie) and allow the dough to rest for about 30 minutes at room temp.

Roll out to desired thickness (this is the ab workout).

 Cut into strips.  I chose wide ones for lasagna.

Make 2 smalls and freeze one for later. :)

You can air dry and store for later if you have leftover.  I also froze them after drying just in case.  I'll probably use them as pot pie noodles!!

Zucchini Fries

The zucchini plant is still producing, so I am still finding new and creative ways to use it up.  However, this is an old favorite I tried to improve this year.

Chop a medium zucchini in half.  Cut off the sides as you would with a pineapple avoiding the seedy middle as much as possible.  If you miss some, scoop it out and set aside (see below for ideas).  Cut pieces in half again and slice into fries.

You could use different bowls for this step, but I took the easy road and used baggies.  Fill one with about 1/2 cup of flour.  I also sprinkled in some garlic salt, onion powder, and seasoned salt.  Add zucchini and shake!  Be sure all pieces are coated.

Crack 2 eggs into another bag and scramble by squeezing in the bag.  Transfer zucchini pieces to this bag and coat well.

Dump the flour out of the first bag and replace with Italian bread crumbs - about 1 cup.  Transfer zucchini and shake once again.  All pieces should be coated evenly.

If you want, you could shallow or deep fry until golden at this point...

OR you could

"Flash freeze" by laying out on a cookie sheet and placing in the freezer until completely frozen.  Then place in a freezer storage bag until ready to use.

This was the first time I tried freezing them (so I could prepare before supper-time AND in an effort to get the coating to stay on better).  We fried them up today, and it went pretty well.  Some of the coating came off, but for the most part, they turned out well!  Just about a minute in the deep fryer cooked them through.  I use tomato sauce for dipping.  YUM!

If you have extra zucchini seeds/insides, place in a food processor (add more zucchinis if you have them).  Use this to make bread, muffins, cake, whatever.  You can also place the processed zucchini into freezer storage bags and freeze until you are ready to use them.  Maybe you'll need a taste of summer in the dead of winter...

Tortillas Primaveras

The Tortilla espanola, otherwise known as the Spanish omelet, is one of the favorites from my travels.  Traditionally, one would fry potatoes and onions and add eggs to create this dish.  However, when you don't have potatoes, but you do have a bunch of fresh goodness from your garden, you get creative.  I call these "Spring Omelets" or "Tortillas Primaveras". 

Shuck sweet peas.  Should yield about 1 cup give or take. Get the kids involved in this step!

Steam with small amount of water (squeeze in a little honey for extra sweetness).

Set aside.

Chop green onion coarsely. 

Dice 1 slice SPAM (1/4 of can).

Fry these two things in olive oil.

Heat 1/2 cup of canola oil in a small skillet, medium heat.

Crack and wisk 4 eggs in separate bowl.

If the other ingredients are still hot, temper eggs while adding veggie/meat mixture.

Pour into skillet when oil is ready.

Cook on first side until almost  done (reduce heat if browning).

Lay a plate on top of the skillet and flip so that the uncooked side is on the plate.

Slide tortilla back into skillet to cook the other side.

Slice and serve.  Good hot or room temp. 

We had this as a side with pork kabobs.  Yum!!

 

Alternative:

Instead of peas and SPAM, fry up some fresh spinach and grate in some parmesan cheese.  Cook the same way.  For a bigger tortilla, double recipe. 

For dessert, we had some awesome chocolate zucchini bread from one of our favorite sisters. ;)  It had a cute wrapper, which I assume was painted by the nieces.  So creative and thoughtful!!

Sporty Eggs

They are good for your health and fitness, but not athletic themselves. What I am referring to are deviled eggs with a kick. (Named by my dad's family...got this idea from Gram). Everyone has their own hard-boiling techniques and recipes, but here are mine:

Place a dozen or so eggs (add a couple extra just in case they break/tear) in a pot; cover with water.  Heat to boiling and then boil for about 10 minutes.  Allow to rest for a few minutes, and then strain.  Fill pot again with cold water, cover with lid, and shake!  The shells will crack, and the cold water will get in underneath and make peeling a whole lot easier.  Peel and rinse. Cut eggs in half placing cooked yolk into a small mixing bowl.
Mash with fork.
Add mayonaise (quarter cup-ish - enough to make the mixture smooth).
Add a squeeze (or more) of mustard.
Add enough hot sauce/wing sauce to get the desired amount of heat.
Add any other spices/salts you desire (e.g. italian seasoning, onion powder, etc.).
Optional: Ranch dressing or powder

Spoon mixture into ziploc sandwich bag and cut off corner.
Squeeze into egg halves.
Top with garnish (I used celery seed, but you could use paprika or whatever you like).

Chill.  Enjoy.