Back to school breakfast

Today I made Pumpkin waffles a great fall treat and nice for the first day of school.  But as every year I struggle with breakfast especially Erin, she loves big breakfast pancakes, waffles and such.  But does not like them frozen she is out the door by 6:45 so it is hard to do fresh of those and get her out on time. This summer she got better about eating Smoothies for breakfast but even that is time consuming I made a double batch of the waffle mix and plan to freeze in cups so she can pull out one cup of mix at night and make a waffle in the AM.  What works in your house?  Here are some of the suggestions form other years as well. 

Camping for 40

Brad is taking the High School Cross Country team on an overnight campout 40 people. I am in charge of the food.  We are doing easy, filling foods that they can run on.  Runs before each meal.

Menu

Spaghetti Dinner

 Breakfast - Granola Bars/Fruit/Bagels

 Lunch PBJ Sandwiches/Fruit

I'm looking for suggestions or help on quanity

I'm thinking 16 lbs of spaghetti, 6 jars of sauce, 8 -10 loaves of bread, 10 -15 lbs of baby carrots

10 -12 boxes of granola bars, 50 -60 beagles, butter and honey, 5 bunches of bananas, 5 bunches of grapes

lunch  - 6 loaves of bread, 3 large jars of Peanut butter, 50 -60 apples

Stuff for S'mores

Kids are to bring power bars for snacks.

Eggplant Recipes? What is your favorite way to use eggplant? I love Eggplant Parm, Grilled Eggplant (especially in the Grilled Veggie Terriene, previously posted), Garlicky eggplant with Meat Sauce (will post later)and Caponata. I want some new ideas as it is so good and plentiful at this time of year! Share your favorite recipes PLEASE!!!!

Pull apart cupcake cake

Molly wants a pull apart cupcake cake for her birthday. Didn't give any suggestions. I can only find a few examples on line - a turtle or an owl.  Has anyone made one? Or seen cute ones? 

Awesome General Tso's Chicken

General Tso’s Chicken Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal, 2 to 3 as a main entree 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into 1-inch cubes 1 1/2 cups cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 peanut or vegetable oil for frying, plus 1 tablespoon for stir-frying 8 dried whole red chilis, or substitute 1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, for garnish Scallions, green parts thinly sliced, for garnish Marinade: 1 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry 2 egg whites Sauce: 1/4 cup chicken stock, or substitute water 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce 1 teaspoon chili paste 1 teaspoons sesame oil 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1. Prepare the marinade: In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and egg whites. Coat the chicken to the marinade mixture and let sit for 10 minutes. 2. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, tomato paste, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, sugar, and the 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Stir until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Set the sauce aside. 3. In a large bowl or deep plate, toss the 1 1/2 cups cornstarch with the salt and pepper. Coat the marinated chicken in the cornstarch and shake off any excess before frying. 4. Heat the 3 cups of peanut or vegetable oil in your wok until it registers 350°F on an instant-read oil thermometer. Working in 2 or 3 batches, add the first batch of chicken cubes and fry until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. 5. Drain the oil into a heatproof container and save for discarding. Wipe the wok with a paper towel to remove any brown bits, but don’t wash. 6. Reheat the wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add another 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the base and sides. Add the dried chilis and garlic to the wok and stir-fry until just fragrant, about 20 seconds. Pour in the sauce mixture and stir until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes. 7. Return the chicken to the wok and stir well to coat with sauce. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish. Garnish with white sesame seeds and scallions. Serve with white rice and vegetables. You have got to try this!!!

Inspiration from the Produce Aisle!

Although I enjoy cooking, too often the planning, shopping and preparing, not to mention the cleaning, becomes a chore and is not so enjoyable. Lately, I have felt very uninspired and uncreative, and I've felt like our meals have shown that. This week began not much differently, except that it was so hot on Tuesday when I went shopping that I just went right to the produce area and loaded up on fresh fruits and veggies. Thus, my week was born and we have had a week of salads and sandwiches.

The best part, it has been one of those weeks that I have done well thinking ahead and prepping extra to make the following days a little easier. Yeah. 

Tuesday - Grilled steak, peppers and onions sandwiches with salad
I shopped, came home and prepped fruits and veggies for the week and marinated steak and chicken breast. 

Wednesday - Make Your Own Tacos
I cooked some bacon and grilled some chicken breast first thing in the morning.

Make you own tacos: sliced grilled Chicken breast, avocado, tomato, Corn & Chili Salsa (trader joe's), black beans, sour cream and salad

Thursday: Sandwiches
BLTs (Bacon that I cooked Wed) &/or chicken and apple salad (reserved some chicken breast from Wed), black bean salad (beans, avocado, tomato and corn & chili salsa - all leftover from make your own tacos), roasted baby potatoes

I'm not sure what we are having tomorrow, but I boiled the baby potatoes (white, red and purple - so pretty) and then roasted half for Thursday's dinner. The other half I chopped and put a little olive oil and vinegar on and am planning to turn into a potato salad to accompany something, probably grilled.

4th of July Party

To celebrate my 14-year-old son's birthday he wants a "Hot Dog Extravaganza"! So we'll borrow the menu from our "Franks N Stein" Halloween Party! Of course we'll have the ketchup, mustard, hot dog relish, Saurkraut, bacon and cheese.

One of my old time favorites: Spicy Onions (sautee sliced onions cut in half, once they are soft, add in tabascco, ketchup, salt and pepper, I don't measure just shake and taste. Should be well coated but not to saucy, simmer until desired tenderness and sauce consistancy. Sometimes, I also add a bit of cooking wine to them:)

The Chicago Dog (which we experienced last summer when visiting my brother) http://www.hotdogchicagostyle.com/chicagodog.php

mustard, relish, chopped onions, tomato slices, pickle spear, Sport Peppers (imported from Chicago), and a dash of Celery Salt on a poppy seed bun (we could not get these in NY)

Thai Dog: Thai peanut sauce, diced cucumbers and chopped scallions.

Chili Dog: mustard, homemade chili, chopped onions and nacho cheese.

Of Course we have to have my homemade Baked Beans (my neighbor Kathy's recipe):

1/2 pound Bacon, browned and crumbled

1 medium onion, chopped and browned in 1T bacon fat

In crockpot, combine 2 large cans of B&M Baked Beans, 1 can Kidney beans, 1 can Butter Beans. Add bacon and onion. Then stir in 1/2 C ketchup, 1/4 C molasses and 1 t dry mustard (Coleman's). Original recipe also called for 1/2 pound of browned ground beef or turkey, I have never felt it needed it. Cook until heated through.

We'll wash it down with Beer and Root Beer! And finish it off with Carvel Ice Cream cake:) HAPPY 4th of JULY to all!!