Bleu Cheese Vinagrette

I love bleu cheese, but usually hate bleu cheese dressing because it's so mayonnaise-y. This one is more of a bleu cheese vinagrette - super tasty!

Bleu Cheese Vinagrette

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

3 Tbsp champagne or white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

2 oz bleu cheese crumbles

Combine first three ingredients in small bowl. Slowly add olive oil while whisking the mixture to mix well. (You could also use a food processor.) Mix in bleu cheese and drizzle over salad.

Oven BBQ Pork Chops

This was super easy and the kids liked it.

I just covered the pork chops with slices of sweet onion, a sprinkling of brown sugar, smeared it all with a little ketchup and baked it for about an hour at 375 (covered for the first 45 minutes).

Serve with a simple salad of a wedge of iceberg lettuce drizzled with the best bleu cheese dressing ever.

Move Over Cheerios

Cheerios have been replaced by Veggie Booty as the all time favorite finger food in my house. If you haven't tried this, you really must! The corn/rice puffs look like popcorn and are flavored with vegetable powders. They are great for the baby because they melt in his mouth after a couple of "crunches". While they can be the cause of some very green drool, they have been a bigger hit than the Cheerios - maybe because he can pick them up a little easier? Because they have more flavor? You can also get them in cheese and fruit flavors, but our favorite is the veggie!

Crunchy Chicken Salad

This is the classic Ramen noodle and cabbage salad. My kids wouldn't touch it, but A and I finished off the whole bowl!

2 cups diced cooked chicken
4 cups shredded cabbage (I like Fresh Express Angel Hair cabbage shreds)
1 package chicken-flavored ramen noodles
4 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 flavoring packet from ramen noodles
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Place chicken and cabbage in mixing bowl. Break noodles up and add to cabbage with onions and sesame seeds. In small bowl, combine vinegar, oil, sugar, and 1 tsp ramen flavoring. Pour over slaw, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, stir in slivered almonds. (Side note: I didn't have sesame seeds so I mixed a 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil in with the dressing - I think you actually get a better taste that way.)

Favorites

This has to be one of my all time favorite cookbooks! My mother-in-law gave one to each family for Christmas one year and it has been fabulous! I have yet to try a recipe that I didn't like... there were even a couple where I couldn't see how the end result would be tasty... but of course they were. These are especially nice for potlucks because the recipes are designed to feed 14-20 people. Tonight we had

"Mom's Famous Chilighetti"

1 lb lean ground beef

3/4 cup onion, chopped

1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1-32 oz can chili

1-8 oz package spaghetti

3 cups grated Cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef and onions; drain off fat. Stir in tomatoes and chili. Simmer 45 minutes. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti; drain and set aside. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in grated Cheddar cheese until melted. Fold in sour cream. Mix with cooked spaghetti. Spoon into large casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

My kids think it's great, even if it does give my husband heartburn. It's also a great way to use food storage pasta that may taste a little bit "old" because the chili is strong enough to cover the off taste.

Feeding the Baby

I must admit... the main reason I make my own baby food is because I'm lazy. Yes, you heard right. But isn't it more work to make your own baby food? Not really. Once I've introduced single foods to the baby to check for allergies, I just grind up some of whatever we're eating for dinner (or at least some of the ingredients as I'm cooking, depending on the spiciness of the dish) and add a little plain whole milk yogurt to moisten and smooth the texture a little. My food mill has been my best friend through this - I've even taken it to restaurants so I can be sure there will be something I can feed the baby - and we've come up with some unusual but tasty combinations that the baby loves. I'll keep a list in the sidebar until we move on to table foods. You can also check out the Wholesome Baby Food website for more great ideas - it's most useful for things like making your own teething biscuits or finger foods since grinding baby food doesn't really require a whole lot of instruction. Then open wide for the airplane!

Tuna Casserole

This is my last minute and nothing planned meal. The easiest tuna casserole ever! It helps that my kids love tunafish - in fact they prefer it plain, eaten on chips like an appetizer.

1 box macaroni and cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can chunk light tuna

1 cup of your favorite frozen vegetable

chopped green onions

Prepare macaroni and cheese as directed on box, adding the frozen vegetables halfway through the cooking of the noodles. Add tuna (well-drained) and cream of mushroom soup and mix well. You can add a little milk if it seems to thick for your tastes. Warm over low heat until heated throughout. Garnish with fresh ground pepper and green onions.