Wafflepalooza

I don’t cook much.

OK, I really don’t cook at all.

BUT I can make a mean waffle.  Waffles at our house are a major food group.  They take special priority and can occasionally be found at the dinner table.

*gasp!*

It isn’t all bad.  The boys enjoy applesauce or a fruit topping on the first one and then the syrup comes out for all to enjoy.  They really are good.

A few Christmases ago a family member gave us the fancy barnyard waffle maker.  I figure that protein is implied when the kids are eating cows and chickens.  The gift is well used.  It probably is used more than my oven.

The waffle recipe I use is originally from the Oster Belgian Waffle maker I received for my wedding 17 years ago.  I have tried a lot of other recipes, but this is by far my favorite:

LIGHT ‘N CRISP WAFFLES

2 egg yolks

2 cups milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup oil

2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Preheat the waffle maker.  I separate the eggs placing the whites into a small mixing bowl and the yolks into a large mixing bowl.  I add all the other ingredients to the large mixing bowl.  I pull out my hand mixer and first whip up the eggs until fluffy.  Then mix the other ingredients with the hand mixer until they are combined.  I then fold in the egg whites with a spatula.

That is it!  Pour the batter into the waffle maker…

Mmmmmm.

Dinner? is served.*

*also works well for breakfast!

When Holly isn’t trying to pass off breakfast food as dinner to her family, she is at June Cleaver Nirvana.

Cheeseburger Runzas with BONUS cinnamon rolls

I don’t cook.  Really, I don’t.

So when I DO cook it has to be EASY and taste GOOD or else it isn’t worth the PAIN.

This is one of my favorite recipes to eat.  It is something I have modified over time from the original Runza recipe I used to make as a child that was beef (in my case, veggie-beef) and cabbage.  Over time it became more beef, then real beef and less cabbage, then no cabbage, and then…why not add cheese!

Wah-la! The Cheeseburger Runza. I have also seen these named cheeseburger bierocks or cheeseburger buns, but I grew up in Nebraska where these type of things are called Runzas.  So that is what they are.

This recipe calls for bread dough so you can pick up some frozen/refrigerated at the grocery store OR pull out your 1991 Bread Machine that you got as a wedding present and resembles R2D2:

Here is the dough recipe – it can be thrown into the bread machine all at once without any prep:

1 1/4 cup of milk

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

3 cups of bread flour

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
I set my bread machine on a non-baking cycle.  I start this in the morning and haven’t had trouble with it even if I don’t get to it by mid-afternoon.

The filling is simply ground beef, onions, tomato sauce and some cheese.

If you want to use all the dough then make this full recipe.*

If you want to save a portion of the dough for cinnamon rolls, then just cut this recipe in half:

2 pounds of beef

1-2 onions chopped

1 can (15 oz.) of tomato sauce

Brown the beef and add the onions.  Let the onions get a bit tender and add the tomato sauce.

You are ready to fill your dough!

Out of a full recipe I usually get around 24+ runzas of various sizes.  I like to make really small ones for the kids and larger ones for the adults.
Roll the dough out very thin, add the filling and then sprinkle on the cheese – my favorite is sharp cheddar.

Fold the sides in and make a little package.

Flip them over and put on greased baking sheet.  If you pause for a little while and let them rise the final product will look a little better.  Often I just pop them straight into the oven at this point because I am trying to get dinner on the table ASAP.

Bake them at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Now, if you only did a 1/2 recipe then it is time for cinnamon rolls.  You will need lots of help.

First spread the left over dough with melted butter.
Then sprinkle sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon on top and spread it around.

Send all your helpers to the sink to clean up, roll up the dough, cut and bake at 400 for 10-18 minutes depending on your cinnamon roll size and pan density.

Alrighty people, time to eat.

Behold the Runza.

Behold the rolls of cinnamon.

*One argument against the cinnamon roll is that the left over runzas are yummy.  You can heat them up in the toaster oven at 400 for about 6 minutes or eat them cold.  Either way, I like mine dipped in ketchup.

The Best Money You’ll Never Spend

Before I begin, I must give a disclaimer that this isn’t a commercial. I wasn’t paid to write this post. I’m not a spokesperson for any company.

But, I might as well be a spokesperson for Aldi Grocery Stores. And I’ve never been happier than the day I saw one being  built near my house in Arlington.

*cue choirs of angels* HALELUJAH!

There are so many great reasons to shop at Aldi that I just don’t know where to begin. But, in case you don’t know what Aldi is, please allow me to explain: Aldi is grocery store that sells its own brand of products.  It’s a lot like Trader Joe’s, but with not as much organic stuff but plenty of low low prices. Aldi sells most everything that a person would need on a typical grocery run, but in order to keep prices low, they do some things a little differently. For example, they don’t accept credit cards or checks for payment (cash and debit cards only – maybe food stamps too, I’m not sure – to avoid the fees associated with these types of payment). They don’t bag the groceries nor do they provide the bags for free – paper bags can be purchased for 5 cents and plastic for 10 cents – but they always welcome customers to bring their own bags. Aldi doesn’t carry products in dozens of different varieties and sizes. They don’t carry every product imaginable, but I do think they carry a lot of things you wouldn’t expect. For example, they have soy milk but not lactose-free milk. They carry self-rising flour, but not whole wheat flour. They carry chicken noodle soup as well as tomato, cream of mushroom, and vegetable beef, but not french onion soup.  Also, they don’t take coupons. And, really? That’s a blessing in disguise. Any reason I can find to stop keeping track of teensy pieces of paper barely bigger than a postage stamp, with expiration dates, is okey-dokey with me.

So, you’re wondering, what’s the savings? Really? Well, I just happened to go buy groceries for my family of 7 today. My checkout toal: Just over $120. Not bad, I’d say. Milk was $1.69. Yes, really. Eggs were 75 cents. Bread was 69  cents. Granola bars: $1.69. Iceberg lettuce: 89 cents. Cheese Pizza: $2.29. 6-pack microwave popcorn: $1.49. And, in case you’re thinking, “Yeah, but what does it taste like?” I’ll tell you, sub-par groceries are no bargain. What’s the point in saving money on food that no one wants to eat? And Aldi products are, in my opinion, just as good as national-brand products. Their products are made by many national-brand manufacturers, but with the Aldi label. Now, I’m not going to say that I’ve never been disappointed. There have been a couple of items that didn’t taste as good as their national brand counterparts. But I was able to take the item back to the store, receive a different product of equal price, and also a refund of my money. That’s what their “Double Your Money Back” guarantee is all about. Now THAT is a company who stands behind their product, wouldn’t you say? Their products are made by many national-brand manufacturers, but with the Aldi label.

Once upon a time, I thought Aldi was a grocery store strictly for people who were low-income. I think that misconception has kept other shoppers away, steering them toward higher-priced specialty stores. And, truth? I love Central Market. The whole experience of shopping there is sensational. But so is my bill. There is a price to pay for specialty groceries, and the last time I looked, my toddler didn’t care where her whole-wheat spaghetti came from. It ended up on the floor anyway.

Aldi is opening 27 new stores this spring all around the DFW Metroplex. For a full list of locations, click here. And, happy shopping!

Sneaky Chef: You Can Be One Too!

For Christmas, Santa delivered the Sneaky Chef cookbook. I am by FAR no chef, so I pretty much stink at winging any kind of cooking. I was excited to find this book, & a very similar one by a celebrity wife which I shall not name.

Why did I choose Sneaky Chef over the other same-but-different cookbook? One, this author (Missy Chase Lapine) is not a foofy celebrity’s wife. I feel like I can relate to her…she’s a regular old Mom who wanted to prepare more healthy food for her children. Period. That was her motivation for her recipes, & after time she set out to assemble the recipes into a cookbook. I like that pipe dream sort of woman. And two, after reading lots & lots of reviews of both books before I sent Santa a link for which one I wanted, I found out that Sneaky Chef‘s recipes turned out better tasting (on average) than the other book.

I set out Wednesday morning to stock up on all my ingredients for the “purees” which you sneak into all sorts of food.

I began with the Orange Puree, Blueberry Juice, & Green Puree ingredients:

After I had cooked, pureed, & measured out more purees & juices than I can even count, I started thinking about what I could cook that day with my new ingredients!

After Reese woke up from his nap, he asked for cookies. Quick flip through Sneaky Chef and sure enough…there’s two recipes for chocolate chip cookies! We chose the Health-By-Chocolate cookies (which include the sneaky ingredients of spinach, blueberries, wheat germ, whole wheat flour, & lots of cocoa powder) & were SO amazed at how they turned out. I wasn’t sure…I mean…spinach in cookies? I was sure Reese would taste that “something was different.”

I didn’t have any chocolate chips, but I did have semi-sweet baking squares. Same stuff, different shape. Reese had to take a taste of his own baking square just to make sure…

Yep! Same stuff! It’s a good thing my knives aren’t super sharp. See that little flap of skin on the end of my thumb? That’s from trying to chop the chocolate & putting my fat thumb in the way. If the knife were super sharp, I would have sliced the end of my thumb off…then you’d never know how much I love the Sneaky Chef cookbook!

So what was the end result? The Spinach/Blueberry/Wheat Germ/Whole Wheat cookies rocked! The real name is Health-By-Chocolate cookies & you would never, in a bazillion years, guess they had spinach or blueberries. The wheat germ gives them a slightly more “whole” texture, but nothing that my son (or my neighbor’s sons who I pawned some of them off on) batted an eye at. The texture is a bit more crumbly than a regular cookie too. But her suggestion of making them into bite-sized cookies made that not an issue!

Egg Noodles with Spinach

I have been actively searching for easy, YUMMY, easy, YUMMY, easy recipes for dinner. I have found that if it takes longer than 30 minutes to make (and that is for ME to make it, not for a TV chef who cooks all day and can do stuff super fast) then it is NOT going to work for me.

One of my favorite TV shows is America’s Test Kitchen.  They take a recipe and re-work it until it has the maximum YUM factor.  Usually this means that the recipe is long with many ingredients, but I purchased their Cook’s County Best Lost Suppers recently and have found some simpler recipes to try.

The most recent triumph from that cookbook was this:

Screaming Noodles

1 lb. wide egg noodles

2 TB olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1/2 ts dried basil

1/4 ts red pepper flakes

1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 (5-oz) bags baby spinach

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Cook the egg noodles with 1 ts salt until al dente.  Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water.  Drain noodles.

Meanwhile, heat oil, garlic, basil, pepper flakes and 1/2 tx salt in saucepan over medium heat – about a minute.  Add cottage cheese, Parmesan and broth – cook until thickened 2 to 4 minutes.

Stir the sauce into noodles adjusting liquid level with reserved pasta cooking water.

Stir in the spinach one handful at a time and cook until wilted – about 30 seconds.

Add parsley and season with salt and pepper.

DONE!

AND….

*drumroll*

ALL THREE OF MY BOYS ATE IT.

And I ate it.

And I ate the left-overs because it was YUMMY.

More recipes from Cook’s County can be found here.

Doing a Drive-By for Red Chicken

I did a drive-by the other day.  No, not part of a gang initiation, but an attempt to take a picture while driving (I don’t recommend this)…with my I-phone (not as high quality as my Minolta, but I had to make do)…while on the opposite side of the freeway from what I was photographing (clearly, I have no aspirations to become a photographer).

Why did I do this?

Because if you live in the vicinity of Denton (or Lewisville) and you haven’t ventured into La Azteca market, I wanted to show you exactly what you’re missing.

This is the shot I got while driving West on i-35.  I was too lazy to drive all the way around and get a better shot.

So, what’s so great about La Azteca?

This:

That’s right, the BEST Red Chicken (that’s what WE call it; they call it fajita chicken) EVER.

You get it in the butcher’s section of La Azteca (in the back of the Denton store).  Pick up a pack of fresh, warm tortillas while you’re there.  They’re in coolers right in front of the meat market.

Then, to prepare, simply grill on an indoor grill pan (in the winter) or outside on your bbq (in the summer), or, if you don’t have a grill pan, just sprinkle some olive oil in a frying pan, sear the outsides, and then continue to cook.

I’m telling you, it is the absolute best chicken around (the secret is the paprika–LOADS of it, but there’s other stuff, too).  I wouldn’t steer you wrong.  So zip by La Azteca Market some day soon and pick up some Red Chicken.  You won’t regret it!

Super Easy Potato Soup

Is dinner a puzzle?

Do you need a low maintenance supper recipe?

I promise this is easy!

I don’t cook and I can do it.

This is what you will need:
Potatoes
Onions
Salt
Pepper
Milk or cream
Baked potato toppings

I figure for every two people I am serving I use one very large potato. I use an onion for every 3 large potatoes.

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into pieces.
2. Prepare the onions and chop. The pieces do not have to be small since you will be blending later.
3. Put the potatoes and onions into large pot and cover with water.
4. Cook on stove until all are tender–you can “over cook” at this point. There is a lot of leeway!

5. Blend the onion-potato mixture in a food processor or blender. Add milk or cream as needed to get the desired consistency.

6. Return the blended soup to the pot on low heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Obviously you can add other spices at this point if you desire.

7. Add additional milk or cream as needed for creaminess and consistency. I find if your potatoes are really, really soft it reduces the necessity for cream and ends up quite creamy.

8. Serve! I like to add a topping bar with bacon, shredded cheese, chives, sour cream and anything else that tastes yummy on baked potatoes.

9. Eat.

10. Left-overs are yummy too…

My family food…revised

When Carnation evaporated milk contacted me* to revise some of my favorite recipes using their milk vs. regular milk, I have to say I was a tad bit panicked.

Not because I have anything against evaporated milk, but because I am not exactly what you would consider…a cook.

Cooking is not one of my strengths.

I have accepted this.

My family has accepted this.

So when I was flipping through cookbooks trying to find a recipe with which I could try the Carnation milk, it occurred to me that I should just try it in what I might make on an average night.

Don’t be afraid.

First, I tried Macaroni and Cheese substituting the Carnation evaporated milk for the milk:

Why would you substitute evaporated milk for regular milk (besides the obvious problem of all the available milk in the house is out  of date)?

Because evaporated milk is…well…condensed, it has about double the nutrition of regular milk.  So even though the amount of milk used in mac and cheese is only a few tablespoons, I figure every bit helps.

Everything about the macaroni and cheese seemed totally normal and the boys ate it up with only a few questions as to why I was photographing their food.

The next common food I tried is my Easy Potato Soup Recipe:

I love this easy recipe and make it often.  I didn’t notice any difference in the taste when the evaporated milk was substituted.

The third family meal that I make a lot is scrambled eggs:

I know that doesn’t sound much like dinner, but my fourth frequent family meal is homemade waffles - so give me a break.

Anyway, I use eggs, cheddar cheese and milk along with salt and pepper.  This time I substituted the evaporated milk and it turned out really yummy.

I learned two things from this little experiment:

1. Evaporated milk can be substituted in almost any recipe.
2. My boys will eat almost anything I cook if I put it in those fancy bowls.

*Carnation sent me two cans of evaporated milk and a gift card for the cost of groceries.

Gazpacho- no cooking required!

Gazpacho is the perfect no cook soup!

It’s served cold, so you don’t have to heat up your kitchen making it. Plus, gazpacho is an excellent thing to make to use up the leftovers tomatoes from your garden!

I’ve tried a couple different gazpacho recipes, but this particular one is my VERY favorite.  Warning: this recipe has some spicy zip to it!

You Need:
5 Large tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cucumber peeled, and seeded
1/2 red bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1tbs. coarse salt
1tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
Blend all the ingredients in a blender until finely pureed. You may have to do it in two batches depending on the size of your blender!

Tip-You can use the leftover 1/2 of your red bell pepper to give the soup some crunch, by dicing it up. It also works as a nice garnish.

You could easily use this gazpacho recipe as a side dish, and make a complete meal out of it. That’s what I did that above, alongside some salmon. But, if you’re in a”fancy”mood, you could serve gazpacho as a first course at a more elaborate dinner! It would be very sophisticated, and would take you virtually no time at all to make! Either way it is deelish. Best of all- it tastes even better the next day, so be sure to make leftovers!

Where Kids Eat Free in Collin County

Keeping cash flow in mind, I’ve compiled a list of restaurants in the East DFW ‘burbs that have nights and times where children eat free.

I LOVE FREE!

I also love not having to cook.

I love this list.

Allen

Where can kids eat free or cheap in Allen, TX?
MiMi’s Cafe – 810 W. McDermott Drive, Allen, TX

For the little ones we hand out a complimentary child’s plate including cheerios, a bib, wet wipes, crackers, and an orange slice.

Frisco

Where can kids eat free or cheap in Frisco, TX?
AppleBees -3141 Preston Rd
Monday to Thursday Kids eat for .99 cents
Chick-Fil-A -Stonebriar Centre – 2601 Preston Road & El Dorado & Toll Road FSU – 5211 El Dorado Parkway
Tuesdays after 5pm - Kids’ activities & Kids eat free with adult meal. Check with your local Chick-fil-a!

Cristina’s Fine Mexican Restaurant – NW Frisco 5105 Eldorado Parkway, Suite 120

Children 12 and under eat free all day Mondays and Tuesdays! Two children per one adult, offer available for selections from the kids menu only.

Dickey’s Barbeque Pit -7070 Preston Rd
Kids eat free all day Sunday.

Manny’s Mexican Food
Monday – Kids eat for .99 cents with adult meal.

Terilli’s
Kid’s eat free from kid menu everyday from 11-3.

Texas Land & Cattle – 3191 Preston Rd
Kids eat free on Saturdays from 11am-4pm. Up to 2 kids per adult entree purchased.

The Varsity Club Wings & Sports
Kids eat free with adult meal purchase Sunday through Thursday

Plano

Where can kids eat free or cheap in Plano, TX?

Central Market -On Tuesdays Kids eat free from 5pm to 8pm

Cristina’s Fine Mexican Restaurant -NW Frisco 5105 Eldorado Parkway, Suite 120 – 469.362.8177

FOR KIDS: Children 12 and under eat free all day Mondays and Tuesdays! Two children per one adult, offer available for selections from the kids menu only.

Denny’s -1305 Preston Rd

Kids Eat Free Tuesday & Saturday 4pm to 10pm

McDonald’s -McDermott & Custer @ Allen/Plano; Parker & Coit @ Plano; Independence & Spring Creek @ Plano

Kids Eat FREE! Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday nights at participating McDonald’s from 4pm – 10pm. FREE Happy Meal with the purchase of a Premium Salad or Value Meal.

Luby’s Cafeteria -5040 West Park Boulevard

Wednesday after 4:30pm & Saturday all day Kids eat free 10 and under with adult meal

Patrizio

Sunday – Thursday Kids eat free 11am to 10pm

Souper Salad -1709 W. Parker Rd. Suite 400 & 1017 N. Central Expressway Suite 25

Sundays Kids eat for $2.49. Kids 4 and younger always FREE.

Steak N Shake -2313 N. Central Expressway & 429 Coit Road

Saturday & Sunday all day Kids 12 & Under eat for free

Texadelphia

Daily Kids eat free after 5pm

Texas Land & Cattle

3945 Central Expwy.

Saturdays Kids eat free from 11am to 4pm. 2 kids meals for one adult meal.

This is what we have found.  If you know of somewhere else in Collin County that caters to kids with freebies, please leave a comment so we can add them to the list.

Also, please be aware that this list was compiled a few weeks ago so things may have changed. For the most up-to-date infomation, we recommend you contact the restaurants individually.

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