Happy Easter

They are bunny and nest cookies! At least thats what they are supposed to be! lol. I tried, as you can see my decorating is not to good. Things always look really good when I first think of them but the execution never comes out. Anyways everybody have fun hunting eggs!

Menu for March 29th - April 4th

Spring break whoo hoo! A week of sleeping in! Not having to rush to get out of the house, no homework, no pressure. A week of relaxation and enjoying your life. Funny when I was 20 it was a week about going somewhere and partying like crazy. Amazing how things change in ten years! Then at the end of your relaxing week you get to spend a day eating ham, potatoes and watching your amazing children hunt for eggs as they are completely overdressed. I love Easter! So here is a simple menu for the week. Hope yours is relaxing and completely enjoyable!

Monday- Creamy Lemon Chicken Primavera
Tuesday- Pork Chops with Orange Sauce, sticky rice, stir fried veggies
Wednesday- Spaghetti Pie
Thursday- Shephards Pie(crock pot)
Friday- pizza, green salad
Saturday- Birthday Party
Sunday- Easter

Dessert of the Week: Bunny Cupcakes

No Mayo Coleslaw

I am a big fan of cabbage in any form, and I eat normal coleslaw all the time. When I saw this recipe I thought huh I never even considered making coleslaw without mayonnaise, but I will try anything once. I really enjoyed it and hope you will too.

Ingredients:
2 cups green cabbage, sliced
2 cups red cabbage, sliced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
juice of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 green onion, chopped


Make It:
In a large bowl whisk together oil, vinegar, honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add cabbage and green onion to bowl. Toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Enjoy!

Chipotle and Guacamole Burger

I love burgers and I love guacamole so why not put the two together! Add some extra spice and smokiness with some chipotles and there you have it, a delicious burger. This recipe is for 4 burgers, but if you don't need that many precooked hamburger patties store and reheat well.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
2 chipotle peppers, chopped finely
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
3 avocados, pitted and cut two ways and scooped out into a bowl
1 jalapeno, diced, remove seeds if you like
2 tablespoons diced cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
couple pinches of salt
little sprinkle of pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons salsa
4 hamburger buns
4 slices cheddar cheese

Make It:
Put ground beef, chipotles, tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and granulated garlic. Using your hands mix all together well, then flatten out in bottom of bowl. Using the side of your hand divide mixture into four parts. Grab one part at  a time and roll into a ball in your hand and then flatten it out into a patty. If you are unsure of the size hold it over the bun, they do shrink up a little bit when you cook them. Repeat this step placing each patty on a plate once you have all four made, place plate into refrigerator for about five minutes. Mix avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, cumin, salsa, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mash up avocado with a fork, until mixture is fairly smooth. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Turn broiler on low. Place hamburger buns under broiler for a minute or so until just barely toasted. Place hamburger patties into hot skillet, I cook two at a time. Cook each patty 3 minutes a side. Then place each cooked patty on a cookie sheet and put one slice of cheese on each. Place under broiler for a minute or two to melt cheese. Serve each patty on a bun with about two tablespoons of guacamole. Enjoy!

Flank Steak Tacos

Flank steak is probably one of the cuts that if you do not know how to cook it you will never try. It can be a little fatty, and tough. You need to either cook it  fast on the grill or under the broiler or cook it low and slow in the crockpot. Always slice it against the grain.

Ingredients:
1 flank steak, any excess fat trimmed off
2 teaspoons chili seasoning
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 lime or one cube of frozen lime juice(I buy a bunch of limes when they are on sale and juice them all and pour it into ice cube trays, then when you need lime juice you just pull out a cube, this tricks works with lemons too)
corn tortillas
diced white onion, cilantro, and avocado for topping

Make It:
Turn broiler on high. Place flank steak on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle one side with 1 teaspoon chili seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, rub seasoning into meat. Flip over and repeat on the other side. Place flank steak on cookie sheet under the broiler and cook for 6 minutes a side.
Remove from broiler and let rest for 6-10 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain. Serve in a tortilla with toppings. Enjoy!

Crockpot Spaghetti and Meatballs

In an effort to become better friends with my crockpot, i'm trying all kinds of new things in it. I thought hmm spaghetti sauce needs to cook for a while to be good, so lets try it in the crockpot. If you don't care for meatballs make the sauce without them. You could also use premade frozen meatballs if you prefer, just bake them first. Spaghetti sauce is also another good way to sneak in veggies on your kids. Add diced carrots, bell peppers, celery or shredded zucchini if you want. Add one or all and see if the kids notice the difference.

Ingredients:
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 bell pepper diced
1 onion diced
1 jalapeno, seeds and inside removed, diced
1/2 cup white wine
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons italian seasoning
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, whipped with a fork
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons grated parmesan
cooked spaghetti noodles


Make It:
In a large crockpot combine tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno. Divide the wine into the two tomato cans and swirl to pick up the tomato that is left in the can, pour into crockpot. Add 1 tablespoon italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and garlic to crockpot. Stir to combine. In a bowl combine meat, granulated garlic, italian seasoning, salt, bread crumbs, parmesan and egg. Using your hands squeeze all ingredients until combined. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat, add one tablespoon vegetable oil. Using a small scooper, scoop out meat into your hand and roll into a ball, place in saute pan. Repeat until pan is full, brown meatballs on all sides and add to crockpot. Repeat this step with all the meatball mixture. Very softly stir so the meatballs are covered with sauce. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over spaghetti noodles. Enjoy!

Beef and Spring Veggie Stir Fry

I love to make stir frys, they are a good and easy way to sneak a lot of veggies on the kids. This is just another version. The sauce and veggies are different from other stir fry recipes I have posted. I did cheat and buy a red pepper from the grocery store, we have not had one in months and I could not resist.

Ingredients:
1 pound sirloin steak cut into strips( I like to get the already cut steak strips from fresh and easy, they are about 4 dollars a pound, and very tender)
1 cup blanched raw or thawed frozen broccoli florets
3 spring onions or green onion chopped
1 carrot sliced and blanched
4 to 6 asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces and blanched
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon pressed garlic


Make It:
Whisk last seven ingredients together in a bowl. Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat, spray with cooking spray and add meat. Stir fry for about 3 minutes until meat is browned. Remove meat from pan. Wipe pan out. Spray with cooking spray and add onion and pepper, stir fry for 2 minutes till both are tender. Add rest of veggies to pan and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add meat back to pan and stir to combine. Turn heat to low. Pour sauce over top and stir until all is coated and sauce is thickened. Serve over rice or noodles. Enjoy!