Pepperoni Pizza Burgers

This is definitely a meal you will love (kids included). It pleases your craving for a burger and for pizza at the same time. This is a crowd pleaser...serves 8.

Pepperoni Pizza Burgers
For the Meat:
2 lbs hamburger meat (I used 85/15)
4 oz pepperoni slices, chopped small
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs dried Italian herbs

For Assembling:
1 box Texas Toast garlic bread
1 jar Classico Spicy Tomato spaghetti sauce
8 slices Provolone or Mozzarella cheese
2 Tbs Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs olive oil

1. Preheat oven and bake Texas Toast garlic bread according to box, flipping once during baking. Set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients for the meat and mix well. Divide meat mixture into 8 portions. Shape meat into patties about 3/4 inch thick. Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat.
3. Pour 1 Tbs olive oil into the hot skillet and brown the pepperoni burgers 3 minutes per side, 4 at a time. When you're done with the first 4, place on a cookie sheet and set aside. Turn the oven down to 300. Brown the remaining 4 pepperoni burgers 3 minutes a side. Place those 4 burgers on the cookie sheet and bake 8 minutes.
4. Take the meat out of the oven. Turn the broiler on. Place a slice of Texas toast garlic bread under each burger. Divide the entire jar of sauce over the pepperoni burgers completely covering each burger. Place a slice of cheese over each burger and then sprinkle them the Parmesan cheese.
5. Place them under the broiler for 2 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

Feel free to use leaner beef or ground turkey, turkey pepperoni and/or lite Texas toast garlic bread to lighten the meal up a bit. You could also saute some mushrooms and onions and top the burgers first with the veggie mixture after cooking and then top with the cheese.

Tilapia with Tomato, Corn and Kalamata Topper

For dinner tonight at my house...tilapia. On top, we're trying something new to jazz it up a bit.

2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
6 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
cooking spray
4 Tilapia Fillets
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Liberally season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper. When pan is hot, add the olive oil. Cook the fish 4-5 minutes a side. Remove fish from pan to a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.
2. To same skillet, add the garlic and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Cook 4-5 minutes until warm.

To serve, plate each tilapia fillet and top with a generous cup of the tomato mixture.

Summer Crockpot Recipes

Stop using that oven in this heat and grab one of my favorite cooking pieces...the crock pot!

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 2.5 hours
2 lbs precooked frozen meatballs
1 cup apricot or apple jelly
2 cups cocktail sauce or chili sauce

1. Pour the jelly and cocktail sauce into crockpot. Stir well.
2. Stir in the meatballs. Cover with lid and cook 2.5 hours on high.

Serve as meatball subs on hot dog buns or hoagie rolls for dinner or with toothpicks for a party appetizer.

Tangy Crockpot Ribs
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 lbs meaty pork spareribs, cut into 2-3 rib sections

1. Mix brown sugar and flour in medium saucepan. Add water, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, ginger and garlic powder. Cook and stir over medium heat until boiled and thickened.
2. Layer ribs in crockpot, spooning sauce over each layer. Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours or on high 5-6 hours until ribs are very tender.

Crockpot Chocolate Fondue
18 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 oz milk chocolate, chopped
13 oz can evaporated milk
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pound cake pieces, cut up fruit, marshmallows, graham crackers, cookies (try nutter butters) for dipping

1. Combine all ingredients and cook on low for 45 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
2. Cook 15 minutes more if needed to melt all the chocolate. This can be held for another hour on low before serving.

Crockpot Chicken Taco Filling
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
18 oz jar salsa of your choice. Red or Green
1 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder

1. Place all ingredients in crockpot and stir. Cover and cook on low heat 8 hours.
2. Take chicken out and dice or shred. Stir back into crockpot to coat with sauce.

Use to make tacos, burritos, or tostadas. The only other things you need are shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and grated cheese!

If Chili Dogs are a hit with your family, check out this recipe here.

If Chicken and Noodles is something your family likes, check out this recipe here.

Check out the Dinner Recipe #3 of BBQ Chicken previously posted on my blog here. Sub in pork loin or pork butt for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches too!

Recipes found on about.com with some tweaking of my own :)

Getting Kids to Eat Those Veggies

I started very early with getting vegetables in my oldest child (who is almost 4). I am very lucky in that she eats very well and isn't picky, but I do have some tricks that I use in my kitchen.

We have a 2 bite rule. If my child doesn't like it, she doesn't have to finish it, but at least she's had 2 bites.

If she doesn't eat well at dinner, she doesn't get a treat after.

I make up stories...for example, kale in my house is called dinosaur bites. The first time I served it to her, I told her a story about how dinosaurs used to eat this very thing and it made them so big and strong. Raegan is almost obsessed with being the biggest, tallest, fastest, strongest, etc. Veggies will get her there! I had one friend who got her daughter to eat broccoli by telling her it will make her hair grow like a princess. Kids love stories. Carrots are high in Vitamin A, which helps keep eyes healthy. My dietitian friend tells her son they will make his eyes sparkle and he'll be able to see like Superman. Google what you're serving and tell your kids what the foods will do for their bodies.

Be sneaky if you have to be. Quesadillas cover up tons of things. Try this recipe here.
Get a box grater or food processor. Grate up raw carrots, zucchini, and squash. Puree raw mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, spinach. Stir pureed or grated foods into soups you already make. Stir grated or pureed veggies into spaghetti sauce. Buy 4 jars of sauce and 2 lbs ground sausage, turkey or hamburger. Brown up the meat. Puree or grate a couple carrots, a zucchini, an onion, a few cloves of garlic and a bell pepper. Stir it into the meat. Pour in the sauce and simmer 1 hour on medium-low. Freeze in glass jars or Ziploc containers and thaw/defrost as needed when its spaghetti night.

My friend Betsy purees a cooked sweet potato and stirs it into boxed mac & cheese. Whole sweet potatoes only take 5 minutes in the microwave. Sprinkle with extra cheddar.

Kids love to dip. Let them dip cooked or raw veggies in ketchup, BBQ sauce or ranch.

Kids love cheese. Cover new foods with cheese and see if they'll like them more.

If your kids dissect every color and question "what is this red thing?" I would start with casseroles and add pureed vegetables.

Check out some new cook books from the library or from amazon like these.

Check out these links for more info, tips and recipes:
Sneak in Healthy Food
Healthy Eating for Kids
Kid Friendly Recipes (that You'll Love Too)
Picky Palate Recipe Index
There are tons of recipes that pop up when you google kid-friendly recipes

Remember food jags, where they only want 3 things over and over, are normal for toddlers. Raegan used to go nuts for Nutri-grain bars. It was the ONLY thing she wanted to eat. It got to the point where there were melt downs if she didn't get a few a day. She was obsessed with them! Needless to say, I quit buying them. She didn't have them as an option and would eventually ask for something else. She's like this way about a lot of packaged food, and it helps if I either hide them in a cupboard or don't even buy them in the first place.

Post your veggie tips in the comments...

Disappointment to Oh So Delicious

A few posts ago, I had researched replacing some of the sugar in baking recipes with honey or agave nectar. I was very anxious to try honey in my chocolate chip cookie recipe, so Saturday I tried it. Major disappointment. Major. Instead of the sumptuously soft inside with a slightly crisp outside, the texture turned out cakey, almost mushy. Okay for cake, but not what I'm craving when I want a good cookie. For 2 days I looked at those cookies wondering what on Earth I was going to do with them. Israel wouldn't even take them to the office! He said, "do you want people to think your cookies are like that?" HA! He was right.

So, I thought about a cookbook at Target I came across that was entirely about making cake pops. You mix together cake crumbs and icing, form into balls, dip them in chocolate or thinned icing and stab with a stick. Viola! Cake pops. I didn't have cake, but the cookies were so cakey, I thought it might work. What do you know...it did...and was delicious.

I didn't have sticks, so I'm calling them truffles :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles
1 lb chocolate chip cookies
3 oz softened cream cheese
1 cup semi-sweet, dark or milk chocolate chips (I buy Guittard brand)
3/4 Tbs canola oil
1/3 cup powdered sugar (optional for coating)
1/3 cup cocoa powder (optional for coating)

1. In a food processor, process cookies until crumbs form. You could also throw them in a large Ziploc and mash with a rolling pin. Transfer crumbs to a medium size mixing bowl.
2. Using a paddle attachment or hand held mixer, mix crumbs and cream cheese on medium speed until incorporated together. Mixture should hold together when you pinch it between your fingers.
3. Using your hands, form crumb mixture into 1 inch balls. I use a small ice cream scoop to make them all the same size and then roll in my palms to smooth the surface. Place on a wax covered cookie sheet or pan and refrigerate 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine chocolate chips and canola oil. Microwave 1:30 minutes on 50% power. Stir. Microwave in 30 seconds spurts on 50% power until all chips are melted. Get out cookie balls.
5. Using a fork, dip each ball, one at a time, in chocolate until coated. Lift out with the fork and place back on wax paper. Dip until your done. For variation, leave some undipped. Roll them in powdered sugar or cocoa powder instead.

I'm thinking this would work well with all cookies; Peanut Butter, Sugar, Chocolate with White Chips, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, store bought chocolate chip cookies and even Oreos. Experiment and leave me a comment on what you tried!

Cook Once, Eat Twice...Chicken and Summer Vegetables

Cook Once
Grilled Chicken and Summer Vegetables
Serves 4 with 2 chicken breasts leftover

For the Chicken:
2 Tbs vinegar, try balsamic, red wine or apple cider (you could also try lemon juice instead)
3 tsp dried herbs, try thyme, oregano, rosemary, or dried Italian herbs
2 cloves garlic minced fine or 1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 yellow or red onion minced fine or 1 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup olive oil, or try grapeseed or safflower oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 (4 oz each) chicken breasts

For the Vegetables:
2-3 zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch-thick slices
2-3 yellow squash, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch-thick slices
1 red or sweet onion, cut into 1/2 inch-thick slices
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch-wide strips
1 small eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch-thick slices
2 Tbs olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder

1. Put all chicken ingredients in a gallon ziplock bag. Refrigerate 1 hour at least or up to 12 hours. You could also freeze the chicken with the marinade and then thaw overnight when ready.
2. Brush sliced vegetables with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
3. Remove chicken breasts from bag and grill 4-6 minutes per side on med-high depending on thickness. Grill vegetables alongside 3-5 minutes per side. Enjoy with a baked potato.

Eat Twice
Grilled Chicken and Summer Vegetable Pasta Bowls
8 oz whole wheat pasta; farfalle, rotini, penne or macaroni
1 Tbs olive oil*
1 pint grape tomatoes*
2 leftover chicken breasts from recipe above, cut into cubes
all leftover vegetables from recipe above, chopped
1 Tbs pesto, homemade or store bought (i have a nut-free recipe under "Freeze for the future" blog post)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta according to package directions.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in grape tomatoes. Cover with lid and simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until most grape tomatoes pop and soften. When 10 minutes is almost up, you can help along the process by smashing some of the tomatoes with the back of a large spoon. Stir in chicken, vegetables, pesto and half of the cheese. Cook 2 minutes to warm the chicken.
3. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Put pasta back in large pot with the stove off. Pour the sauce mixture over pasta. Stir well to coat the noodles. If mixture seems dry, stir in some of the pasta water. Divide into 4 bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

* For an even quicker variation (or if you're not a tomato fan), omit step 2. Put cut up chicken and vegetables in a covered microwave safe container and heat 2 minutes. After you drain the pasta, stir in the pesto, cheese and chicken and vegetable mixture. Increase pesto to 2 Tbs. If you want a less intense flavor, keep the pesto to 1 Tbs.

what to do with...Papaya

Papaya is on my brain this week for a few reasons...the first being it is the next fruit I am introducing to Jordan. It is one of a handful of fruits you can give to babies without being cooked. I plan to puree in the blender and freeze in ice cube trays.

Papayas are in season June through September, but you can find them in the grocery store year round. The fruit is ripe when it feels soft (like a ripe avocado or a bit softer) and its skin has attained an orange or amber hue. The black seeds are edible and have a sharp, spicy taste. They are sometimes dried and ground to use as a substitute for black pepper. You can keep them just as they are to garnish a salad as well for a little crunch and pepper kick.

The second reason they are on my mind is because its summer and they are delicious!! In my house, I usually cut it up like cantaloupe, squeeze a lime over top, and eat.

Here are some recipes I have found as ways to use it in your kitchen...

Avocado and Papaya Salad

Papaya-Banana Smoothie

Avocado and Papaya Salsa  Use this on top of any grilled chicken, fish or pork. It would be especially good on top of fish tacos.

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced

1 ripe papaya, peeled, seeded and diced

1/2 small red onion, finely diced

1 serrano or jalapeno chile, finely diced (you can use more chiles if you want it spicier)

2 limes, juiced

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons honey

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Combine avocados, papaya, onion, chile, lime juice, oil, honey and salt and pepper, to taste, in a medium serving bowl. Stir in the cilantro until combined and serve.