Wednesday - What's for Dinner? Snow Days Cooking

Being at home on these snowy days is so good for your soul. Cooking has been enjoyable, and sitting around the table eating dinner has been relaxed and peaceful. I wish it could last forever. Last night's menu was Baked Chicken Drumsticks, Zucchini Pie, and fresh fruit. I'm not bragging, but it was GOOD! We try to eat in our dining room a couple of times a week (the rest of the time we're at the kitchen table) and set the table like civilized people. Is it just me, or is setting the table and sitting down together as a family getting to be a lost art?

I'm not reinventing the wheel ~ both recipes I used were found online. The first, Baked Chicken Drumsticks came from E-How (really, it did!). I Googled "chicken drumsticks easy baked breadcrumbs" and picked the recipe with the ingredients I had in the pantry. Everyone loved them, and you can't beat paying $3 for 2 lbs. of chicken. Click here for the recipe.

The Zucchini Pie recipe comes from Maggie at A Bokros Kind of Life.... I love Maggie's blog. You should visit when you get a chance. This was a hit because it got one of my children eating some green vegetable that wasn't a green bean! It was really very simple:

1 TBSP butter or olive oil

2 large zucchini or yellow squash, thinly sliced (4-5 cups)

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 prepared 9 inch pie crust

1 TBSP Dijon Mustard

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 Cups (8 oz) shredded mozzerella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and saute the zucchini and onion until onion is translucent (about 10 min)

Press the pie crust into a pie dish and spread the mustard evenly over the crust.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheese, spices and zucchini mixture. Pour everything into the pie crust and spread evenly.

Bake for 30 min or until the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool a few min and then cut into wedges to serve.

Here's everything just out of the oven:

Do you have a certain night that you KNOW everyone will be sitting at the table and you make a big family meal? In our house it happens to be Wednesday (or Tuesday in this case since we're all snowed in! ..... leave me a comment and let me know about dinner at your house!

Wednesday - Thinking About Food and Cooking (and What's for Dinner?) in 2011

Normally I post what is for dinner on Wednesdays in our house. Tonight my husband has a church meeting at 6:30 and can't make it home for dinner. Truthfully, he will grab something on the way home, and the kids and I will probably have a grilled cheese and fruit or some mac & cheese. It's just a lazy night at our house. Tomorrow will be the night when I cook a bigger dinner for all of us.

I've recently found (via The Homeschool Chick) a GREAT new blog - The Happy Housewife. It is an amazing collection of money saving tips, recipes, menu plans, homeschool plans, etc.... I have no idea how she has time to maintain this huge site, but it is so worth your time to visit! I love her recipes and menu ideas, and I hope to implement some of this in our home over the next several months.

The past few shopping trips I have saved an average of $25 each time - not too bad, considering I'm just getting into clipping coupons and visiting some coupon sites. My husband and I have seen that we waste a lot of money on groceries - and in an effort to save money we are trying to trim that part of our budget.

We've come to the realization that, even though my husband is gainfully employed and makes a good living, we will NEVER get ahead if we don't cut back in some areas. We want to be way ahead of the curve, and that entails being creative when you are a homeschooling mom. I'm preaching to the choir.

For today, check out The Happy Housewife, and I'll return to my regular Wednesday dinner posts next week!

Wednesday - What's for Dinner? Chicken and Sour Cream Enchiladas

This week's Wednesday recipe is one many of you have probably made. If you're like me, however, sometimes I just like to get ideas for WHAT to make, because sometimes I forget about recipes I have made in the past!

Also, be sure to check out my "Recipes" tab at the top of the blog for more ideas!

My six year old is pretty picky, so I can adapt this meal by making some cheese quesadillas without going to extra trouble.... seems like whenever we have Mexican food it's always a hit with everyone! I will probably serve it with some corn or green beans and Spanish rice to round out the meal.

Chicken and Sour Cream Enchiladas

• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 1 1/2 cups Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese, divided
• 1 cup salsa, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 10 flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 medium tomatoes, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix chicken, sour cream, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/4 cup of the salsa, the cilantro and cumin until well blended.
2. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with remaining 3/4 cup salsa; cover.
3. Bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with lettuce and tomato just before serving.