campfire cobbler

Alivia is at girlscout daycamp this week. Yesterday the girls made their own lunch which included a peach cobbler cooked over the fire. Alivia has agreed to make this for our family camping trip. Here's the easy recipe if you want to try it out for your own camping trip.

girl scout campfire cobbler

• canned peaches
• cinamon sugar
• bisquick 
• milk
• butter

1. make bisquick batter with milk then set aside
2. Sprinkle the bottom of your pan with cinamon sugar                                                             (according to my daughter as much as you like)
3. lay peaches on top
4. spoon batter over peaches
5. place a few butter cubes on top of the batter
6. cook over the fire

The girls made homemade vanilla ice-cream to top their cobblers!

cauliflower mash-potato

If your kids like mash-potatoes, these are a great way to sneak in the veggies.

• cauliflower
• potato
• butter, salt pepper
• milk or half-half

1. boil potatoes and cauliflower
2. pour out boiling water
3. when potatoes and cauliflower are dry, mash
4. add a little butter, milk, salt and pepper
5. stir lightly to mix ingredients

eggplant parmesan pizza

Most kids love pizza so sneak the veggies in.

• eggplant thinly sliced rounds to about 1/4" thick
• english muffin
• pizza sauce (I just use my marinara sauce and add a little tomato paste to make it thicker)
• ricotta
• shredded mozzarella or pizza cheese

-tip- cut the dark purple skin off the eggplant rounds. Kids don't want to see that!

1. cook the eggplant in a little olive oil

2. toast the muffins so they are nice and crunchy

3. layer muffin with sauce, ricotta, eggplant, then sprinkle cheese

4. place in oven to melt cheese

easy marinara

This marinara is easy and quick to make, AND delicious.

• 1 can crushed tomatoes


• a little tomato paste


• olive oil


• onion and garlic puree in processor


• sausage (optional)


• red wine (optional)


• fresh basil, oregano, bay leaf chopped

1. heat a generous amount of olive oil

2. when olive oil is nice and hot add sausage, onion and garlic. Sauté

3. pour in a little red wine

4. When sausage has a nice brown to it, pour in the crushed tomatoes and add a little tomato paste

5. stir constantly and  add chopped herbs

let sit for a little while for flavors to mix together.

-tip- you can make this with just olive oil, tomatoes and basil. The key is to use a generous portion of olive oil and make sure it is really hot when you pour in the tomatoes

uncle bob's chili kili

My dad use to make this for a fun dinner when I was  a kid and it was my favorite. I always thought he made it up until I saw it on the menu at a little taquerilla. These hot, crunchy, spicy and cheesy chips are a perfect football day food.

• salsa (for best results use my dad's salsa recipe)
• corn tortillas cut into chip size triangles
• parmesan cheese

1. put salsa in mixing bowl and set aside.

2. fry corn tortillas in oil then quickly stir the hot tortillas into the salsa and pour plenty of parmesan cheese while mixing it all together. Serve hot. muy delicioso!

eggplant parmesan casserole

I love eggplant parmesan but it is too fussy for a busy mommy of 3.

what you'll need:

• eggplant sliced 1/4" thick


• zucchini (optional) sliced 1/4" thick


• mascarpone (Italian cream cheese)


• fresh parmesan


• shredded mozzarella


• can of crushed tomatoes


• fresh basil chiffonade


• panko bread crumbs

1. coat casserole dish with olive oil

2. layer of sliced eggplant

3. top with crushed tomatoes

4. place dollops of mascarpone all around (this makes the sauce rich and creamy)

5. sprinkle basil all around

6. a layer of zucchini

7. tomato, mascarpone, basil

8. a sprinkle of parmesan and mozzarella

9. top the casserole with plenty of panko

10 bake at 375

This is one delicious vegetarian meal!

 

Pancake chicken nuggets

Going to the grocery store with the 3 kids is not happening. So if I can't get to the grocery store, I just have to make due with whatever is in the house. This day it was frozen chicken strips and pancake batter.

• pancake batter


• frozen chicken strips

I cut the strips into nuggets size pieces dipped them in pancake batter and fried them.

maple syrup mustard dipping sauce

• real maple syrup


• mustard


• mayo


• cream cheese

mix and serve with the pancake chicken nuggets.

Pesto Pasta

My kids love Uncle Ken's family recipe for pesto pasta. It is really quite simple. Of course that's exactly what most kids prefer. Simple Food. I have several Basil plants in my yard which I am regularly snipping away at.

What you need:

• Fresh basil


• Fresh parm cheese


• Pine nuts (optional)


• Olive oil


• Salt

Blend all of the above to taste using plenty of EVOO

My kids like the "round and round" rotelli rainbow pasta but stir the pesto sauce into any cooked pasta you like, finally of course top with fresh ("sprinkles") Parmesean cheese

-Tip- Pesto pasta is a little plain for me so for the adults, I add fresh tomatoes, olives, or marinated artichokes and chicken

-Tip- this pesto sauce freezes well.

-BONUS TIPS-I marinate chicken in it then bake OR for a delicious marinera with lots of flavor, I pour the pesto into a can of boiling hot crushed tomatoes.

super quick homemade dinner for the busy family

This is a nice meal for the really busy family. We got home late from school and after school activities, kids are starving, need to eat, do homework and get ready for bed so I made this super quick meal. It's healthy and home made and the kids love it.

• ham steak heated in pan


• sweet potatoes steamed topped with butter and a little brown sugar


• romaine, croutons, and good dressing makes a great caesar salad


• green beans steamed topped with a little parmesan cheese, garlic salt and butter served over spaghetti noodles tossed in olive oil, a little butter, parmesan cheese, and garlic salt

-Tip- I like to add a little butter, just a touch, along with olive oil for flavor