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

roasted sweet potato side dish

This side dish is so delicious and goes good with a nice steak or by itself.

• white sweet potatoes (not yams)


• shallots

cube the sweet potato and thinly slice the shallots coat in olive oil, salt, pepper then roast in 425˚ oven. It's ready to eat when golden.

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.

Perfect Teriyaki Sauce

This recipe was given to me by a cook at the historical Sheraton Moana Surfrider in Waikiki. It is so simple and tastes perfect.

Equal parts:

• soy sauce


• pineapple juice (or any fruit juice)


• Brown sugar

Then add fresh ginger and green onions.

For best results, marinate for a full day.

That is it, EASY.

roasted broccoli and cauliflower with lemon zest

My mom made this and I will never eat boring steamed broccoli again. I added cauliflower to my mom's recipe because these two veggies make a perfect match

• broccoli
• cauliflower
• garlic
• lemon
• basil
• parmesan cheese
• roasted pine nuts

in sheet pan roast broccoli, garlic, and cauliflower at 425 sprinkled with olive oil, salt, pepper

when roasted stir in bowl lemon juice, a little olive oil, fresh grated parm cheese, roasted pine nuts, lemon zest, and fresh basil

Breakfast Wraps

A Graham family favorite. My daughter says anything tastes good in a corn tortilla. My theory behind that is the kids like it because they can't see what they're eating + wraps are just fun to eat. They're not messy because the food is all wrapped up and they're easy to eat.

Breakfast Wrap

• corn tortillas


• eggs mixed with milk, salt, pepper to make scrambled


• turkey breakfast sausage


• diced onions


• shredded cheese


• already cooked potato from the night before


• already steamed veggies -optional- if you have from last nights dinner (Sweet potato, broccoli, carrots, corn)

break up the sausage in pan on high heat then add onions and potatoes

once cooked and golden add veggies then egg mixture

cook well then place in heated corn tortilla with a little cheese and catchup

-Tip-I heat my tortillas over an open flame on my gas stove

wrap and done nobody sees what's in there and it tastes great!

-Tip- everything should be proportionate to each other in really small pieces

Fun day Friday Finger Food

So it's fun day Friday at the Grahams. Translation Mom's tired from a long week at work.

Dinner is served:

• breakfast sauage


• bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon


• lettuce boats with crunchie sailors


• Quesadillas with plain yogurt dip and avocado

Rachael Ray's Penne Italian Shepherd's Pie

This is such a yummy way to get your veggies and protein in. I love Rachael Ray! Her recipes are so easy, delicious and written so much more precisely than mine! My mom makes a fantastic shepherd's pie with sweet potato which I will share on another day but for now,  this is what's for dinner tonight at the Grahams:

Cheesy Penne Italian Shepherd's Pie

Serves 4

Submitted by

Rachael Ray

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound mini penne (or any mini short-cut pasta) $0.74


• Salt


• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) ($0.40)


• 1 pound ground turkey ($3.15)


• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped ($0.12)


• 1 medium onion, diced ($0.69)


• 3 medium carrots, diced ($0.51)


• 1 medium zucchini, diced ($0.72)


• 11/2 tablespoons tomato paste ($0.09)


• 1 cup chicken stock, divided ($0.72)


• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning ($0.16)


• 3 tablespoons butter ($0.33)


• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour ($0.12)


• 1 cup milk --(eyeball it) ($0.26)


• 1 cup shredded provolone ($2.00)

PREPARATION

Pre-heat oven to 400°F.

Place a large pot filled with water over high heat and bring to a boil to cook the pasta. Once boiling, add some salt and the pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Heads up -- reserve a mug of starchy water before draining the cooked pasta. Drain well and transfer pasta back to the cooking pot.

While the water is coming up to a boil for the pasta, place a large skillet over high heat and with 3 turns of the pan, add EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Once the oil starts to ripple, add the ground turkey and break it up into small pieces as it cooks, using the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher. Cook until the turkey is nice and brown, about 8-10 minutes.

Add the veggies and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, ½ cup chicken stock, half of the reserved starchy water, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 10 more minutes, stirring every now and then.

While the veggies and turkey are cooking, place a medium-size saucepot over medium heat with the butter. Once the butter melts, add the flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly so the flour doesn't burn. Whisk in the milk and the rest of the starchy pasta water and chicken stock, bring to a simmer and cook until thickened. Once thick, turn off the heat, add the cheese to the pot and stir until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the bottom of a large, oven-safe baking dish with the turkey and veggie mixture. Meanwhile, add the cheese sauce to the reserved pasta in the pasta pot. Stir to coat, then transfer the cheesy pasta to the baking dish. Spread it out to cover the turkey mixture evenly. Place in the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 10 minutes.

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

enchilada casserole

Mom's Enchilada Casserole

All the yumminess of enchiladas in one casserole dish.

-TIP- freezes well so after you bake it put in meal size freezer containers.

what you'll need

• corn tortillas broken into 4s


• ground turkey


• enchilada sauce


• tomato sauce


• chopped onions


• chopped olives


• corn kernels


• grated cheese (Mozzarella and cheddar)


• plain yogurt

cook meat and onions in oil then stir in these these ingredients making sure that the meat mixture isn't too spicy for kids.

• ground turkey


• enchilada sauce (to taste)


• tomato sauce (to taste)


• chopped olives


• corn kernels

in casserole dish layer meat mixture then tortillas, you can add a layer of fresh tomatoes or cilantro and top with grated cheese

bake at 350

serve topped with plain yogurt or sourceam

GG's Sopa Rice

Serve with GG's sopa (mexican soup rice) everyone loves this rice and it is so easy.

1 1/2 can chicken broth

1/2 can tomato sauce

california garlic salt, onion powder

optional: celery stalk, onion, carrot in big chunks floating on top for flavor

cover and cook until done (Sorry, I can smell when it's done so I don not know times. My husband thinks this is crazy)

-TIP- do not uncover until done and you will have perfectly cooked rice.

String beans

For a vegetable side dish mom made string beans. Everyone loves her string beans.

steam until tender but not too mushy and still green. In serving bowl stir in butter, parmesan cheese and garlic salt

family style whole roasted chicken

A Graham family favorite because it doesn't take much effort and tastes great. We love to roast chicken and vegetables. The whole house smells delicious and we can help the kids with home work and do anything we need to do while the food cooks itself.

Roasted Whole Chicken with vegetables

Olive oil all over chicken

salt pepper

oregano, garlic/onion powder, marjoram

stuff with fresh herbs from garden (thyme, green onions, rosemary, lavender)

cover with foil and place in oven at 375

After about 30 minutes take foil off so chicken will be golden on top

Roasting Vegetables in the same pan or another pan

zucchini, sweet potato, fingerling potato, onion, celery, carrots, brussel sprouts are all great. Just use what ever you have.

olive oil, salt, pepper

I always put a butternut squash in too. My kids love it! I just cut it in half, scoop out seeds, olive oil, and place in pan skin side up. that's it!

In about 45 minutes to an hour when chicken is golden, veggies are roasted and butternut squash is soft enough to get a fork through it you have a really nice home cooked meal.

-TIP- if butternut squash is too hard to cut just put it whole in the oven then cut it in half when it is done cooking