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

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