Stir Fry

Ingredients
1 1/2 pound piece sirloin, 1-inch thick
Salt
3 tablespoons vegetable, peanut or canola oil
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 bunch scallions, cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces on bias, greens and whites
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup ketchup
Freshly ground black pepper
A few dashes hot sauce
Handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions
Pop the meat in the freezer for a few minutes to stiffen it up for slicing.

Halve the steak lengthwise then very thinly slice the meat. Heat the oil in a very large skillet over high heat. When oil wafts smoke and ripples, add the meat and stir-fry until caramelized 3 minutes. Add peppers and stir-fry 2 minutes then add in scallions and edamame for 2 minutes more. Stir together the sugar, soy, mustard and ketchup and pour over stir-fry the last minute of cooking. Season, to taste, if necessary.

Jessie was to help dinner. Once again this is a 30min Meal with Racheal Ray. She did this meal with mashed potatoes instead of rice and gave stir fry and American flair with them and the ketchup mustard sauce. Jessie likes mashed potatoes but LOVES rice so the taters were out. It was really good I think next time we will make sure we have tortillas for the bread and the little chinese ceunchies with it. This one was a difinate do it again.

Parmes-Breaded Pork Chops

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil



Directions
Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side.

This recipe came from Giada De Laurentiis from the food network.

I basicly doubled the recipe, and infused garlic with my oil. We love parmasean cheese so I grated a huge amnount and mixed it with the bread crumbs, then also sprinkled more on top of the chops before serving. They were very crispy.

The family loved it. I served then with the leftover mashed potatoes from last night and just warmed up forzen carrots.

My Birthday Dinner

For my Birthday Dinner I choose one of my favorite meals. Chicken Fried Steak.


Butter Milk Mashed Potatoes
Corn on the Cob
Green Beans

Chicken Fried Steak:
Vegetable oil, for frying
36 ounces round steak
2 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Chopped Parsley
Chopped Chives

Directions
To make Chicken Fried Steak: Heat a deep, heavy skillet with at least 1/2-inch of oil to 340 degrees F. Alternatively, heat oil in a deep fryer to 340 degrees F.

Cut steak into 1/2-inch thick slices to make 6 (6-ounce) portions and remove any fat or gristle. Pound it with the coarse side of a tenderizing mallet until it is double in size and half as thick. In a shallow bowl, make an egg wash by combining the eggs and milk. In another shallow bowl or pan, make a seasoned breading by combining the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the steak in the seasoned flour, dip it in the egg wash, and then return it to the flour and push the flour into the steak with your fingers so that there are no moist spots. Immediately slide the steak into the hot oil, in batches as necessary to prevent overcrowding, and fry on 1 side until golden and crispy; then turn over and cook the rest of the way. The steaks are done when you lift them with a pair of tongs and they are stiff, not floppy. Keep warm while making the gravy.


Considering I almost burned down the kitchen with my first, this was difinatly better. I did not tenderize the meat enough, so things were really tough. Hopefully my next try will be it.

For dessert I made a Spenda Blueberry Pie.

Ingredients
4 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2/3-1 Spenda
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4-1/3 cup cornstarch (depending on how thick you like your filling)
1/4 cup water

Directions
1 In a heavy saucepan mix together blueberries, sugar and lemon juice.
2 Over medium heat bring to boil, stirring frequently.
3 Mix cornstarch with water to make a paste.
4 Pour into berry mixture, stirring constantly until thick.
5 Remove from heat and let cool.
6 You can now freeze it or use for pie.
7 Bake at 400*F for about 35 minutes.


This was my birthday cake. It was WONDERFUL!

Thursday Dinner August 6th

Honey Mustard Cutlets

1 1/2 pounds small potatoes (recommended: Yukon gold)
1 small head broccoli
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Smashed Potatoes and Broccoli

Directions
Halve the potatoes and add to a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes while you trim and chop broccoli into 1/2-inch dice. Add the broccoli to the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes more. Drain and return to the hot pot to dry. Stir in the milk, butter and cheese and mash until the cheese melts into potatoes and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer to a serving bowl, to serve.

1 1/2 pounds small potatoes (recommended: Yukon gold)
1 small head broccoli
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Halve the potatoes and add to a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes while you trim and chop broccoli into 1/2-inch dice. Add the broccoli to the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes more. Drain and return to the hot pot to dry. Stir in the milk, butter and cheese and mash until the cheese melts into potatoes and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer to a serving bowl, to serve.


I saw these recipes on and episode of Racheal Ray 30 Minute Meals. It was called Chop it down to size. I could not beleive how easy this was.

We just came back from a few days with my sister in Kileen. It was a very long day. We drove back and had a flat tire on the way back and had to sit on the side of the road for quite awhile. We are all very very tired but still had to make dinner. It was so simple, really did just take 30 minutes. I used pork chops instead of chicken and they had so much flavor.

I thought the potatoes would be good but both Stephen and I really loved them. And he is not really into broccoli. Ashlyn helped with dinner and she thought it was GREAT! (well not the potatoes)

Rain Drop Dinner Adventures

Well for the past few weeks I have been having the kids help me with dinner. They each take two days a week. One day they get to pick what we have and the other day Mommy and Daddy pick. We are now trying to expand our dinner selections.

I thought it might be interesting to someone out there (not really sure who) to record some of our recipes and the reactions from the family.

Tonight we had meatloaf stuffed bell peppers, garlic new patatoes, baby sugar snap peas and corn. I am going to toot my own horn here it was great. I am so full I hurt.

I saw a sow of food network a few days ago that did the meatloaf stuffed in bell peppers I kind of changed it up a bit and made Stephen's favorite recipe.

Meatlaof stuffed bell peppers
ground beaf
ketchup
minced onion
crackers
garlic cloves
egg
Italian seasoning
salt
peper
bell pepper rings


Garlic new potatoes
chopped new potates
galric cloves
rosemary

I did a can of corn and frozen baby snow peas.

Stephen loved it. Jessie really loved the meatloaf minus the bell pepper and Ashlyn ate enought to get her cresant roll. Aaron actuall tried a crumb of a potato. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!

Chicken tomorrow

As you all know Aaron is severly to profondly deaf, the following story is told with his signing verbage. That is part of what makes it so dang cute.

Saturday we like so many others around the world colored Easter eggs. On Sunday we had a wonderful Easter with family. Sunday night when the girls were sent to bed and Stephen and I were attempting to get Aaron going in the same direction, he brought us one of the colored eggs. Very carefully cradleing the egg.
"chicken tomorrow"
"Chicken, where is the chicken" was our response
"chicken tomorrow"
"Baby there is not a chicken in that egg"
"yes chicken in egg. come out tomorrow"
"Sweetheart there is not a chicken in thas egg. Remember mommy put it in HOT water and then we put them in the colored water to make them pretty"
"listen" he said putting it up to our ears while he made some sound that I guess was to be the chick clucking.
"Um baby, there is not chicken in that egg"
The same basic conversation went on for several minutes finally Stephen took the egg from him. He told me " I don't know of another way to show him there is not a chicken in there." He then clapped his hands togather and that was it smushed egg. Aaron looked shocked, picked through the egg for a second, and then laughed and said
"daddy smushed the egg" remember this is all signed.

We think it came from his sisters but are not quite sure. But is was a cute memory we have to share for many years to me

Goodbye 2008…Hoping 2009 will be better

This year has been a very hard year for our family. Stephen has finished his Hepatitis C treatments. He is pretty much back to his normal self, driving me nuts. He sees the doctor in January after having one last blood test and we are fervently praying that all is well.

The day before Christmas Eve we started our holiday in a very scary way. Ashlyn came to me and ask me for a knife. She wanted to kill herself. She has been on depression meds for a couple of months now, and been very overwhelmed with school. I immediately stopped what I was doing and sat with her awhile and talked with her about what she had said. In talking with her I felt she was serious. My 11 year old wanted to die. I called the counselor we have been seeing, after talking with Ashlyn for a long time she told me she as fairly certain Ashlyn knew what she was saying and was in danger from herself. It was time to check her in to a hospital. She came home the next day just in time for Christmas Eve. She will be starting a day program on Monday.

I have dealt with depression all of my life, seeing it in my child is scaring the living crap out of me. I have learned how to deal with it in me, I am not at all sure how to deal with Ashlyn having it. I know how she feels, she does not understand though that I have been there. Leaving her there at the hospital was the hardest thing I had ever done. Yet she was so sure that that the she needed to stay. She wants to feel better.