(And All My) Work Be Praise

Okay, this is going to be more of a monthly recap than weekly, because I haven't done one for a while. So don't think I did nothing but cook and read this week. ;) What I'm Cooking Oven "fried" pork chops . Isaac doesn't love pork, so I don't make it often, but periodically I get tired of chicken and beef and want something different. I actually ended up making this three times this month, because once I've bought a family pack of pork chops and a box of cornflakes, I might as well use them up! Skillet lasagna . I make a few changes to this, to keep it simple with pantry items I usually have. I use ground beef seasoned with sausage seasoning , skip the fresh parsely altogether, swap cottage cheese in for the ricotta (it's cheaper, and my kids will eat the leftovers), and stir the cottage cheese right into the skillet instead of dolloping on top. This is one of Owen's favorite meals. Creamy green chili beef . I make this any time I have l...

What I'm Cooking Crockpot Beef Fajitas . Pumpkin Molasses Cookies , for small group. The very essence of fall. Apple Cider Donut Muffins . I don't know why people bother to call them "donut muffins," since you really don't get a donut texture without frying. But they were delicious anyway, even with whole wheat flour. I only sugared the tops, not the whole muffin, to save on sugar intake AND mess. Crockpot Cheesy Spaghetti . My kids prefer plain old spaghetti, but I find this to be much more flavorful and filling. Hawaiian burgers  and sweet potato fries. The pineapple teriyaki sauce is quite delicious. I cooked everything up in a cast-iron skillet instead of on the grill. What I'm Reading I'm using my nursing-the-baby hours to pre-read literature aimed slightly above Levi's current reading level, to determine when he'll be old enough to read them. The problem isn't reading level itself, but content -- he's a sensitive soul, esp...

This is a conglomeration of the past weeks, since I didn't have time to write anything down last weekend. What I'm Cooking French dip sandwiches on these homemade buns . I consider myself a pretty average cook -- I can follow a recipe, but it's nothing too amazing -- but these were delicious . I used some soup bones I've had in the freezer for years (literally) to make homemade beef broth , then used the broth in the sandwich recipe. Seriously, delicious. (Yes, I said it twice.) IKEA meatballs and mashed potatoes. Okay, I didn't so much "make" the meatballs. Last time Silas had an appointment in Minneapolis, we visited IKEA for lunch afterwards. Since Isaac couldn't come, he requested I pick up a bag of meatballs on the way out. I'm only mentioning it because I used the leftover au jus from the sandwiches above to make gravy, which I've only done twice in my life, and that turned out well, too. (I modified this recipe , making a much smal...

What I'm Cooking Gluten-free banana waffles . We do not eat gluten free -- not even a little bit -- but sporadically throughout the past year or two I've been convinced that we should try. (Silas in particular has an auto-immune condition that I suspect might be alleviated by going GF.) As a result, my pantry is filled with jars of random flours -- sorghum, potato, tapioca -- that don't get much use. We've made this specific recipe several times, though, and it always turns out well. Chocolate chip granola bars . I needed a snack on hand to keep me from just eating straight-up chocolate chips all afternoon. :) Parmesan-crusted chicken breasts . I usually keep a stash of these on hand in the freezer -- just flash freeze on a cookie sheet, then throw in a Ziploc bag. Thaw before baking. What I'm Reading Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend . A dear friend sent this to me last month in a care package. It's a quick, easy read, but the premise is unusual and theref...

What I'm Cooking Chicken scampi . Half a cup of butter AND a quarter cup of olive oil . . . this is delicious. I saute yellow peppers along with the chicken and serve over thin spaghetti. Toffee brownie brittle , for small group. You can buy this at the store, but it's surprisingly simple and just as tasty to make at home. BBQ pork sandwiches on homemade buns . Pork roast in the crockpot with about half a bottle of Montgomery Inn sauce, still in my cupboard from Cincinnati. For the buns, I use all white whole wheat flour, not a mixture of white and red ("regular") as the recipe calls for. Chicken spaghetti . I guess I was craving pasta-chicken dishes this week. Peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread . I have two favorite banana bread recipes, and this is the preferred among my children. (The other has blueberries and walnuts: healthier, but not as indulgent.) I always double the recipe and do half as muffins, the other half as a loaf. The days are quickly ...

What I'm Cooking Navajo fry bread , to take to a friend's house for dinner last night. I didn't make the beans this time around, because she was supplying the taco toppings. We ate leftovers with cinnamon and honey this morning for breakfast. It's a lot of work, but soooooo delicious! Mega scones . It's taken me a few tries to make this well, where the jam doesn't leak out all over the place. This week I finally had success! I don't have any real pointers, though . . . it was luck. Mine don't look anything like the picture on the recipe site. Roast chicken and vegetables . If you've never roasted a chicken before, don't be afraid! It's so easy, and so delicious. I never have twine on hand, so I never tie the legs back, and I'm fairly certain that I forget which side is "breast up" about 50% of the time. It never matters. With enough fat (I used coconut oil this time, but I have used bacon grease before!) and salt, the ...

What I'm Cooking KFC Copycat Coleslaw , for a birthday party last weekend. I think I must be the only person left in the world who still loves coleslaw; most of it came home with me, and I'm the only person in the house who will eat it. But that's just fine with me, because I love  it! (I omitted the onions and was quite pleased with the results.) Crockpot spaghetti squash and meatballs . I'm on a mission to reduce starches and increase vegetables in our dinners, but spaghetti squash is not going to be the answer for us. Interestingly, Silas (who won't eat anything at all) and Toby ate it, and Isaac dutifully eats whatever I put in front of him, but the big boys and I just couldn't do it. I used this meatball recipe , and will use the rest of the meatballs for something other  than spaghetti squash! Seasoned rice as a side dish for baked chicken. I don't use bouillon, as most (if not all? haven't checked in a long time) contain MSG, but I cooked th...

What I'm Cooking Quick cinnamon biscuits . Very tasty. I subbed white whole wheat flour, as usual. Glazed orange scones . Because we needed some bright citrus on yet another snowy morning! Slow cooker cheesy spaghetti with turkey sausage . This was a huge hit in my house. It has the creamy comfort food feeling of lasagna, but with a fraction of the work and even fewer calories (thanks to cottage cheese and ground turkey). The recipe calls for only 8 ounces of pasta, but I think I could have used a full 12-ounce box. It was very saucy. Pizza using this crust , but with white whole wheat flour. I do not love whole wheat crust, but this was one of the better recipes I've tried. I use Ragu pizza sauce, because it doesn't have any sugar, and pizza sauce is one thing I still haven't gotten around to making myself. Poor man's steak . I really liked this -- an interesting twist on traditional meatloaf. Plus it made enough for four meals, for our little family! I us...

What I'm Cooking Sweet potato and apple casserole . The boys love this, so I often make it when I'm not going to be home for dinner myself. I didn't have any juice on hand and just used water. Whole-wheat crepes (for breakfast this morning). This time we filled with chocolate chips and banana slices, and topped with raspberry syrup made by a friend. Delicious as always! Rachael Ray's chicken and green bean casserole. I leave out the mushrooms entirely. I had every intention of linking to this recipe, but the one on her website is not the same as the one I took out of her magazine. Lame. If it sounds interesting to you, let me know, and I'll get you the recipe! Six Sisters' crockpot chili and whole-wheat honey cornbread that I didn't save the link for. It wasn't the best cornbread I've ever made. I wish I'd stuck with my usual cornbread waffles to go with chili. What I'm Reading I'm reading another book on discipline, but I...

What I'm Cooking Beef barley vegetable soup. This is loosely based on a recipe from a lady at church, but I improvise with what I have on hand: a large can of V8, a can of tomato soup, a pound(ish) of ground beef (browned with onion first), a few carrots, a handful of peas, two handfuls of corn . . . pop it all in the crockpot for the day. Add barley (2/3 cup or so) an hour before dinner. Carrot cake oatmeal cookies , for a church ladies' get-together. They're a little too soft for my preference, but quite tasty. Lacto-fermented ketchup . Because fermented things are good for you, and we don't eat many of them, so ketchup seemed like a safe(r) choice. I haven't tasted it yet, as it's still fermenting. I'll let you know. Oatmeal apple butter bars . I subbed whole wheat flour, reduced the sugar by half (and used sucanat for all of it), and reduced the butter by two tablespoons, making it totally breakfast-worthy for a Saturday morning. It was a bit crum...

With my husband out of town at a conference all week, I relied heavily upon the benevolence of others for our dinners and entertainment this week. :) So, here's the short list: What I'm Cooking Homemade Cheerios  (using the first recipe on the site). We stopped eating most cereal several years ago, but I've always kept a box of Cheerios on hand during the finger-food stage of babyhood. (If you really want to know why, it's because of articles like this one . The same information would apply to baby "puffs." If you don't want to know why, don't click the link. I'm not judging anyone.) Note that I did NOT spend time making O-shaped snacks!! I cut the squares a bit too big, and baked them a smidge too long, but overall they were easy to make and surprisingly tasty. Toby and Silas are fans. :) Cinnamon Coffeecake Muffins (made with leftover oatmeal) . Sounds weird, right? I thought so, too, but I had a pesky one cup of oatmeal hanging out in the f...

What I'm Cooking Bean* dip and tortilla chips. This is one of my go-to 20-minutes-or-less meals for days when I've forgotten to thaw something or just want something easy. The beans take a bit of work up front, but it's so nice to have jars of re-fried beans on hand for quick meals! Blueberry muffins . Not my favorite recipe, but they were easy, and I had just a little bit of orange juice that needed to be used up. Indian Butter Chicken . I do this as a crockpot freezer meal, so I just had to pull a bag out of the freezer the night before, dump it in the crockpot with some milk, and breathe in the delicious Indian aroma all day! Served over brown basmati rice (cooked with turmeric) and peas. What I'm Reading True Beauty by Carolyn Mahaney. A dear friend of mine is leading a Bible study for our church's junior high girls using this book, and she was sweet to invite me to join in. Given the four babies I've had in the past 6 years, I haven't been invo...

It's been nearly two years since I did a weekend check-in . I'd like to get back into the habit, but only time will tell whether I'll be able to keep it up. Only way to know is to start, so here we are! What I'm Cooking Pulled pork on cornbread waffles with maple-apple chutney . This is leftover from last week, but it was delicious  so I had to share. The pork was nothing fancy, just a loin in the crockpot with some seasonings and some chicken broth. Whole wheat English muffins . I actually have these going in the skillet as I'm typing. I tried one right out of the skillet, all warm and toasty, and this recipe is definitely a keeper! We read Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea this week, which features English muffins, so it seemed like a good week for a baking project with help from little hands. Baked chicken and potatoes . Super simple comfort food. I did a mix of white and sweet potatoes, since the boys prefer sweet potatoes. For the freezer: a triple ba...

What I'm Cooking Homemade pizza. I used the whole wheat pizza crust recipe out of the Bread Machine cookbook , using all freshly ground flour but sifting half of it, and this method for cooking it in my new (birthday present!) giant cast iron skillet. I thought for sure it would stick horribly, since it's my understanding that everything sticks horribly to cast iron the first few times you use it, but Isaac seasoned it well and I buttered it well and the whole pizza just slid right out! I rolled up cheese sticks in the crust to make stuffed crust, then topped with pizza sauce (I'm a Ragu girl), sausage, pineapple, and a generic pizza cheese blend. It's the first time I've been pretty happy with my homemade pizza! Pancake-sausage muffins . Actually, Isaac made these a few weeks ago for his father's group, and I pulled the extras out of the freezer. Creamy chicken and rice casserole . Also pulled from the freezer. It's okay. Needs a lot of salt. Baked ...

What I'm Cooking Lemon-Lime Squares  (with apologies that this links to a video and not the whole recipe; it was taken from a magazine). My mother-in-law requested these for Mother's Day. I'd prefer to stick with simple lemon, but she loved the addition of lime, so I guess it was a success! Chocolate granola bars . These are extremely high in calories, but I love them! I use coconut oil in place of the butter. I keep them in the fridge and just nibble off little bits when I need a snack. Buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake . Actually, Isaac made this for me, as my Mother's Day breakfast. It used to be one of my favorites, but I think I actually like this version better these days. The rest of the week was rather hodge-podge, and this coming week will be as well, with Isaac at a conference for half the week. What I'm Reading Well . . . nothing, really. Silas isn't nursing much anymore, and I haven't made time to read regularly outside of that. I di...

I don't have time for a full report this weekend, so let me just do a quick run-down of what's happening in my kitchen today: Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos  (for the freezer) Homemade sunscreen  -- an experiment Coconut lotion bars  -- also an experiment, cooling in silicone muffin molds right now. Wishing I had some essential oil other than lavender for scent (not being particularly drawn to tea tree or eucalyptus for lotion, the other two oils I keep on hand) Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal (a triple batch for the freezer) I'm still waiting on a shipment from Amazon (of dried calendula petals and bentonite clay), but up next in the "experiment" department will be calendula salve (because we have angry wasps on our deck) and a new deodorant recipe (one without  coconut oil, so that it won't melt in the summer heat). I always feel a little guilty when I don't have anything to blog about: not because I'm concerned about building a big, money-...