Super Mom

So I am feeling so great about myself this morning.  I decided to wake up a few minutes early and cook breakfast!  Now, while some of you overachievers cook grits, eggs, bacon, biscuits, pancakes, and other such amenities, at the Hill House we had Cinnamon Rolls thanks to Pillsbury!  Not only were they delicious but I only spent about 5 extra minutes in the kitchen this morning!  That is my kind of breakfast!

Cutting Vegetables

So this little discovery happened by accident really.  Let me first clarify, this was not my first attempt at cooking with vegetables.  I often flavor dishes with bell pepper, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, etc.  So last night I had bought a ham (fully cooked) and baked it on low with apricot jam smothered on it.  Then I decided to saute some leftover veggies from earlier this week.  I start chopping as I am reading a book (multi-tasking!)  and realize that I am chopping my bell pepper and zuchini into small pieces when I really want them to be chunky as a side to the ham.  So I finish chopping, finish the ham, and sit down to eat.
I taste the veggies, which actually are tasty, yet I notice something.  The ones that are chopped into tiny pieces taste different to me.  The flavor is different or something.  Then I hear my grandmother's voice in my head, "the way you cut your vegetables makes a difference."  Now let me first explain that when a recipe calls for "minced" or "julienned" or whatever else, all my veggies basically get cut the same because I don't know what all those words mean in the cooking sense.  Yet due to a mistake I made in chopping my vegetables, I now understand that it does matter at least in size of the vegetables as to how you are cooking them.
Another new discovery in the kitchen!  What have you discovered lately?

New Recipes

So lately I have been checking out some new recipes from all kinds of cookbooks in my possession.  I have tried to use items in my refrigerator or pantry with the hope of finding some new things my family will like.  Unfortunately I have not succeeded in finding new items that they would like to have again.
I feel like my menus often feel redundant and I feel in a rut sometimes.  I love to look through cookbooks and my mother-in-law actually gave me some of hers yesterday to add to my collection!  I can't wait to sit and go through them all!
Ultimately I would like to eat healthier but darn it, healthier is not always tastier!  So I want your help!  Give me some of your BEST recipes.  I want to know what your recipe your family turns to the most.  Help me to expand my horizons!  Oh -- I like simple and quick recipes the most but you may sway me if you can convince me that your recipe is yummy!
To make this really fun, how would you like to make this into a Contest?  Yay!  So the best recipe wins and you have to submit the Entire Recipe -- not just the name!  Winner will be announced on Monday, September 12th at noon (EST).  Winner will receive ----- it's a Surprise!!!  I can't wait to read all your recipes!

No Time

Well the unfortunate has happened......I have fallen behind!  This week, although only halfway finished, is already flown by and I am just realizing I have not updated either one of my blogs!  So let me just sum up the week so far for you......
Monday night I tackled a new recipe from Taste of Home's "The Busy Family Cookbook."  It was a Broccoli and Corn Bake.  I will say that it was good but my other family members didn't really care to ever have it again.  I thought it was a great way for me to eat broccoli so I may shove it in their plates again one day soon!
Tuesday night I took the easy way out and fixed a Sausage and Egg Casserole.  I was yummy but my stomach is not used to the sausage and I've been paying for it ever since.
Tonight will be "eat on your own night" because I have a meeting at church, and Lance and Alex are going birthday shopping for me.  So no great adventures in the kitchen!
Oh update on Washer and Dryer ---- LOVE them!!!  Should have bought them years ago!  I have washed everything I own I think just to test it out.

A Broccoli Adventure

So Tuesdays are a busy day here and I decided to try a quick recipe I found in a Tastefully Simple cookbook.  It was Chicken and Broccoli Skillet.  Quick and simple was just what I needed.  Now my family is not big on broccoli but smothered in cheese, I thought it might work!
So the basic recipe called for chicken breasts, carrots, onions, broccoli, cream of broccoli soup, stuffing mix, and shredded cheese.  The picture, of course, made it look halfway appetizing so I thought there was hope.  It started out well and actually simple.  Then when I got to the point of adding the stuffing and the broccoli, I could tell we were going downhill. The consistency immediately changed and it was more mush than anything.  It wasn't looking like the picture anymore.  I ventured on and served it to my family.  I let them know that if this wasn't any good, there was leftover spaghetti in the refrigerator we could eat.  While it wasn't the most appetizing thing I've cooked, it surely wasn't the worse either.  My daughter ended up opting for the spaghetti while my husband and I ate the original dish.
So my adventure to get my family to eat some broccoli didn't turn out well.  Yet somehow, I don't believe it was due to anything I did.  I believe the recipe itself was somehow flawed.  At least that is what I am telling myself.
What is the worst recipe you have ever tried?

New Kitchen Rules

After years of having a few horrible meals in my kitchen, I found a great new addition to my kitchen wall.

I have served burnt rice, overdone chicken, crunch brown rice, and rubbery fish just to name a few.  We have never called for take out after such an awful meal.  We just ate what we could and laughed the rest of the way through the meal.  Lance has always been great at encouraging me even in my failures.  He has even tried to teach Alex.  So much so that one day I told her that Daddy liked this meal I was going to make.  She responded, "Mama, do you know that sometimes Daddy tells you he likes things you make but really doesn't?  Sometimes he just tells you he likes it because you cooked it and it's the nice thing to do."   Wow.  Thanks!
So the new kitchen rules wall decor is thanks to Hobby Lobby and is now my new mantra!
Do you ever have trouble in the kitchen?  Would you consider yourself a not-so-good cook?  Please share!!!