Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup... again

I haven't posted much lately, because we haven't tried any new recipes.  It's been the same stuff lately.  Too hot to cook... Eric has been gone, so I haven't been cooking anything elaborate... I'm lazy... pick an excuse.  But since we have a frequent reader, (Hi, Grandma!) we'll try to post more, even if it's a repeat meal.

We strapped Tommy into his swing (because it's the only way to keep him from climbing onto the counters) and made lunch together.  Katiebug requested tomato soup.  She did pretty much everything for the soup. I just opened the can for her, then walked her through it.  She added the milk and the basil.

I insisted we have grilled cheese with it, because otherwise they'd be asking for a snack ten minutes later.  Katie flipped her sandwich, all by herself!  (and this time, I got a pic of it... kind of...)  She likes her grilled cheese squished, so the cheese melts into the bread better, and she did that on her own, too.

Katie, what part did you like the best?
Adding the soup!
How did you like flipping?
That was fun!  I went oop! then I flipped and it went psssssttt!
Do you think you can make it by yourself next time?
No.
What part do you still need help with?
Squeezing the sandwich real tight.
But you did that part!
Then I can do all of it!  I can read, and I can flip, and I can do the soup.  I can do anything!

Wheat bread was the only kind we had defrosted, but both kids devoured it.  I choked it down.  We added sour cream and cheddar cheese to the soup after it was dished out.  Neither kid left any soup in their bowl.

Pull-apart Garlic Bread

I knew bed rest wouldn't work so well.  But I promise, it was an easy meal! Spaghetti with jarred sauce. We only made the garlic bread.  Katiebug cut two tubes of biscuits while I melted the butter.

We mixed garlic and basil into the butter, then added a little olive oil for good measure.  Katie poured the mixture over the biscuit dough.  After I mixed it gently, she emptied the bowl into a greased bread pan.  We shook some Parmesan cheese over the top and baked it at 350 for about half an hour.











Katie, did you like making the bread?
Yep!
What part was the most fun?
Snipping.
What else did you like?
I like all of the parts!
How about eating it.  Was it yummy?
*big nod*
Should we make it again sometime?
Yeah.
Do you think you can do it all by yourself next time?
I think so!


Result:  Both kids loved it, and couldn't get enough!  Eric and I thought it was pretty damn good, too.

A short break...

A trip to th ER and a diagnosis of a threatened miscarriage has me on "as much bed rest as two little ones will allow."  Therefore, I will be taking a brief interim from cooking.  My awesome husband will be making simple meals when he gets home from work.  I expect a lot of Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese, which is not a bad thing. It's possibly one of the best comfort foods.  It reminds me of the summers my mom babysat about a million kids, and she'd make hot dogs and mac 'n' cheese in bulk, and set a giant jug of Kool-Aid on the counter.  Ahh, nostalgia...

However, since I only have two kids to feed, and dinner is their main meal, I'm going to attempt to still get some vegetables in them.  This is why I'm glad I've been teaching Katie to cook.  The kid wields a mean paring knife, and no broccoli stands a chance against her!  With her daddy supervising, she can make sure we still have something healthy along side our comfort food.  My Bug makes me proud!

Cheeseburger Mac

We ate a lot of Hamburger Helper when  I was growing up and it's something I missed since becoming a vegetarian.  There's beef fat in the sauce mix, so I was thrilled when I noticed this recipe on the back of a Campbell's soup can.  I just subbed vegetable broth for the beef broth and Morningstar Farms ground "beef" for real meat.  It's a little healthier, but not by much!  Katie helped measure the broth.  She's starting to understand measurements, so I'll have to make sure she does that more often.

Katiebug, what part did you like doing the best?
Pouring the broth.
What else did you like?
Stirring.  And putting the shells in!  And putting the soup in!
Was it yummy?
Uh huh!  

We topped it with sour cream (because sour cream goes on everything around here) and both kids inhaled it.

I know, it looks gross, but it's fake Hamburger Helper.  It's not going to look pretty!

Summer is here!

And to celebrate, we had veggie burgers, corn on the cob, and mac 'n' cheese.  An easy meal, but it was Katiebug's first time having corn on the cob.  She loved helping me shuck it.  When she got to the corn on her first ear, she yelled, "Mommy, look!  Corn pops!"  

Hey, Katie, come 'ere so you can answer some questions for me!

I loved making it!

She knows the drill!

Mother's Day Brownies

My little Bug helped me celebrate Mother's Day by baking brownies from scratch with me!  She actually did most of it, while I supervised.  We measured the ingredients together, but she added all of them.  She's my official egg cracker!

Katiebug, what part did you like the best?
stirring and beating it up* and cracking the eggs!
Did you like tasting the batter?
*nods* I love tasting the batter!  It was so good and so chocolaty! 

*she got to run the beaters

The brownies are cooling now, then we can frost them with the buttercream I whipped up while the kids were previewing the brownies.

So far, they approve!

Bubble Up Pizza

Katie helped make one of my favorite meals from when I was younger.  There's not much to it, but it's a comfort food.  We got caught in a burst of hail this afternoon.  We needed comfort food.

Katie helped me cut the biscuits and she got to add the garlic.  She did a pretty good job judging how much to use!  She got to add the cheese on the top, too.She's getting better about spreading it out.



Katiebug, what part did you like the best?
eating
What about making it?
snipping!  I got to snip with big scissors!


Recipe:

3 packages (7.5 oz. each) buttermilk biscuits
1 1/2 cups pizza sauce
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 clove garlic - pressed

Preheat oven to 375° F. Quarter biscuits with kitchen shears.  Stir in one cup of the pizza sauce and two cups of the cheese,  Add the garlic and mix well, taking care not to mash the biscuits together.

Pour into greased 9x13 pan.  Top with remaining sauce and cheese.  Bake 30-35 minutes or until sides are golden brown.