Potato Pancakes.

As a busy mom, I like to plan my weekly menu so that I don't cook every night. That means that we eat a lot of leftovers. But sometimes, I just get tired of leftovers and need to do something different with them. These potato pancakes are a great way to transform leftover masked potatoes. These are good as is, but you can also add some shredded cheese for a cheesy twist.

Enjoy!

Potato Pancakes

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 egg
2-3 Tablespoons dried minced onion
1/4 cup flour
Salt and pepper, as needed
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter

Combine mashed potatoes, egg, onion, and flour. Add salt and pepper as needed and mix well. Combine butter and olive oil in skillet over medium heat. When buttered has melted, form potato mixture into pancakes of desired size (we prefer small) and cook until golden brown on both sides.

Meatloaf.

The thought of meatloaf might not make most families super excited but luckily it does mine. If I ask my husband what sounds good for dinner, nine times out of ten he will request meatloaf. Even my 3 year old who likes something one day and not the next, will consistently eat meatloaf.

This is a very simple version of meatloaf but it’s the one that my family loves. I usually double it so that I can put one in the freezer for a quick dinner. We prefer to eat our meatloaf with mashed potatoes and Green Beans with Pine Nuts but it is also good the next day as a sandwich.

Enjoy!

Meatloaf

1 lb ground sirloin

½ onion, minced
2 Tablespoons ketchup, plus more for the top
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoons black pepper
Water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Combine all ingredients until well mixed, adding enough water to make the mixture moist. Form a loaf with the mixture on the baking sheet. Top with desired amount of ketchup. Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through.

Baked Chicken Taquitos.

We’ve started seeing a few glimpses of warmer weather around here and I’m excited to move on from winter and the chili and soups that have been filling our weekly menus. So I wanted to share my new favorite recipe. It’s easy and delicious. I’ve made this three times in the past month.

 

The last time I made it I doubled the recipe so I could put some of them in the freezer for a quick lunch or dinner.

 

Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Taquitos
Modified from The Girl Who Ate Everything

4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)

1/4 cup green salsa
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cup grated Monterey jack cheese
12-14 flour tortillas (depends on how much filing you use per taquito)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Combine all ingredients except tortillas and combine well. Place 2-3 Tablespoons of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla and roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture and tortillas. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Corn Dog Mini Muffins.

Today is “snow” day for many of us in Arkansas, although the only thing we have at my house is ice. That means that my little guy is out of school but we are stuck in the house. I am very fortunate to work for a company that allows me the flexibility to work from home on days like this but as an attorney, I also have deadlines that are beyond my control. Today just happened to be one of those days. So as soon as I got the phone call from my little guy’s school at 5:30 this morning, I broke out the laptop and got started on my finalizing my filing, trying to get as much work done as possible before he woke up.

During the past two months, between holidays, “snow” days and sick days, my little guy and I have spent many days at home together so the concept of Mommy needing to work isn’t new to him.  But I also want to give him lots of attention and make the day special since we don’t always get these days together. In order to balance my need to work and my need to spend time with him, we divide our day into work time and play time.  During work time, I set a special timer for 30 minutes. While I work, he plays. When the timer beeps, we do something together. Sometimes he gets to choose the play time activity. Right now, his two favorite things are playing hungry hungry hippos and hide and go seek. But sometimes I choose.  One of my favorite things is to get him in the kitchen with me.

Today, as we were trying to decide what to have for lunch on this unexpected day home, he requested corn dogs, which we happened to be out of. But I did have a package of cornbread mix and hot dogs. So we made Corn Dog Mini Muffins and he had a blast. He helped stir up the cornbread batter, cut up the hot dogs (with a butter knife) and then put the hot dog pieces into the muffin pan. Not only did we have a great time but he also ate a super good lunch because he was so proud of what he had made.

Enjoy!

Corn Dog Mini Muffins.

1 package sweet yellow corn bread mix plus ingredients required for mix

2 hot dogs, each cut into 8 round pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Mix cornbread according to package directions. Fill mini muffin cups about half way full. Then place a hot dog piece in each mini muffin cup. Don’t worry if the batter doesn’t cover the hot dog because it will rise when it bakes. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 16 mini muffins.

 

Lunchbox Snapshot.

This lunch included peanut butter and jelly on a whole-wheat slider bun, organic cheddar bunnies, cheese cubes, cantaloupe and organic alphabet cookies.

 

Enjoy!

Lunchbox Snapshot.

This lunch included a cream cheese and strawberry jam pancake sandwich, organic chicken and apple sausage, whole-wheat blueberry muffin and mandarin oranges (in juice, not syrup), barely in the picture (far left).

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

I thought I would share a few of the recipes that my family and I will be sharing over the next few days.

For all family gatherings, I have been asked to bring White Chocolate Bread Pudding which means that I am making it three times. It's definitely a crowd pleaser.

For brunch today with dear friends, we will enjoy the Pioneer Woman's Cowboy Quiche while we decorate Christmas cookies and gingerbread houses with the kids.

For Christmas morning, I always make Monkey Bread. (this links you to the Pioneer Woman's page but I don't follow her recipe, as this is one that my Grandma J taught me as a child. I just haven't posted it yet.)

Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!

Enjoy!