Baked Chicken Drumsticks

This dinner earned thumbs up all around the table.  I wish I had a picture of Andrew gnawing on his drumstick. He picked two drumsticks completely clean. Lauren had two as well, but she just ate off the crispy parts and left a lot of meat inside. Preston had two and would have eaten more if there were more. It was unanimously decided that this dinner should go in the regular rotation. Drumsticks are pretty cheap -  99 cents a pound or less - and Preston likes eating cornflakes, so I usually pick up a box when I go to Aldi.  The ingredient list is kind of long, but it is easy to make. Hooray for another winner dinner.

Baked Chicken Drumsticks

from Two Peas and Their Pod from someone else's cookbook

8 chicken drumsticks, skinned

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning (I looked up a recipe online and threw in a bit of whatever ingredients I had)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup buttermilk
Juice of 1/2 lemon

The morning you planto serve these, place the skinned drumsticks in a dish and season with spices. Pour the buttermilk and lemon juice over the chicken, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6-8 hours.


Coating
1/2 cup crushed cornflake crumbs
2/3 cup panko bread crumbs (I reversed the amounts of cornflakes and bread crumbs based on availability)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Preheat oven to 400. Place a rack on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray Mix all coating ingredients. Remove chicken from the fridge and dredge each drumstick in coating. Place on rack, and spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray. Bake for around 40 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

                                

Laura Bush's Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies

These are Preston's favorite cookie, so in honor of his birthday, I am posting them today. The recipe makes a ton, and I get tired of scooping cookie dough and rotating sheets fairly quickly, so I usually freeze part of the dough in a log. Beware, though - the frozen cookie dough is really good. I've frozen it before and we haven't gotten around to ever baking the cookies because we ate all the dough frozen. Don't be like me. You shouldn't let your kids eat raw cookie dough and you shouldn't either. But you should make these cookies. They are crisp on the edges and chewy inside.

Laura Bush's Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies

Recipe from Parent's Magazine

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1T baking soda
1T cinnamon
1 t salt
1.5 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
1.5 cups granualated sugar
1.5 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 T vanilla
2-3 cups chocolate chips
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
2 cups chopped pecans, optional (I always opt out)


Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

In a very large bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add in sugars and cream. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Add vanilla.

Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, and coconut and stir until combined.

Drop by 2 tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving plenty of room around each one.I usually do eight per sheet. They spread a lot, so you may want to mound the dough up higher. Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely. Package some up and send them to Preston because I don't make them very often since they use 3 sticks of butter and 3 cups of sugar.

Green Orange Julius

The family night classic...reinvented.  This isn't just for dessert though; it's delicious anytime.

I realize the majority of my recent posts involve bananas. Sorry about that if you can't eat or don't like bananas. That's definitely not the case here. Sometimes I buy three bunches a week. If they're on the reduced rack, they're only 25 cents a pound, so I totally stock up.

This would be perfect for St. Patrick's Day, although you'll definitely want to make it year round.

Green Orange Julius

from Foodie with Family


1.5 cups milk, whatever kind suits your preference
1 cup orange juice concentrate
a couple big handfuls of spinach
1 frozen and sliced banana
1/2 t vanilla

Blend it all together until frothy and serve. Serves 2-3.

Chocolate Oatmeal

Try changing up your oatmeal routine with this chocolate banana sweetened version. Now that I'm in my 30's, I can't eat coffee cake and cinnamon rolls for breakfast anymore. I need something lower in sugar and more filling. This fits the bill perfectly and Lauren and Andrew gobble it up, even sans sugar. Sometimes I put some peanut butter on top and it tastes *just* like a no-bake cookie (without the butter and sugar, you know). 

Chocolate Banana Sweetened Oatmeal

-I find that two servings (1 cup oats, 2 cups liquid, and 2 bananas) makes just enough for myself and two kids.

from Tastefully Gluten Free

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 - 1.5 T cocoa powder

1 ripe banana, mashed

2 T coconut flakes (optional)

Combine the oats, milk, and water in a saucepan and turn to high heat. When it begins the bubble, stir in the cocoa powder and reduce heat to medium. Stir in banana and coconut when almost done cooking and serve with desired toppings (more coconut flakes, peanut butter, etc).

Five meals my kids will always eat

I don't take what the kids like into much consideration when I'm planning our meals, but I can usually guess pretty accurately what they will and will not eat. The following are always sure winners.

1. Nachos. I like Mel's recipe for refried beans. It's easy and tasty and it makes enough for three meals. If I have some ground beef or turkey, I brown a third or a half a pound, then I add several big spoonfuls of refried beans right into the pan, mix it all up and add some taco spices. It works just fine without the ground meat as well. Then I layer the bean mixture, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and tomatoes in a bowl. Sometimes I use individual bowls and sometimes I do it family style. Then we dig in with tortilla chips. The bowl is emptied every time.  I serve some carrot and pepper sticks on the side. I also use this mixture for burritos sometimes, but nachos are less messy and they work better for a wheat free diet. This is also the only way my darlings will eat beans without threats being uttered.

2. Salmon (from Aldi and either simply sauteed or baked) and baked sweet potato. Lauren and Andrew love salmon and they ask for it frequently. I wish we could afford fresh salmon and afford to eat it more often, but we do what we can.

3. Baked potatoes. Of course they eat them with plenty of cheese and sour cream and Andrew tries to just eat off the toppings, but I mix them into the potato so he eats a good amount of potato too.

4. Spaghetti. I don't make it very often because I just don't like it that much, but the kids will always eat a plateful. Helpful hint: make life easier for yourself and let your kids eat naked.

5. Big salad. I feel lucky that my kids like salad and as long as there is a variety of ingredients they eat this meal really well.

Other meals that are well received include some obvious ones like hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, and meatloaf, which earned me a thumbs up from Lauren the last time I made it. They also like whole chicken as long as they get a "handle." Meals that are not well received include anything with rice (rice and beans, stir fry, chicken and rice), which grace our table at least a couple times a week, and soup.

What are some meals your kids enjoy?

Popsicles

Popsicles are a refreshing treat in the summer heat, and these homemade ones can't be beat!

Really though, these are naturally sweetened, have no artificial colors or flavors and are still cheap. And tasty.  You could totally have one for breakfast. It's basically a frozen smoothie. I always forget to take pictures of stuff, so I'll try to remember the next time I make some.

I have two sets of popsicle molds. Some cheap ones from Ikea (in pink) and a set from Amazon that is similar, but not identical, to these. I prefer the latter, but really any old popsicle mold will do just fine.


Banana Fudge Pops

from Real Food Real Deals (I like a lot of her recipes)

2 cups sliced ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
2 T maple syrup
1/2 t vanilla

Blend everything until smooth, then pour into popsicle molds and freeze.




Strawberry Mango Lime Popsicles

from Cupcakes and Kale Chips

half of one mango
1 cup of strawberries
1/4 cup lime juice
1-2 T honey or maple syrup


Blend everything until smooth, then pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

I'm so glad I discovered boneless skinless chicken thighs. They are much more flavorful and juicy than chicken breasts and they are perfect for the slow cooker because they don't dry out. This is a good summer recipe because it takes about 3 minutes to put it in and about 3 minutes to shred the chicken at dinnertime. And, of course, it's tasty.

This is a picture of the picture from the magazine.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

from May 2014 All You magazine


2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of extra fat
salt and pepper
1 cup jarred salsa
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1 T honey
3 cloves garlic, minced

Put chicken in slow cooker and sprinkle with salt and pepper all over. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour on top of the chicken. Cook on low for 3 to 5 hours. Using two forks, shred chicken. Serve on rice, in tortillas, in lettuce wraps or on a bed of spinach. I suggest topping with some sour cream.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

I started eating cottage cheese when I was pregnant with Lauren because it was a cheap, non-meat source of protein. I continued eating it for the same reason and because I like it. We used to buy big containers of cottage cheese at Sam's Club, but since we moved here I have had a hard time finding cottage cheese that consistently tastes good. I've bought some truly inedible ones, including, sadly, the  3-lb container I took a chance on at Costco. So I've looked for some recipes that I can use up yucky cottage cheese in and this one is a winner. Easy to prepare and they taste good. Plus, they are a nice higher protein, lower carb alternative to traditional pancakes and they cook up nice and fluffy.

Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen

1 cup cottage cheese
3 eggs
2 T maple syrup
1 t vanilla
generous 1/2 cup flour (whatever kind you prefer; I like using spelt)
2 t baking powder

In a blender, blend cottage cheese, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. Pour into a bowl and mix in flour and baking powder. (If you have a high powdered blender or food processor, you could probably do it all in there. My cheap Osterizer doesn't cut it.) Melt some butter in a skillet or griddle over medium low heat. Drop batter onto griddle or skillet and use the back of the spoon to spread a bit.  These cook at a lower heat for a longer time, so just keep checking until you get the time right.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Homemade Chicken Broth

A whole chicken is a good investment of your grocery money. They are pretty cheap, usually around 99 cents a pound, and they can last for several meals, especially if you make your own chicken broth with the bones. I have been making this slow cooker chicken for a while. It is not the most amazing roast chicken you will ever have - it doesn't have any butter rubbed on it and the skin doesn't get crispy, but you also don't have to worry about changing the temperature, flipping the bird, basting or checking the temperature and unless you really overcook it, it shouldn't be dry. Meals that I can put in during naptime and not worry about until dinner are right up my alley.

I made this chicken last Tuesday and we had it with a green salad and some sauteed yellow squash that night, then Preston had chicken on his salad for lunch the next two days and I used the leftovers to make Chicken and Peas Fried Rice on Thursday. I felt frugal.

Recipe from 100 Days of Real Food

2 t paprika
1 t salt
1 t onion powder
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 onion
1 large chicken

Mix all the spices together and rub all over your chicken, including in the cavity and under the skin on the breast. Loosely dice the onion and put in the bottom of the slow cooker, then place the chicken on top of the onions and cook on high 4-6 hours until the chicken is falling off the bone.

You should never make bone-in chicken without keeping the bones and making chicken broth with them.  All you do is put the bones back in the slow cooker, add a loosely chopped onion (you can include the skin), a couple of loosely chopped carrots, some celery if you keep it around, a bay leaf, some peppercorns, or parsley. Really you can use any vegetables and herbs you have lying around if you like the flavor. Then cover the bones with water and turn on low before you go to bed. In the morning, let the broth cool a bit, then strain out the bones and veggies and pour the broth through a strainer into containers. If you have cheesecloth you can use that to strain off some of the gunky stuff that collects at the bottom. I store the broth in old cottage cheese and yogurt containers. Let it cool in the fridge for a day, then you can skim the fat off the top and freeze it until needed. You will need to add additional salt to the recipes you use this broth in since no salt is added to it.