Golden Parmesan Potato Wedges

Golden Parmesan Potato Wedges

1/2  Cup  Flour

1/2  Cup  grated Parmesan Cheese

1-1/2  teaspoons  Seasoned Salt

1/4  teaspoon  Black Pepper

8  large  Russet Potatoes, each cut into 6 wedges if you have a crinkle cutter, now is an excellent time to use it

1/2  Cup  Butter, melted

Your favorite dipping sauces for serving: BBQ, Ranch, Honey Mustard, Buffalo...

Preheat oven to 375*.  In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  Rinse prepared Potatoes, shaking off excess water; coat well with Parmesan mixture.  Place Potatoes, skin side down, on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.  Sprinkle with any remaining Parmesan mixture.  Drizzle with melted Butter.  Bake at 375* for 1 hour.  Serve with your favorite dipping sauces to 6-8 hungry people--teenagers especially love this recipe!

Variation:  Add 1/4- to 1/3-cup of your favorite BBQ Dry Rub to the dry ingredients for BBQ Parmesan Potato Wedges.  I get my dry rub in bulk at WinCo.  Yummy!

"And whatsoever ye do,

do it heartily,

as unto the Lord,

and not unto men;

Knowing that of the Lord

ye shall receive the

reward of the inhieritance:

for ye serve the Lord Christ."

Colossians 3:23 & 24

   

Make Your Own BLT Bar

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Summer Lunch Program

a semi-sporadic series

with

fun lunchtime menus

Just In Time For Summer Vacation

  

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

For yummy BBQ Chicken Quesadillas you will need:

 

Cooked Chicken

Shredded Cheese

Chopped Red Onion

BBQ Sauce

a wee bit of Mayo

Tortillas

non-stick spray or some form of grease

To serve my four (hungry) kids and myself, I used:

1  pint  home-canned Chicken Breast

1-1/2  Cups  finely shredded Mexican Cheese

1/4 Red Onion, roughly chopped

1/4 to 1/3  Cup  BBQ Sauce

4-1/2 teaspoons  Mayo, approximately, enough to help bind together

and, (I admit it)  Bacon Grease, a small spoonful in the pan as grease for each Quesadilla

 You'll just want to mix everything (but the grease) together in a medium bowl

Spray your reheated pan (medium heat) with non-stick spray or melt in your Bacon Grease, place the bottom Tortilla in the pan, spread with a portion of the filling,

 top with the second Tortilla, and toast on both sides, until Cheese is melty and Tortilla is crispy.  Cut into wedges, thank the Lord for His goodness, and enjoy!

"Bless the Lord,

O my soul,

and forget not all His benefits...

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;

so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Psalm 103: 2, 5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are a very few snapshots of our hectic May:  

5th- 6th Grades California History Night

at Mrs. Schaurer's home:

  

1st & 2nd Grades planned a surprise birthday party for dear teacher Miss Jaima.  It was a surprise to the Moms who found out about it the night before, too!

8th Grade Graduation:

 

 

 

Buttermilk Pancakes

Buttermilk Pancakes

2  Cups  Flour

2  teaspoons  Baking Soda

2  teaspoons  Baking Powder

1/2  teaspoon  Salt

4  Eggs

2 to 2-1/2  Cups  Buttermilk

 Bacon Grease, Oil, or Nonstick Spray for pan

Butter and Syrup for serving

In a large mixing bowl, combine the Dry Ingredients.  Stir in the Eggs and Buttermilk, using enough Buttermilk to achieve desired consistency (we like thinner pancakes and use 2-1/2 Cups).  Heat griddle over medium heat until water drops, when flicked onto the pan, sizzle and evaporate.  Coat pan with your desired non-stick medium--Bacon Grease adds wonderful flavor!  Fry batter in 1/4-cup amounts--do not flip until the rising bubbles pop and hold their shape (if you use these bubles as your gauge you shouldn't need to peek under the pancake to see if it's ready to flip).  Then, and only then, will you be able to successfully flip your pancake without making a mess of everything.  Fry on the second side for 10-15 seconds, then serve to the hungry one who is standing near with her plate, ready for breakfast.  Serves 6 hungry people.

"Arise, shine;

for thy light is come,

and the glory of the Lord

is risen upon thee."

Isaiah 60:1

Nothing quite says "Good Morning" like Buttermilk Pancakes.  The smell just sort of curls around your mind, tickling into your tummy saying "Rise and Shine, it's another New Day!"  

Those open bubbles in the top Pancake?

They're saying "It's time to flip me."

We don't have Pancakes quite as often as the children wish we did simply because it's a challenge to make them and still get out the door to School on time; cold cereal is unfortunately so much easier.  How to solve the problem?  It's an easy one:  Mix up a Quadruple-batch (and yes, you'll need a whole quart of Buttermilk and it'll take for-ev-er to fry them), cool the Pancakes on a rack and then freeze them between layers of waxed or parchment paper.  Then whomever wants Pancakes for breakfast (or an after-school snack) can pop them in the toaster and have fresh! hot! pancakes!  

 I'm a minimalist when it comes to topping my Pancakes; give me Butter, lots of Butter, and I'm happy.  T likes his sprinkled with Blueberries. The Girls like theirs "lathered in Syrup." (Is that the proper use of 'lathered'? I think not, but that's what they say.)  Eldest Son prefers his pancakes with Butter and Mrs. Butterworth's syrup--very traditional, and it *must* be Mrs. Butterworth's; nothing else is acceptable.  Second Son takes his to a gourmet level: he slices Bananas onto the pancake and sprinkles it with Brown Sugar before it is flipped.  Then he tops his stack with Butter and Coconut Syrup.  Consequently, Saturday mornings in our home consist "Take a number and wait your turn for the griddle." 

 How do you like your Pancakes?

*~*~*

Here are a few photos from New Year's Day in Yosemite.
If you haven't been to the snow this year, GO!  I have .never. seen it this beautiful!

We are So Very Thankful to the Lord for all of the snow and rain we've received.  It is so needed!

 

Lemon Raspberry Streusel Muffins

Lemon Raspberry Streusel Muffins

with Lemon Curd

 --- Kids In The Kitchen ---

Streusel Topping:

1/3  Cup  Sugar

1/4  Cup  Flour

2  Tablespoons  Cold Butter

2  Cups  Flour

1/2  Cup  Sugar

2  teaspoons  Baking Powder

1/2  teaspoon  Baking Soda

1/2  teaspoon  Salt

8 oz.  Lemon Yogurt  -or-  3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice and Plain Yogurt to fill a 1-Cup measure

1/2  Cup  Oil

1  teaspoon Lemon Peel, finely zested (optional)

2  Eggs

1  Cup  Fresh Raspberries -or- frozen, unthawed Raspberries

Butter or Lemon Curd for serving

1.  Wash your hands thoroughly with Soap and Water.  Read this recipe through completely and gather your ingredients.

2.  Ask an Adult to help preheat oven to 400*.
3.  Line a Muffin Tin with baking cups.
4.  In a small bowl, mix together the Streusel Ingredients with a pastry cutter until the Butter is the size of small peas.  Set aside.
5.  In a medium bowl, mix together the five Dry Ingredients; set aside.
6.  In another medium bowl, mix together the four Wet Ingredients, then stir the Wet Ingredients into the Dry Ingredients just until blended.  Then gently stir in the Raspberries.
7.  Using a cookie scoop or soup spoon, fill the Muffin cups 3/4 full.  (This will make about 14 muffins.)
8.   Using a teaspoon, carefully sprinkle the Streusel onto the Muffin tops.
9.  Ask an Adult to help you put the Muffins into the 400* oven; bake for 11-13 minutes.
10.  Ask an Adult to help you remove from Muffins from the oven.
11.  Cool in the Muffin Tin for 5 minutes; carefully remove from the Tin.
12.  Serve Warm, with Butter or Lemon Curd.
13.  Don't forget to clean up your dirty cooking bowls!

"Train up a child in the way he should go:

and when he is old,

he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 22:6 

Teaching children to cook.  This takes fortitude to endure!  I am of the mind that children should must be taught to cook.  I cannot think of anything more disheartening than going off to college or getting married and only knowing how to make toast or top ramen.  

But oh my.
The mess time and patience it takes to teach a child this skill!

I personally believe that the best time to being teaching cooking is when the child can both fluently read AND understand simple fractions.  In other words, she should be able to read the recipe and not get 1/3 and 2/3 mixed up.  Most children have mastered these two skills by the end of Third or Fourth Grade.  Yes, there are kitchen terms like 'dice' and 'cube' which you'll need to teach, but the most important things, in my opinion, are the basic skills of reading and math.  A close second to this come safety.  Never forget safety.

When teaching safety skills, begin with Heat and Sharpness.  Most kiddos have the heat down; that is, they know that the stove and oven are hot.  If you are allowing your child to cook at the stove, my first bit of advice is to never leave the room.  My second piece of advice is to make sure you use an appropriately-sized step stool.  A nine-year-old isn't quite tall enough to safely stir a hot pan, but is much too big to stand on a chair.  Accidents can happen if she isn't the right height.  If you have a double wall oven, use the lower oven.  Teach your child how to properly use hot pads.  I, personally, don't let my kids use oven mitts because I feel the mitts make hands too clumsy to safely grip hot pans.  Also, I like to keep the stove turned down slightly lower than what the recipe calls for; this might make it take a bit longer but it does help reduce the risk of bad burns.

Knives and graters and vegetable peelers and mandolines.
All can be so very sharp.  Unfortunately, the easiest way to demonstrate how sharp a knife is, is to accidentally cut yourself.  Not the best object lesson, but unfortunately it happens.  Please, as a parent, you know your child's hand/eye coordination best of anyone.  Use proper judgement.  Use a knife  properly sized for smaller hands--I like to begin my children with a paring knife.  And always, always, always use a cutting board.

What kind of recipes are the best to start kids out on?  My children seem to have a short-frame attention span: they don't want to wait for bread to rise,  a cake to cool before frosting, or beef to marinate and then roast.  I like to start them out on a one-pan-in/one-pan-out recipe: a recipe that has a single pan and a short bake time, like Muffins or Bar Cookies.  Easy to mix, quick to bake, fast to cool, and even faster to eat!  Yum, Yum, Yum!

Happy Cooking,

and even Happier Eating! 

  Far Above Rubies, page 51.

Hot Loaf Sandwiches

Summer Lunch Program

a semi-sporadic series

with

fun lunchtime recipes

Just In Time For Summer Vacation

  

Summer is on it's way!  Hurray, Hurray!

Are you as burned-out on packing lunches as I am?  With only 5 weeks of school left, I am so over and done with this whole lunch-box thing.

Five lunches, almost each and every day.

I'm ready to move on to something different.  Not that it'll be much better with everyone home for the summer--they think they need to eat three times a day!  Imagine that!  But at least then the kids can help with the fixing of lunches.

But maybe that's a whole 'nother mess...

Anyway, I've put together 5 different variations of the Hot Loaf Sandwich that I think you'll enjoy.  This recipe is only limited by your imagination.

Or by what you might have in the fridge.

And because school isn't quite out yet, I cut these into individual slices and packaged for the freezer.  Now the kids just pull out their favorite flavor when it's time to pack lunches.

 

For each recipe you'll need 1 recipe of dough, or you can use 1 pound of pre-made pizza dough (this gets easier all the time!).

For the Dough:
2  Tablespoons  Yeast (1 package)
1  Cup  Warm Water
1  Tablespoon  Sugar
1  Tablespoon  Butter
1/2  teaspoon  Salt
3  Cups  Flour

Melted Butter, for brushing

Dissolve Yeast in Warm Water.  Add Sugar, Butter, Salt, and Flour, mixing well, until smooth.  Let rise 20 minutes.  Knead 10-20 strokes; roll out onto a large baking sheet.  Spread toppings down the middle 1/3 of dough.  Cut slices every inch along both sides, fold over toppings to form a braid.  Butter top and sprinkle with Seeds, as desired.  Let rise 20 minutes.  Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.  Serves 8-10.

"Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples,

'Let the children come to me.

Don't stop them!

For the Kingdom of God belongs to those

who are like these children.

I tell you the truth,

anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God

like a child will never enter.'"

Luke 18:16-17, New Living Translation

Toppings:
Ham & Cheese
Thousand Island Dressing
Ham Slices
Cheddar Cheese
Poppy Seeds for top

Cheeseburger
1  pound  Ground Beef, browned with Dried Minced Onion and
8-12  ounces Velveeta Cheese, melted into the browned Ground Beef
Thousand Island Dressing (best way to get the tomato and pickle flavors)
BBQ Sauce
Sesame Seeds for top
top baked Sandwich Loaf with your favorite Cheeseburger toppings:  Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado... 

Taco
Taco Sauce
1  pound Ground Beef, browned with 2-3 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning  
Mexican Cheese Blend
Olives
top baked Sandwich Loaf with your favorite Taco Seasonings:  Shredded Lettuce, Salsa, Avocado, Cilantro...

Buffalo Chicken
Bleu Cheese Dressing
Crispy Chicken Tenders, baked according to package directions and tossed with
Buffalo Sauce

Celery Seeds for top
serve with Celery Sticks 

Pizza
Pizza Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
your favorite Pizza Toppings
Crushed Red Pepper -or- Grated Parmesan Cheese for top

Adapted and Expanded from Seasoned With Love, page 20.