Day 4 - Apple Dumplings

We took the kids to Boo at the Zoo tonight so we ate out.  Our snack tonight was Apple Dumplings from The Pioneer Woman.

Apple Dumplings

2 sticks butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tubes crescent rolls

2 granny smith apples

12 ounces of Mountain Dew

Cinnamon

Vanilla ice cream on the side

Directions:  Peel and slice your apples.  Wrap each slice in a crescent dough triangle and place in sprayed (greased) pan.  In a bowl, melt your butter and stir in sugar and vanilla.  Pour over top of the wrapped apples....or spread on top with a spoon.  Pour the Mt. Dew all around and sprinkle with Cinnamon.  Place in 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.  Serve hot with ice cream!

Verdict:

I cut the recipe in half since there was only 4 of us eating it.  The kids each had one with ice cream and we both had two with ice cream and it was plenty.  These were really easy to put together and tasted awesome!

Day 3 - Italian Wedding Soup

Day 3 brings us Italian Wedding Soup courtesy of allrecipes.com.

Italian Wedding Soup  

1 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken broth 
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 onions, chopped
2 cups chopped carrot 
2 stalks celery, chopped 
1 pound ground beef 
1 cup dry bread crumbs 
1 egg 
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks 
3 ounces dry pasta 
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot over medium heat, combine the chicken broth, spinach, onions, carrots and celery. Mix well and allow to simmer.

In a separate large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs and egg and mix well. Form mixture into 1/2 inch diameter meatballs and carefully drop them into the soup. 

Put chunks of chicken breast into the soup and reduce heat to low. Allow the soup to simmer for 1 hour. Add the pasta 30 minutes before serving and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Verdict:
A little prep time but worth it in the end.  Didn't taste the same as the Italian Wedding Soup you buy in the can but still good.  Kids both finished their soup so that makes any meal great. 

Day 2 - Singapore Noodles

Day 2 and I decided to make Singapore Noodles which I found at Budget Bytes.

Singapore Noodles

8 oz Rice Vermicelli Noodles

1 TBSP Hot Curry Powder

2 cloves garlic

1 inch fresh ginger

3 TBSP vegetable oil

1 bunch bok choy

4 medium carrots

12 oz bag bean sprouts

1 bunch green onions

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp chili garlic sauce (Optional)

STEP 1: Place the dry rice noodles in a bowl and cover with room temperature water. Let soak for 15 minutes. Drain in a colander after they have soaked and are softened. Return the noodles to the bowl, cut the noodles into pieces (approximately 6 inches in length) to facilitate stir frying later. Sprinkle the noodles with curry powder and toss to coat. Set noodles aside.

STEP 2: While the noodles are soaking/draining/marinating in curry powder, prepare all of your vegetables. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger, julienne the carrots, wash and thinly slice the bok choy, rinse the bean sprouts and slice the green onion.

STEP 3: Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the garlic and ginger. Stir fry very briefly (1 minute or less) then add all of the vegetables, reserving some green onion for garnish. Stir fry the vegetables until they just begin to soften.

STEP 4: Add the noodles to the hot pan and stir fry briefly (1-2 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil and chili garlic sauce. You can either add them to the pan individually or mix them all together in a bowl then stir into the dish. Taste the noodles and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Verdict:

This one took a while to prepare but we all really enjoyed it.  I don't care for hot curry powder and I didn't have chili garlic sauce so I left them out.  The kids both ate all of there dinner tonight!

Day 1 - Baked Club Pinwheels

My first meal comes from the website Plain Chicken and boy was it delicious!

Baked Club Pinwheels
6 slices pre-cooked bacon, chopped
1 (11-oz.) can Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crusty French Loaf
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
5 slices thinly sliced deli turkey (I used way more)
5 slices thinly sliced deli ham (I used way more)
5 slices thinly sliced deli roast beef (I used way more)

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Unroll dough. Sprinkle cheese over dough. Top with turkey, ham, roast beef and bacon. Starting with long side, roll up dough; press edges to seal. Make 3 to 4 slits in top of loaf. Place on sprayed cookie sheet.

Bake at 350°F. for 23 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Cut into 1-inch diagonal slices. 

Verdict:
This was really quick and easy to put together.  We loved it.  Everybody except Gavin ate all of theirs.  Gavin just held his piece in his hand only taking a few bites.  I guess this just isn't the meal for a 2 year old.

Hi and Welcome!

Welcome to my dinner ideas site!  My goal here is to provide my readers with dinner suggestions for everyday of the year.  Lets be honest here.  I am a busy working mother of 2.  I usually rush to get dinner on the table each night before somebody gets cranky and that isn't easy!  I love to use my crockpot or find easy dinner idea off the web and I would like to compile a blog with all my favorites and all the new ones I find.  Most of my recipes will come from other sites and I will make sure to link up that site so you can visit them and maybe find other recipes that you want to try.  Hope you enjoy!