Summer Dishes

Recipes for the summer that can be prepared in advance and don't heat up your house with the oven.


Mock Tuna Salad instead of tuna it is mashed up garbonzo beans

Tuna and White bean salad

Veggie Fajitas

Fish Tostadas

Chicken with parmesan noodles

Beef & Chili Pasta

Meatballs

From Food

• 1 1⁄2lbs ground beef (a mixture of 1 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound ground pork will work well also)
• 2 chopped onions (sauted)
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1⁄2cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1⁄3cup breadcrumbs (I used stuffing mix (no dry breadcrumbs? just soak 3 slices of bread in the 1/3 )
• 1 -2tablespoon fresh minced garlic(or use 1 teaspoon garlic powder or to taste)
• 1 -2teaspoon salt (or to taste, I use 2 teaspoons seasoned salt)
• 1teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1⁄2teaspoon dried oregano(optional, or to taste)
• 1⁄4cup chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tablespoons dried parsley)

Mix everything. Shape into small meatballs. On cookie sheet cook at 350 for 25min.  Cook all of them, then freeze for easy use next time.

4/16/15 I did like it, i felt like it could've had more spices, to create even more flavor.

If you want to make home made sauce go to Our best bites

Roasted Asparagus

From- All recipes

1 bunch thin asparagus spears, trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 
1 clove garlic, minced 
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice(optional)

1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Rinse off the asparagus, then cut off the ends. Lightly spray the pan with oil.
2. Place the asparagus in a square cooking pan and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. Sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving.

My kids (ages 8 and 6) loved this, they couldn't get enough!!!

2/8/16 didnt have parmesan one time and still worked out well.  I served with Salmon and the next time I prepared tilapia the same way as salmon and served with asaparagus

I doubled it and did 2 bunches of asparagus b/c the kids love it.  Put in a sprayed 9x13 pan and cooked the same amount

Can be prepared a day or two in advance

Breakfast Burritos

Makes about 10 burritos

1 onion (saute)
garlic
3 potatoes (mircrowave for 3 min, then saute after onion is brown)
Sausage or add any kind of leftover meat or beans
1 red pepper
mushrooms
(any other veggies you like)
6 eggs
add cheese if desired


Saute onion 10 minutes, then add microwave shredded potatoes and brown them.  Add peppers, garlic, and Mushrooms.

Remove from pan- onion, potato, and veggie mixture and put in separate bowl. Then cook the eggs in the pan separately, then add the veggie mixture back to it.

Wrap the mixture in a tortilla and serve.

Optional- you can roll up the tortilla and have an inch space between each tortilla on the baking sheet and bake in oven for 15min at 350, it crispies the outside of the tortilla and then they freeze better this way.

Serve with fresh tomatoes and/or salsa and avocado.

I like to make a extra and freeze

Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Curry

From- Home Sweet Jones

Ingredients

• 1-2 onions- sauted
• mushrooms (optional)
• 2 tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 tbs garam masala
• 1-2 tbs curry powder, to taste
• 1 tbs ginger, 
• 1 T minced garlic
• 2 14.5-oz cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
• 1/4c mayo or plain yogurt (more if sauce is too spicy)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5 lb red skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 4-oz boneless, chicken (can put in chickpeas/garbonzo beans instead of chicken)
• 5-oz baby spinach
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish

Instructions

Combine the vinegar, tomato paste, 1/2 tbs garam masala, 1/2 tbs curry powder, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes with their juices in a blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper and puree until well slightly chunky.

Place the potatoes in a 5 - to 6-quart slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 tbs garam masala and 1/2 tbs curry powder. Layer the chicken over the potatoes and pour the sauce over the chicken. Cook 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.

Stir in the baby spinach until wilted. Season again with salt, pepper, and additional garam masala and curry, if needed. Garnish with cilantro.

No cook Peanut Butter Bars

Havent tried yet
From Whisks and Whimsy


Peanut Butter Layer:
3 cups old fashioned oats, divided
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup raw agave nectar
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted

Chocolate Ganache Layer:
3/4 cup raw agave nectar, maple syrup, honey
3/4 cup cacao powder
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Makes one 8-inch square pan.

Peanut Butter Layer:
Wipe out the food processor bowl and blade, then add 1 cup of the oats. Process the oats until they turn into oat flour. Add the remaining 2 cups of oats, salt, peanut butter, agave nectar, honey, and vanilla extract. Process until well mixed. With the processor running, drizzle in the melted coconut oil. Continue processing until everything is well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Take the baking pan with the chocolate brownie layer out of the freezer and dump 1 1/2 cups of the peanut butter mixture on top (there will be leftovers). Press the peanut butter mixture down with your hands to create a smooth, even layer. Place in the freezer and start making the next layer.

Chocolate Ganache Layer:
Place the agave nectar, cacao powder, coconut oil, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour on top of the peanut butter layer and move the pan around so that the ganache covers the top of the peanut butter layer in a smooth, even layer.

Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Cut into as many bars as you want.

Beef Stronganoff

Ground Beef

1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb brown mushrooms, thickly sliced ( you dont have to make it with mushrooms, they just add more flavor, add more seasonings if you don't add mushrooms)
1 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dijon mustard (or regular mustard)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

To Serve:
1 Tbsp green onion, to garnish
8-12 oz egg noodles, to serve

Instructions

• Add 2 Tbsp butter, chopped onion and sliced mushrooms. Sautee 6-8 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and onions and mushrooms are soft and lightly browned.
• Add 1 minced garlic clove and sautee 1 minute until fragrant. Add 1 Tbsp flour and sautee another minute stirring constantly.
• Pour in 1 cups beef broth, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan then add 3/4 cup whipping cream and simmer another 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. 
• Stir a few Tablespoons of the sauce into 1/4 cup of sour cream to temper it so the sour cream doesn’t curdle then add it to the pan while stirring constantly.
• Stir in 1 Tbsp Worcestershire, 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, or season to taste and continue simmering until sauce is creamy. Add beef with any accumulated juices back to the pan and bring just to a simmer or until beef is heated through.

To cook the Sliced Beef
I like to crockpot a beef roast with sauteed onions, side dish mashed potatoes, and a side dish veggie for one night, then the next night with leftovers make beef stroganoff.

2 sliced onions (sauteed on stove top, then put in crockpot)
Saute Beef roast with oil and season salt and mrs dash to brown all sides
Cook 8 hours

To make the sauce
Egg noodles or any type you prefer
onions and mushrooms
1 can beef broth or chicken boullion *
2-3T whole wheat flour
garlic cloves/garlic powder
cooked beef (To cook the Beef on stove use this recipe)
sour cream or plain yogurt
salt and pepper

Boils egg noodles or any noodles of your choice.

1.  in sauce pan melt 2-4T  butter or 1/4c fat and juices from meat, saute 15 min onions and mushrooms.
2.  Two ways to make a creamy sauce
     A. In separate bowl- Mix 1c of cold water and whole wheat flour and combine or whisk together. Then add to sauce pan beef broth or 1 boullion and 1 c water and stir.
    B.  After the onions are browned, add the wheat flour to the pan and brown the flour for 1 min or less, then add the garlic.  Finally, whisk milk/water/boullion to the paste of flour and fat till it is smooth and creamy.
3.  Next add the desired amount of meat.
4.  To add more creaminess add sour cream or plain yogurt (I usually don't add those and it turns out great)  to last few minutes of cooking.

Can make extra and freeze for later date.

Serve with a  variety of  side dishes
*(I didn't have any boullion, so I added milk, worked out just fine)

April Fools jokes

From I Village

1. Juice turned into jello- in fancy cups.  Any gelatin can be used, but I used unflavored Knox Gelatine b/c thats what I had. Then I mixed with apple juice.

Follow recipe on box and pour into regular cups or I used our fancy wine glasses, put in fridge for 3 hours.

From Kids Activities Blog and 20 more ideas

2.  Turn house upside down.
3. EEK! Buy realistic toy flies, spiders, etc and hid them in your kids’ lunches, or in jello, or in ice cubes
4.  Stuff a little toilet paper in the ends of their shoes and watch them think their feet grew overnight.
5.  Your child will think they are pulling the toilet paper, but a note will pop out and surprise them!
6.  For older kids, fill just the toes of their shoes with a funny item (cotton balls, deflated balloon, small bouncy ball, etc.).  For younger kids, fill the whole shoe with something unexpected.
7.  Fill your child’s pillow with balloons at nap time.  Watch them giggle when they discover what their pillow is *really* made of!
8.  After your kids go to sleep, close their door.  Tape a garbage bag to the outside of the door and fill the gap between the bag and the door with balloons.  When your kids open the door, balloons will fall on them.