Ordinary Details » Cooking

How to Eat Fried Worms & Share It: Ritz Chicken Casserole

Amy — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:55:39 +0000

This recipe came from my childhood best friend Caryn’s mom. We always loved it. At home, we called it Fried Worms because we loved the book How to Eat Fried Worms so much, didn’t really have a great name for this casserole. (We thought of the poppy seeds as worm eyes- doesn’t that make you want to make this recipe! Just saying. . . It’s what we called it. . . the imagination of kids, right?)

The thing about this recipe is that I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like it and it’s simple and easy.

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Ritz Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

6-8 Chicken Breasts, cooked/boiled, and cut up (Could be other cuts of chicken too)
2 cans Cream of Chicken
8 oz sour cream
2 tsp poppy seed
2 Cups Ritz crackers, crumbled
1-2 sticks of butter (Or margarine), melted

Instructions

Mix the chicken breasts, cream of chicken, and sour cream together.

Spread this mixture in the bottom of a 13 X 9

Mix the poppy seeds, ritz crackers, and butter together.

Cover the top of the chicken mixture with the crumb mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until the edges are bubbling and the crumbs begin to brown.

http://www.ordinarydetails.com/2011/10/how-to-eat-fried-worms-share-it-ritz-chicken-casserole/

This time when I made it, I made it for work. So, I actually baked it in the Roaster. I’ll get all the stuff ready the night before then bake it at work. Here’s what I do:

I mix the chicken, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup together and place them in a gallon size ziploc- refrigerate overnight next to the sticks of butter then put both in my cooler to take to work.

Then, I mix the crumbs and poppy seed and put that in a baggie. I then gather everything up I need and put it all in the roaster: the roaster, the rack for the roaster, pot holders, the crumb mixture, a container and lid used to melt butter and mix the crumb mixture (I bring the lid so that I can close the dirty container and wash it at home), a foil covered 13 X 9 (foil for easy clean-up), and the lid to my 13X9. (I have forks/knives/spoons at in my office.)

Then I put it together and bake in the roaster- it usually takes a little longer than at home.

How to Eat Fried Worms & Share It: Ritz Chicken Casserole is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Lasagna: So Easy A Child Can Make It

Amy — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:11:58 +0000

Tonight, I’m making an old favorite- Lasagna. In fact, Cody likes this better than frozen lasagna. It couldn’t be easier to make. The recipe actually comes from a children’s cookbook. It doesn’t require cooking the noodles and requires ordinary ingredients.

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Lasagna: So Easy A Child Can Make It

1 hour, 15 minutes

Yield: 6-8 servings

Original recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Children's Cook book.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (we often use a bit more or a bit less)
2 cups of Spaghetti Sauce (We use Prego Traditional)
1 1/2- 2 cups (6 oz) Shredded Mozzarella
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
3/4 cup hot water

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Cook the ground meat and drain. Remove from heat. Add spaghetti sauce and oregano. This will become your meat mixture.

Next, beat the eggs in a seperate bowl. Then, add: 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese, and parmesan cheese. This will become your cheese mixture.

Next, line a 13 X 9 with foil (if desired- makes for super simple clean-up).

Place 3 uncooked lasagna noodles in the pan. Layer 1/3 of the meat mixture and 1/2 of the cheese mixture on top. Be sure to cover the edges of the noodles. Add 3 more noodles and layer 1/3 of the meat mixture and the other half of the cheese mixture on top. Add the remaining three noodles and layer the meat mixture on top. Try to spread the meat mixture so that all of the edges get wet.

Next, pour the 3/4 cup water into the pan- to keep the edges from being crunchy, I pour the water over the edges of the noodles.

Cover and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

When done, add the remaining mozzarella ( and more parmesan if desired) on top.

http://www.ordinarydetails.com/2011/08/lasagna-so-easy-a-child-can-make-it/

The trick to this recipe, to me, is making sure that the edges of the noodles get either covered or at least moistened prior to baking. My other tip- use foil for lining and covering the pan.

Lasagna: So Easy A Child Can Make It is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Birthday Cake

Amy — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:33:59 +0000

Most years, I don’t get a birthday cake and somehow that bothers me. This year, when I told Cody about it, he set out to fix it. We raided the pantry to see what kinds of cake mixes I had and there was Red Velvet Cake. So, Cody set out to make it. I had to laugh when he asked if he needed to split the eggs. It reminded me of just how many things we make from scratch in my home. But, of course, I told him no- it’s a box cake. They’re designed to be easy.

Next it was time for the icing- which happens to be Cody’s favorite icing, lucky for him, right? A little reward for him. Now our family’s red velvet cake icing isn’t hard but you kinda need to know what you’re doing. So, he reads the recipe. . . “5 tbsp of flour” I hear him exclaim. I explained that yes to you take the flour and the milk and you cook them until literally you can’t stir them anymore. Then you let it cool. He asked three times if he was done stirring.

He reminded me while stirring that I wasn’t in the kitchen stalking him with the camera- needless to say, I got the camera out.

When the cake was ready, he got it out. . . and since he knew I was taking pictures, he just had to have the cake tester facing so that you could read “Cake Tester”- he’s a nut as I’m sure you know.

Then it was time for him to study the icing recipe some more. I had to tell him that he needed to wait a bit or else the icing would totally melt.

So, he begins creaming the icing- using the pulse on the food processor. . . . Ah, you got to love him. He brought lots of smiles. And, he learned a few things, I hope- like cream means you let the food processor go for a while. As he was making the icing, he said he never figured his favorite icing would be so difficult.

Then, of course it was time to move on to the icing of the cake. I laughed when I heard him first get aggravated- red velvet cake always seems to crumble while icing it. But, then I noticed he was getting rather chinchy with icing. . . (He couldn’t wait to eat what remained, of course.)

The cake, it was delicious! (Sorry Jacksters, I know you both love this cake. Should have been here.)

PS Can you tell I was on a dish cleaning hiatus for the day?

Birthday Cake is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

December Daily: Final Pages

Amy — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 22:05:24 +0000

Wow! I finished this project and I’m so glad I did it. Thanks to all of my family and friends who put up with me “documenting” each day- and those that took shots for me as well.

I love how this project made me think about the little blessings throughout the day- and how I noticed even more afterwards while looking at the pictures and reflecting on each day.

Here are the last two daily pages:

December 24:

Traditional but untraditional- After a lazy day, we had our orange chicken without the gravy and rice for dinner. We opened gifts- I love this picture of Cody that captures the "Oh gee- I got a rain guage" I got until he realized why he got them. Our gifts proved we listen to each other. After Christmas eve service, Mom "helped" me with communion.

I needed an additional page so I made another hymn page to go to the left of my Christmas Day page:

December 25:

Christmas day was all about family-loving the little moments of togetherness like Cody and Coralyn in the kitchen, me and Jack making fritters, and everyone enjoying my scrapbooking.

That left me with the cover pages. Since I ended up documenting hockey fights, screaming, and winning the day I took pictures of the house decorations, I decided I’d use those along with a few pictures of the tree for my covers.

Now, on to other projects. . . My One Little Word for 2011 (I’ll be posting about that super soon as I’m really ready to begin 2011!), Yesterday and Today class at Big Pictures Classes, and Project Life/365- a third try to document the entire year.

December Daily: Final Pages is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

December Daily: Dec 17-23

Amy — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 19:13:23 +0000

It’s almost Christmas and I’ve spent some time going back through the last week as I catch-up on my December Daily pages. It’s amazing to me how much this project has made me thing about the special things this month- or even the regular everyday activities that December brings. It’s also amazing that the project is almost over.

December 17

Journaling reads; Waiting, that was the name of the name of the game today. First, it was waiting for Cody to get done with his ride along so I could hear all about it- especially after he told me they went on a disturbance call. but, then, the wait was even longer for Lisa to get here so we could visit. Of course, by the time she made it, we were both ready for bed. But, we talked a while first.

December 18

Today was a great day. Cody was off hunting at the deer lease and left Lisa and I to ourselves. Lisa and I watched old videos of Jack when he was younger- we even posted one on his facebook- oh how Jack’s face in it made us laugh. then, we got down to business. . . creating a website for Lisa’s work. While web work isn’t exactly fun, it was fun being able to help Lisa out with all the things I’ve learned. We had a few challenges but they are just opportunties to learn. . . and a few tricks I’m even going to try on my website. But, in all the time we got to spend working on the site, we also got time to talk and catch up. We simply just got to spend the day together.

December 19

Journaling Reads: We had dad’s birthday lunch a day early. Conversations included their new cell phones, working out, the football game Cody was watching, and Cody’s ride-a-longs.

December 20

Journaling Reads: After Cody left for Lisa’s, I baked cookies, put on music, and decorated our tree. It was the first time we’ve put the King Ranch ornaments Coralyn has gotten us since 1996 on the main tree.

December 21

Journaling: Today seemed to be about preperation. Cody’s present arrived and I wrapped it before he had the chance to see it. I made several batters for cookies to bake Wednesday, and Cody helped me clean house before Coralyn came up.

December 22

Journaling Reads: 234 Cookies plus a few. Today, Cody and I made five different kinds of cookies for the troopers at his office. Sad thing is, they’ll only get a dozen and a half each. We had less than 10 extra cookies. I don’t know how I’d have done it without Cody’s help.

December 23

Journaling Reads: Our traditional Christmas eve eve dinner wasn’t quite traditional. We used the mixture from Cody’s oopsy instead of mexican meat. Cody had put picante instead of spaghetti sauce with hamburger meat the night before. It still tasted good.

December Daily: Dec 17-23 is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

December Daily: Dec 7-11

Amy — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 03:56:45 +0000

Well, it’s safe to say that I got a wee bit behind on my December Daily pages- which I finished tonight. But, I’m not behind on taking time to enjoy the season and this project.

Here’s my pages up through tonight and a slice of life this last week.

Dec 7th

Really? So I forgot to unplug the truck one morning last year. Two notes! Perhaps one, but two. It was the first time I've headed for work when the truck was plugged in since this spring, but I donât think I needed both reminders from Cody before he left town. But perhaps I did. If nothing else this one made me smile.

Dec 8th

Dec 10

Cody was off early today so he went to the grocery store, came home and packed, and went hunting. When I got home after work, there were three Little Debby Christmas Trees on the counter. I knew Cody was in the blind so I texted him.

And Lastly Tonight- Still can’t believe Pominville got in a fight. . .

Tis the Season- Hit Him!I was in the spirit tonight- not exactly the holiday spirit- but it was a fun game to watch even if we lost. I could be heard screaming- Make 'em pay, shoot the Puck, Hit him! Score! This is the Season!

Although we had plenty of time before heading to soup supper at church, Cody seemed to be rushed when he got back from New Waverly. Before we left, I told him he had to do five cycles of 3 kisses and 2 deep breaths hoping to change up his pace. We’ve been running and walking in cycles a lot- so Before he started he took several deep breaths and blew kisses in the air. He said he was warming up just like our walking warm-ups. It’s funny how the things you are doing creep into your vocabulary in other parts of your life.

Dec 9th

Venison, Picante, Diced Tomatoes, 3 cans of beans, chili powder and a crock pot. Pair with ritz crackers and cheese and youâve got the perfect meal for a cold day when you are worn out. Well, at least it did tonight. This simple chili totally hit the spot as we watched the Sabres game.

December Daily: Dec 7-11 is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Then and Now: 5 Years- Some Pancakes and a Stink and Triggers

Amy — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:59:50 +0000

So, a few months back we went to the Caldwell Zoo with Lisa and Jack. (We won’t talk about all the problems with the truck that followed that trip!). While there I “manufactured” a shot to compare Jack then and now. I knew I wanted a similar shot of him, so I helped myself with a little gentle push of Jack.

I thought I’d share those two pics today now that I’m starting to catch up on a back log of pics that I have for editing. (New Computer= Freeing Lightroom with some Speed!- Sorry got geeky there, didn’t I.) As I looked at them I noticed that I also had then and now shots from the same two visits in our kitchen.

It’s amazing to me how much this kid has grown in such a short time, but then again, part of me can’t believe it’s only been five years since the 2005 shots. Was he really that little then? It won’t be much longer and he’ll be taller than me. . . and really not that much longer than he’s taller that Cody. . . or at least I expect he’ll get that tall.

Ok. . . Comparison #1- In with the Rhinos where it definitely stinks. I couldn’t quite get him to make the same expression. . . .

Summer 2005:

Summer 2010

;

A side note that I find interesting: The difference in his size and my camera is fairly obvious. But what’s not as obvious is the similarities in his shirts. The first shirt, a humorous look at 10 things not to say on a road trip, is from a trip he took with his Nana and Papa. The second shirt is from the trip we took with him last year.

Comparison #2- While #1 is somewhat staged, this one certainly isn’t. It’s something that happens everytime Jack comes up. In fact, it even happens at the deer lease and finally happened just last week when we were at his house.

Summer 2005

Summer 2010

Back then of course, we helped him make the pancakes. These days we just sit in the living room demanding he cook us breakfast. . . not that he isn’t a willing participant or that if he wanted us to come in there we would. But, he can make them from start to finish on his own now- all those early mornings of getting up to help him fix pancakes are paying off now- I can be lazy now.

Comparison #3. . . so while typing this, I realized I had yet another pair of then and now shots from these two visits. While the others show progression in size and cooking abilities, this one shows a whole other progression- one that I’m sure Uncle Cody is super proud of and one that Jack is more than happy to make.

Summer 2005

Summer 2010

Cody had promised that Jack would get to shoot the pistols next time he came up, so they had to squeeze a little time in this trip to do so. Jack posted one of the pics from shooting pistols on his facebook and his comment says it all “I love that gun”

Another interesting to me side note: Back then, we had introduced Jack to Johnny Horton music (is there any better road music at that age?) and so the coke cans he was shooting became the “Bloody British”. Just last week, Cody said that a Johnny Horton song came on the TV while he was down there and Jack started singing it.

Then and Now: 5 Years- Some Pancakes and a Stink and Triggers is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Kitchen Discontent: Some New Recipes

Amy — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:35:41 +0000

For whatever reason, I haven’t been content to make the same old things in the kitchen at night for dinner. I’ve been trying a number of new recipes and have enjoyed most of them. Here’s a few examples:

I picked up a cookbook with Campbell’s Soup recipes which included these:

Each Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas (We both thought it needed a little less of the creamy sauce)

Creamy Ranch Pork Chops and Rice (We fell in love with this one)

Another great source of recipes that I love is Kraft Foods. I subscribe to their Food & Family Magazine and look forward to each issue.

When I got my iphone last month, I downloaded “ifood” which is from Kraft Foods. Some of the recipes we’ve tried from there include:

Foil Pack Chicken Fajita Dinner

Gotta Empanadas Of course, I made this with homemade pie crust.

Southwest Chicken Salad Panini

Taco Bake

Mexican Style Lasagna

We’ll probably grill tonight but I wonder what we’ll have tomorrow.

Kitchen Discontent: Some New Recipes is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Christmas in Pictures, Not! Christmas Without Pictures

Amy — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:19:43 +0000

Since I haven’t blogged in a while, you’ll have to bear with me for a short tangent. Last Christmas, or maybe the year before, my nephew got a Wii. We’ve been down there a few times and loved playing it. He and his mom came up earlier this week and they brought the Wii. . . Well one thing led to another and we wound up buying a Wii ourselves. which arrived just about the time they left Wednesday taking their Wii with them . . .

I do not have any pictures from our Christmas gathering this year. I didn’t even get my camera out. We didn’t get into any shooting wars. I think that’s a first for my family in many, many years.

My mother-in-law drove up and arrived on Wednesday. My parents, brother, and his girlfriend came over Christmas Day. I was more organized than ever with the meal. I had to be. . . I had plans for Christmas Day and while I wanted to eat good, I did not want to spend the day in the kitchen.

As soon as my family arrived, we let them grab a small snack and then hit them with our best shot. Sorry, couldn’t resist that. We created Mii’s for them and then made each of them thake the Wii Fit Body Test. . . Isn’t that just what you should do to all your houseguests and a festival (AKA feast day)? But, that’s what we did. . .

And then the games began. . . We played the Wii Fit all day long. We flew through the air, ski jumped, headed soccer balls, caught fish while sliding on icebergs, and had a few snowball fights despite the fact we did not have a white Christmas. We all threw caution to the wind and made fools of ourselves. And with a few broken no camera moments by my brother and father, there are no pictures to embarrass us with.

Before we knew it, it was time to eat. Yum, Yum. We had our typical Stephenson’s Restaurant and Family Recipe meal. We started with just a doubled batch of Banana Fritters (usually, it’s banana, apple, and another flavor). Then came the meal- ham, Grandma’s macaroni and cheese, green beans, bread, and frozen fruit salad. Did I leave anything out. . . I don’t think so. . . we made sure we did not have any repeats of the Thanksgiving forgets. For dessert, we had banana cake and pumpkin pie. And a few more Wii games. Now, I just have to keep up with the Wii to work off all that food.

Before I knew it the day was over without any pictures. Even the clean-up was mighty easy and didn’t get any pics. It was one of the absolute funnest Christmas’s I can remember.

Christmas in Pictures, Not! Christmas Without Pictures is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

November is Here! Routines and Schedules Please

Amy — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:42:58 +0000

October is Gone! Praise the Lord! November is Here! I love that each year, each month, each week, each day, each hour, we’re given a fresh starting point.

October wasn’t the best month around here. It had it’s share of the blues, wacky times, and busy times. There was no routine and no schedule. Everything seemed to suffer- we we’re exhausted, we ate miserably, the house became a mess. . . and this blog really suffered too.

Each year, November brings a new rhythm to our household. Hunting season comes into full swing. Gone are the days of preperation and the overnights at the deer lease begin. With a new place to stay at the deer lease, I plan on being out there more often. I know I want to enjoy my time out there.

And I knew with everything that October was and everything I want November to be, I need to get organized. We bought the month’s groceries last week. I wanted to get a head start. I wanted to do some freezer cooking. So, after shopping for the month’s groceries, this was the scene on my dining room table- before I started cooking each of the recipes you see on the table. Our freezers are full.

Now, I can settle into the rhythm that November brings- the new rythymn that this year will bring.

November is Here! Routines and Schedules Please is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Sweets for Breakfast

Amy — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:29:28 +0000

It’s no secret that I love dessert. (Like this or this). I come by it naturally. Three women in my family are really to blame for this. After all, when you eat dessert, you must never blame yourself.

My mom almost always had something planned for dessert when I was growing up. . . and you couldn’t have dessert until after you ate the rest of your meal. This meant that dessert was extra special. I often wonder if that’s part of our love affair with desserts. Many child development experts say that you should serve dessert along with the rest of the meal and I have to agree. . . dessert changes when it’s not as extra special.

And where in the rules does it say you can’t eat dessert first? As long as you eat the rest of your meal, what difference does it really make?

Last night, my raising rubbed off on me. . . I wanted dessert to go along with the meal that Cody and I were preparing. I went with one of the simple desserts my mom used to make. A Chocolate Pudding Pie. Now a true chocolate pie (one with pie filling and meringue) is one of my favorite desserts. But, a simple chocolate pudding pie (with cooked pudding, graham cracker crust, and cool whip) is nice as well and much easier. And, it’s always nice to have that cool dessert in the summer time. I was out of graham cracker crumbs but luckily enough I had some graham crackers. . . so it was easy enough to make this simple dessert.

When I mentioned this, I kind of hinted at where this post is actually going. But, if we’re talking about sweet tooth influences, we must mention this woman- especially when that post is all about Banana Cake.

Grandma Floyd made the best Banana Cake you ever had in your life. I remember as a child how it was almost if our family was fighting over the cake- because we knew it would be gone in one sitting. But we always kept it civil. She, of course, is responsible for my mother’s sweet tooth. So, her influence was doubly passed on to me.

But, back to where this post is going, and where the title came from. Now, I don’t remember the next woman’s influence on my sweet tooth involving anything she cooked. Rather, it was of the store bought variety.

Yes, it was the twinkies and zingers. Grandma Lantz’s house was the place to go if you wanted something like that. But, I don’t recall getting them just any time of the day. It was always at breakfast. Yes, it was at Grandma’s house to have dessert first- not before the rest of the meal, but as the first meal of the day. It was her own personal typical breakfast. (She was a character alright. . . this is the grandma with which I made up some rather tall tales.)

So, now, I ask you. What do you think I had for breakfast this morning?

It wasn’t all that bad until I was over at Ella Publishing and the question was, “What did you have for breakfast this morning?”. My answer stuck out from all the rest. All these folks with their healthy breakfasts and my Chocolate Pudding Pie. Their little breakfast bars likely included granola and so did my breakfast. Does that count? And guess whose tasted better?

Sweets for Breakfast is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Childhood Favorites

Amy — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:00:37 +0000

My mom recently discovered my blog through my links on facebook. She sent me the nicest email yesterday. I guess we were thinking of each other yesterday. . . . Only I wasn’t at the computer when I was thinking of her. I was in the kitchen.

My TMJ has been acting up lately and I really wanted some sort of comfort food. . . and dessert. But, TMJ was really limiting my options. I decided to make some custard. It’s been years since I made it. Mom used to make it all the time and I’ve made in on occassion. Dessert was always something special growing up. Custard is a wonderfully simple dessert.

It’ll all be gone tonight. I did offer some to Cody but it’s two plain for him.

(And Dad, don’t think we’ve forgotten you- two weeks ago it was crepes!)

Childhood Favorites is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Creative Retreat Challenge

Amy — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:17:44 +0000

Anyone want to join me for a little Creative Retreat?

So, I’ve taken Monday and Tuesday off because I’d like to have a little creative stay-cation. DH is spending part of the weekend at the deer lease. So, I actually think I’m going to make it a four day event for myself (With breaks for family etc intertwined).

Why don’t you join me?

It doesn’t have to be four days. . . It doesn’t have to be a day. You can spread it out over multiple days or just have a super short retreat- whatever works for you.

But’s it’s my challenge from me to you. . . Set aside some creative time between now and the end of next weekend.

You decide how you’ll spend your creative retreat time. It may be watching a tv show that inspires you to create. It may be trying a new recipe or enjoying the process of preparing an old recipe. It might be photography or scrapbook related. It could be decorating. It could be browsing magazines. It might be a little window shopping.

You get the idea: We’re talking Creative Retreat with Creative in a Broad Sense.

Step 1: Commit to It. . . Tell Us over at the porch that you’re in.

Step 1: Look to see what time you’ll devote.

Step 2: Think about the things you’d like to do.

Step 3: Decide if there are specific things you’d like to do or if you’d like to just review the list and maybe do some of those things but allow yourself to veer from the list- or perhaps both depending on how much time you have.

Step 4: Share Your Plan with us on the Porch! Again, committing and sharing will help you make it happen.

Step 5: Do It! Exercise those creative muscles.

Step 6: Share your results over at The Old Front Porch- Post your work if you want, blog about it and share the link, or just tell us here what you accomplished and what you thought.

Creative Retreat Challenge is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

When I Decide It’s Time to Eat Healthier . . .

Amy — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:05:38 +0000

I buy bananas. They’re one of the few fruits that I really like. They’re portable and easy to eat on the go. I know I need to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Problem is, I buy too many bananas. It always happens. They look so good. I buy them with good intentions. (Of course, don’t ask me how I think I’m going to eat a dozen or so bananas by myself before they go bad.) Then, my bananas get too ripe and too mushy for me to eat. I start to feel guilty about wasting them. So, this happens:

I make Banana Cake. It’s always been my favorite cake. It’s been passed down through the generations. And, it’s the perfect use for mushy, ripe bananas.

As if the cake itself weren’t bad enough, there’s the 7 minute icing. . . and the leftovers in the pan. It’s a sugar rush but someone’s got to do- you can’t leave that yummy gooey icing in the pan. (Of course, this icing demands that you don’t leave the cake sitting around too long or it crystallizes. . . the devilish stuff.)

So, instead of enjoying a banana, I get to enjoy cake- which is what I did tonight. And the delicious smell has filled the house with goodness. As my Grandma would say, I got a good scald on this cake. I could barely wait to eat this slice while it was still baking on the ofen. It was worth the wait.

And, now, I have something to look forward to when I get up tomorrow morning. Because, the only thing better than the fresh banana cake is this cake the next morning.

The recipes for the My grandmother’s banana cake and 7- Minute icing are posted over at The Old Front Porch.

When I Decide It’s Time to Eat Healthier . . . is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Kids In The Kitchen

Amy — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:19:07 +0000

One of the things that I strongly believe is that kids should be in the kitchen. They should be cooking right along side you. They’re really never too young to get a start. For one thing, it builds self-esteem, gives them attention, and builds upon family relationships. I also know that if you are having problems getting them to eat, it’s the fastest easiest way to get them to eat. . . they’ll eat what they cook.

My nephew has cooked with me since he was probably less than 2 years old. Pancakes are most likely his favorite thing to eat. He does it all himself. I love to watch him cook them now. And I always stand utterly amazed at the size of the pancakes he flips over. So much better at it than me.

The weekend of the blueberry festival was no exception. He and I baked a cobbler that we entered into the cobbler contest. He helped DH grill the chicken and helped me make the cornbread. And, we made a pie from scratch- pie crust, filling, and meringue. Seperating eggs with him was a real whoot! But we only messed one up and I think that was me and how I explained to him to do it. The next morning, he made pancakes . . . of course!

Here’s some pics of us in the kitchen. . . (DH likes to take advantage of me in these moments and snap shots. . ’cause he knows I want these moments captured.)

(It’s pictures like these that makes me just love my wide angle possibilities)

Now, the mess in the kitchen. . . well it cleans up. . . Always does no matter how big of a mess we make. And, let me tell you, we had a HUGE mess after this weekend.

Kids In The Kitchen is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary