Your Family’s Table Time
The age old question of ”what’s for dinner?” (…breakfast or lunch too) has plagued the family cook forever. These days, it’s an even harder question to answer because we are all balancing work, school, hobbies, housekeeping, budgets, etc…the demands can seem endless. Throw into the mix the fact that each member of the family has their own likes and dislikes (and with kids, these can change almost weekly), and you can have a real job on your hands! That’s why I created this part of my website, and why I add new ideas monthly. I hope you’ll visit my site often, and don’t forget to email your family favorites to be featured here too! Enjoy…
- One of the best ways that I have found to get kids to eat the food that’s on the table is to let them help plan and prepare it. Try letting your kids pick one dinner each week. You can start this tradition by purchasing (or making) a child size apron and a kid’s cook book. Let them pick out one dinner menu each week and then cook it with them (or if they are old enough – let them surprise you if they want). Getting your kids involved in the cooking has so many positive side effects…spending time together, helping them move toward independence, showing them that they are a contributing member of the family, giving them some control over what they eat…
- Refuse to argue about what is served. Make a healthy meal each night and if your child doesn’t like it, allow them to make themselves a bowl of unsweetened cereal for dinner instead. Sometimes as parents, we just need to pick the important battles. If you don’t want to give the kids total freedom to eat cereal every night of the week, you can give each child two “No Thank You” tickets per week. Tell them that they can use those two tickets any night they want, but once those tickets are used to purchase cereal (or whatever you decide) they will need to eat what is served the other nights, or wait until the next meal time to eat again.
Pulled Pork Bar-B-Que in your Crock Pot!
Just take a pork loin (whatever size you think will feed your family) and put it in your crock pot pot with about 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook on low all day! When you’re ready to eat, simply take a fork and shred your pork right in the crock pot, and then add your favorite BBQ sauce (as much or as little as you want). Serve on the freshest roles you can find…and sit back and enjoy the raves!
Homemade Waffles!
Once you try these you’ll never buy the frozen ones again…and speaking of freezing…these freeze great and warm up in a 350 degree oven in just a few minutes. Perfect for a great school morning breakfast! Of course, my family and I like to have breakfast for dinner too…
Mix together: 2 large eggs, 1 3/4 cups of milk, 1/4 cup of liquid vegetable oil, 1 Tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and about 1 teaspoon of lemon extract.
Next: Stir together 2 cups of self rising flour (I love White Lilly), 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Combine this dry mixture with the above wet mixture and stir with a whisk until no lumps remain. Let stand on counter for at least 15 minutes and then cook in your waffle iron. These waffles are so crisp on the outside and light on the inside…and the lemon undertones are just…yum!
Key Lime Cream Cheese Pound Cake!
This is absolutely one of the best pound cakes you will ever taste! I have taken this to BBQ’s, Bridal Showers, etc. and everyone just raves about it. Enjoy…
Cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar. Stir in vanilla and lime oil. Add flour and eggs alternating (beginning and ending with flour). Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes at 325 degrees in a ten inch tube pan.
Glaze…this just makes the cake! Boil together for one minute: 1/4 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup of butter, 3 Tablespoons Key Lime juice. Poke holes in cake (all over) with toothpick and pour glaze slowly over cake. I love this glaze and have been known to double the recipe!
Homemade Raspberry Lemonade
So easy and so delicious…you’ll never buy the powdered stuff again!
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
Dissolve sugar and water in pan over medium heat, let cool somewhat and add the lemon juice and four additional cups of water. If you want raspberry lemonade just add a hand full of fresh raspberries and stir well. Refrigerate well and enjoy!