Monday, March 30, 2015

the ultimate in easy baked bbq chicken

7 chicken legs and thighs (i cut mine up from leg quarters i bought in a 10lb bag)
2 bottles of your choice bbq sauce
2 disposable roaster pans

place raw chicken in roaster pans



pour on 3/4 bottle of bbq sauce and then refill bottle plus remaining sauce with water, shake and pour onto chicken. repeat with second bottle until its all covered.



Bake at 425 for about 1 hour 20 min or until juice runs clear when you stab chicken
(pink is not done keep cooking until  clear)

serve with your choice of veggies and enjoy. throw away baking pan when done.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Easy enchiladas

2 lbs hamburger meat
1 lg can red enchilada sauce mild
1 md can green enchilada sauce
1 package tortillas
1 bag of shred cheddar

in a skillet brown the hamburger meat and drain.
add can of green enchilada sauce to the hamburger meat

To make this really easy use a disposable roaster pan (cost 1 or 2 dollars at dollar generals)

take tortillas, put hamburger meat on it and roll it up like this and place in pan




keep going till you run out of room, meat or tortillas. I made 2 pans with this recipe

Pour red enchilada sauce on top of all the enchiladas



top with shredded cheese




bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted completely



I served it with salad. Kids only eat half an enchilada at a time that is why they are cut like that. Enjoy dinner with your family and then when done throw away the pans you baked in!!

Sunday, March 22, 2015

out sick

I am not going to be posting much for a little while.

My health and energy is low and I am taking the time to get better before returning to writing.

You deserve my best effort not something I half way throw together just to have a new post.

Thank you for bearing with me during this time

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Meatloaf Nice and Easy

This is the recipe I use for my family on most occasions

Ingredients
2 to 3 pounds hamburger meat
2 cups cut up bell peppers and onions
2 packets of meatloaf seasoning
1 pack of saltine crackers
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Montreal seasoning
4 medium eggs
1 cup approximate  of ketchup, BBQ sauce or mixed depending on what i have on hand

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
* In a skillet cook onions and peppers till they are soft



* Crush up saltines into large mixing bowl

* Dump all seasoning and packets into bowl

* Add in the onions and bell peppers
* Put the raw hamburger meat in the bowl
AT this point I recommend gloves to be put on
*by hand mix all the ingredients squishing it through your hands and mixing
* add eggs and mix again

Remove meatloaf mix from bowl and place in pan
pat it into shape and add your BBQ sauce or ketchup on top.
for this one I put about 1/2 cup of honey BBQ sauce on

BAKE FOR 1 HOUR OR UNTIL DONE (not pink inside)
about 15 minutes until your meatloaf is done, add another layer of topping. My second layer is Ketchup for the kids.


While this is baking I have some Potatoes, that were boiled this morning, I am heating up. I will peal them, smash them, add butter, milk, and seasoning to create mashed potatoes.

I opened 2 cans of carrots and added half a stick of butter into the pan with them to heat up.


Thursday, March 12, 2015

My Dream, My Purpose in Life

I have searched for years to figure out what is is that I want to do with my life.

What is my purpose?

What will I do so that my life counted for something?

What I found is that I am happiest when I am helping others.

I have written a few classes,

One is called Life lessons it teaches basics of how to run a house, how to pay bills, shop on a budget, low cost meals, some organizing, where to find childcare and  help locally.

The second is a Cooking class teaching quick and easy family meals that are budget friendly. Like I share with you on here.

The third is a "How to get started homeschooling in Texas" class.

I have sat on the first class for years. Now I am actively seeking a place to hold these classes. I see so many people, especially young people, struggling with these issues.

I put them off for so long because I was trying to take care of my family, but mostly because I doubted anyone would want to learn anything from me.

What is special about me that qualifies me to teach anything?

It dawned on me today, I have lived it, I have faced these struggles and learned from them.

I am in the best position to teach these things because I lived them.

My ultimate Dream/Goal is to have a location where other people can come to learn all kinds of skill regardless of income or ability to pay. A place where people can come to eat, receive clothes, groceries, skills, and help to rise above their current situation with dignity and hope.

I have No idea right now how I will achieve this ultimate dream but if I chase the smaller ones to it, I will find a way.

I have finally found my Dream and my Purpose in life, Have you found yours?

What is it you Love to do? What are you knowledgeable or skilled at? Who do you do it for? How will it improve them?

That is the questions you need to ask to discover it. What is your dream or purpose, Please share it with me in the comments.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Easy Shrimp Alfredo



Ingredients
1 bag shrimp (any size you want)
1 box pasta (any kind you want)
2 jars of alfredo (i prefer bertolli)
1/4 cup olive oil or butter
2 teaspoon or a couple of dashes of montreal seasoning
2 teaspoon of jalapeno juice
2 teaspoons of lemon pepper
2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

In a large saucepan add water and set to boil for the noodles adding a couple of dashes of salt and olive oil to this



add noodles when it starts to boil and cook to desired tenderness 7-12 minutes usually
I chose these odd ones based on kids suggestions at the store.



in a skillet pour the olive oil or butter in the pan, turn heat to medium

when the pan is warmed up, add the shrimp and all the seasoning.
this will be strongly seasoned because the alfredo sauce can be bland this balances it out.

Cook until all your shrimp is done tasting as you go till its soft and pink

                                         (I used salad shrimp in this batch.)

Drain noodles and put them back in pan.
pour in the alfredo sauce,
add in the shrimp and all the sauce with it
stir and taste


                                     Neither kid wanted to smile for the camera, to busy eating.

If you want something less spicy leave out the Jalapeno juice  and crushed red pepper or change the seasonings all together to customize it to your families tastes.


Out of the junk drawer and organized

i got tired of having so many seasoning packets and other random things in a drawer 

so i got an over the door shoe rack nailed it up in the kitchen

5.00 fixed the mess. now i can see what i have! It even holds my mixer for me!



(please excuse the mess we went to the store and kind of tossed things into the kitchen)
Yes I know the date is wrong I haven't bothered to learn how to reset it yet......

Friday, March 6, 2015

How to be a better wife and mother

When I first became a wife and mother. I had this ridiculous notion that I had to live up to the June Cleaver and other perfect wife stereotypes seen on TV.

Trying to cook, clean, run errands, do the little special things for my husband and son, always look perfectly groomed, be the perfect mother, perfect wife. Well I nearly had a nervous breakdown at 18.

Then something magical happened. I saw Roseanne on TV. I realized I wasn't a failure, perfection wasn't attainable. The Stereotype I had been fed was WRONG!!

Don't get me wrong She wasn't perfect either BUT that's when the message hit me. My husband didn't expect perfection and neither did my son. I was holding myself to the most unrealistic goal.

Once I accepted that I became a better wife and mother by accepting and loving myself.

Fast forward a few years and I now had 3 kids soon to be 4. I messed up and spoiled them.... They expected that every time I went to the store I would bring them a new toy or prize back. I saw the entitlement and hated it.

I decided to changed the rules up. No more toys or prizes unless earned by exceptional good behavior or by doing chores to earn them. They have daily chores based on age and weekly chores.

I had been overwhelmed trying to keep up with everything. I thought I had Maid stamped on my forehead.

Now they Do their chores and take pride in a job well done. (well all except one child he hates and actively avoids anything to do with work including the school work)



My eldest son (Henry 12) takes out the kitchen trash and washes the dishes after each meal.
My eldest daughter (Ilyana 8) takes out the little trash cans in the house and puts up laundry
My youngest son (Acheron 8) avoids work but is assigned cleaning his room and drying dishes
My youngest daughter Tabitha is now two and we are working on picking up her messes herself.

Thanks to this my to do list is shortened drastically and they take real pride in Earning their money.
They plot for weeks what they will be spending their own allowance on, no longer expecting mom to buy all their toys and whims.

They took the lesson a step further and started doing bake sales and cleaning neighbors yards to earn more money when the item they want costs more than their allowance or when their allowance has run out.

So please don't expect perfection from yourself, it is not possible.Help around the house doesn't have to be hired, teach the kids to pitch in and earn their stuff instead of expecting it to magically appear. This will reduce stress, self criticism, and your workload. Now you have time for that show you really wanted to see or that long soak in the tub.

What did you think of this posts? What would you like to read about Next? Comment or Email me!

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

March's meal plan

In our house we try to simplify the early meals.

Breakfast is cereal or oatmeal usually.

Lunch is sandwiches, Ramen (kids favorite), or salads.

Our March Meal Plan for Supper

 1 grilled cheese
 2 pizza
 3 baked potato
 4 Salisbury steak
 5 pot pie*
 6 salmon patties*
 7 hot dogs
 8 mac and cheese with wieners
 9 biscuits and gravy
10 meat loaf*
11 enchiladas*
12 Salisbury steak
13 pizza
14 baked potato
15 hot dogs
16 store lasagna
17 pot pie*
18 grilled cheese
19 biscuits and gravy
20 meat loaf *
21 enchiladas*
22 salmon patties*
23 pizza
24 store lasagna
25 pot pie*
26 baked potato
26 mac and cheese with wieners
27 hot dogs
28 pot pie*
29 pizza
30 salmon patties*
31 sausage stir fry
* denotes homemade not store bought.Feel free to ask for any recipe. Feel free to ask questions or comment below. If you know someone who might enjoy this post, please share it with them.

how to turn a box into a meal

OK tonight is Salisbury steak night for us.

This post will show How you can turn this box into a meal worth sitting down to.



It takes 3 of these boxes to feed my family of 7. First thing is first Put them in the oven on a cookie sheets according to directions and bake. Takes about an hour but you don't have to stand and stir so I like it.

About 30 minutes after starting the Salisbury steak, I grab 2 bags of Frozen Veggies. My family likes California blend. Place them in a large saucepan with water about 1 inch over the top of veggies and boil them to your families desired tenderness.



Once that is started, Slice some onions, I use white onions but you can use any kind you want.



After they are sliced put them in a saucepan with about 4 Tablespoons of butter, and 1 or 2 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce. turn the heat to medium, put lid on them and stir occasionally.
once they have softened and absorbed the juice turn off the heat and set aside. (add more butter or worcestershire sauce if needed while cooking to keep from running out of liquid)


Check your veggies. If they are done Drain them and add butter to taste.

Now get your Salisbury steak out of the oven and take off the film on them.

Put some biscuits in the oven to bake following directions on the can. I used



Now to plate it all up. Place one or two salisbury steaks on a plate and top them with the sauteed onions and sauce, add a helping of buttered veggies beside them, lastly set a biscuit or two on the plate.



this Meal cost me
$9 salisbury steaks for 3 boxes
$2 for 2 cans of biscuits
$2 for 2 bags of  frozen veggies
$1 for 1 onion

I had butter and worcestershire sauce already in my house. So this meal cost me $14 to feed 7 people, that's $2 a person and my kids cheer when its salisbury steak night so its a win win.

cook time 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes with biscuits
level of difficulty :easy





Dorito casserole

A favorite in our house with adults and kids, quick and simple

ingredients
1 lb hamburger meat browned and taco seasoned
1 bag shred lettuce
2 medium tomatoes diced
1 bag shred cheese 8 oz
1 bag of doritos your choice of flavor (we like the ranch doritos for this)

lightly crush up you bag of doritos and line the bottom of a casserole dish

spread the hamburger meat on top evenly

layer on the lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese

bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes just enough to melt the cheese and slightly wilt the lettuce.



we never have any leftovers of this!!!

If you have any questions or comments please email me or leave them below. Have a great day!

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

What are the issues you face with regards to cooking or homemaking

Do you find yourself short on time?

Tired after a long day?

Picky eaters?

What are the issues you face getting supper on the table or running your house?

How can I help you?

Feel free to email me or leave a comment. Help me, help you.

Welcome

Hello, my name is Rebecca Edwards.

I love planning meals and cooking for my family. I am a throwback in many ways.

I love to bake my own bread from scratch, No machines other than an oven, making my own laundry soap and growing our own veggies.

Our family isn't fancy, we like good old fashioned foods.Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and any veggie, Enchilada's, Salmon Patties with sliced cucumbers on the side.

I homeschool my 4 children ranging in age from 2 to 12,my husband is a disabled Vet, and I don't want to spend all day in the kitchen. I would rather be spending time with my kids or reading.

I am passing down my recipes and teaching my kids to cook them and decided to share them with You.

This blog was started after I tried to create a workable meal plan for my family. All the recipes I found online for family meals was stuff my kids wouldn't touch, stuff with ingredients I couldn't find or afford. Couscous? Gnocchi? Tofu? Black bean burgers? Pumpkin alfredo?

Now my kids are strange little critters, they ask for spinach, asparagus, salads, wraps, lasagna, and meatloaf.

Their favorite Pizza is: a store bought crust drizzled with olive oil, shred pizza blend cheese, topped with sauteed mushrooms, spinach and garlic. Second favorite is a store bought Bacon pizza.

They prefer sliced cucumbers or oranges over junk food for a snack. Although they do love candy and such they just prefer the healthy options.

I Love their little taste buds being this way.

Here is to classic, old fashioned, comfort food. Lets explore!