Veggie Kabobs

I was shopping in Harris Teeter for picnic food when I came across a lovely jewel---veggie kabobs. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but when I think of kabobs, I usually think of chicken. How awesome! These have squash, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, I can't remember all, but VEGGIES! So, Poison Ivy, here is a great recipe you can do yourself and engage the kiddies. Experts say kids are more likely to "try" their own creations.

Ways to Eat 'Em:
1. Dribble Olive oil over them and sprinkle some salt. After done add a dash of herbs and splash on some red wine vinegar.

2. Brush on some BBQ or Teriyaki sauce for excellent flavor.

3. Raw: just dip in Ranch!

Tips:
1. Soak wooden skewers in water for a bit. I think these directions are on the skewer package.

2. Wrap in aluminum foil to keep from charring. If you do wrap 'em, this is a great opportunity to add lots of flavor. Examples are butter (I know..), Italian Dressing, use your stomach's imagination!

Found Some Recipes:
A Food-Networker: Veggie Kabobs with Herb and Garlic Marinade
not all veggie--fruit too, and some tofu

One from Care2--has a pic that looks like mine!

Simple but Good----plus has the skewer tip on there!

Recipes from Around the World----A Greek One


Hope these are helpful and yummy for ya.

Homemade Pizza

My family has been on this homemade pizza kick. I was really enjoying the endless possibilities until I got sick---and lets just say homemade pizza isn't as great in reverse. But that won't stop me for long because 1) I can totally sneak veggies in for my kids, 2) everyone gets what they want, and 3) it fulfills my slow-but-steady turn over to vegetarianism.

I am doing this post for a good friend Poison Ivy. And Melissa could use it too--since she has a new stove now! I have found that when you can create your own food, it tastes much better. My husband goes wild with his pizza. I don't know how he stomachs some of his creations, but he does. I created a really good one for those of you who like "white" pizzas. It included asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, Alfredo sauce, Italian mix shredded cheese, and a bit of garlic and Parmesan cheese. MMMMMM! I created a Mexican style one too. I tell you, making your own pizza is fun and cheap. And you control what goes in it! So it's healthier too. I'll start you off with my kids' pizza: a basic cheese with a few secret ingredients.

Basic Homemade Pizza

Ingredients
1 premade pizza crust from grocery store or box pizza kit (if you want you can go all out and make your own from scratch)

1 jar of spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce (again you can make your own here)

1 8oz package of shredded cheese, Pizza mix

1 small can of mixed veggies, peas and carrots, etc.. (the secret)

Directions

1. Make crust according to directions. The directions for the whole pizza usually come with the crust or box kit.
2. Puree or mash veggies very well. Spread onto pizza crust
3. Spread sauce over veggies; Mix well.
4. Cover liberally with cheese.
5. Bake it according to directions.
6. Enjoy

Tip: If your family likes hamburger meat on their pizza, now is a good time to try out the Veggie "meat" on them.

Tip: Make your own lovely pizza creations!

Lady J Family Pizzas to date:
1. White Spinach Pizza
2. Mexi-Pizza
3. Island Pizza (ham and pineapple)
4. Hubby's Everything but the Kitchen Sink Pizza
5. Pepperoni-Green Olive Pizza
6. Supreme Style Pizza

As you can see, the options are endless here. Go ahead and give it a whirl. Plus, it is quick and easy. Add a salad and you have a complete meal. Just get the movies!

P.S. If you want a recipe to any of my family pizzas--just comment a request!

Pizza Crust Ideas

Jay's Signature

Baking Like Betty--a fellow Blogger --also a good spot to start checking out that once-a-month cooking craze. look to the lower right hand side of the page

Honey & Jam --another fellow Blogger

Yeast Free Crust

More Sneaky Veggies

I just made Stuffed Shells. Mmmm...

I added spinach and cauliflower! How? I bought some frozen cauliflower and pureed it. That enabled me to skip the whole steaming/boiling process. And I bought a can of spinach. Also, skipping a few steps. I mixed them both right into the cheese mixture. My oldest (the picky one) tasted the cheese mixture and....... she loved it. I make my sauce homemade, so it's healthier anyways. Plus, its sooooo easy. Just make your own once and I'll bet you'll never go back to the jar stuff.

Now, it would've been easy for me to throw in some peas and carrots into the sauce. This time I did use red and yellow bell peppers--out of convenience and the need to use them before they spoiled. The red peppers blended right in. I like to use diced tomatoes in my sauce for texture. This sauce can be used for homemade pizza too! And we all know how kids love that. Don't be scared to puree or mash some veggies that are steamed, boiled, or even canned and blend them right in. Then the sauce can be used for dipping mozzarella sticks or bread sticks. The options are endless.

Here are a few sites to get you started. And BTW, I do not use meat in my sauce--its not my family's tradition.

Sweet Savory Southern site

All Recipes

Wikihow--includes video!

Kids cooking About.com

Low Cal from Fitness and freebies

Johnna Knows Good Food: Yum Yum Gimme Some

One using carrots to avoid sugar!

From a Fellow Blogspot Blogger--jar turned gourmet?

Happy Birthday Papa Recipe: Spaghetti Patties

Today is my Papa's birthday. He would be 78 years old. In honor of his birthday, I'm going to post one of his favorite recipes: Spaghetti Patties.

Spaghetti Patties

Ingredients
Leftover or extra Spaghetti (cold, day old Spaghetti works best)
A little sauce--just enough to wet the spaghetti (I would say a few tablespoons)
1-2 eggs, depending on the amount of Spaghetti you have
Flour--enough to bind the whole mess together
Olive Oil for frying

Directions
1. Break up Spaghetti
2. Add sauce. Mix--its best to do this part by hand.
3. Beat eggs in a bowl with a fork and add to Spaghetti. Mix.
4. Add flour until you can form patties. Add a little at a time.
5. Fry in a preheated pan with a little Olive Oil until golden brown on both sides. Add more oil if needed. My grandfather liked for the patties to be a little burnt.
6. Enjoy. You may dip in sauce or cover in sauce. Or you can eat them Tony Romano style: plain.

I hope you like them. My family had them tonight for dinner---Happy Birthday Papa!

Tip of the Day

I work with a lovely country gal named Tina. And she gave me one of those tips that make you want to slap yourself on the forehead. Loser! When you are soaking your beans to cook in the crock pot, use the crock pot to soak. She, as well as myself, soaked them in a separate pot first and then transferred them into the crock pot. Silly ass, this means you have more dishes! I know some of you smarty pants out there had that figured out already. But we were preparing them the old-fashioned way. You'll never understand. So, this one goes out to the ones who wanted to make it harder.


P.S. I know you are wondering, "Lady J when are you making homemade beans?"

My answer is, "I've been on this cooking kick lately. I even made my own wheat bread. And Some Damn Good Chicken Pot Pie was born out of this kick. Plus some chili. And attempted Veal Parmigiana."

Don't worry, these will be posted.

Some Damn Good Chicken Pot Pie

I'm all about saving and not wasting. And with those values in place, I made some damn good chicken pot pie. I had some canned Lima Bean leftovers, leftover corn and peas cooked in butter (real), and a need to get rid of them. I did not want to throw them away since I had recently read that the average American family throws away a pound of food per week--that's just fresh food. Lord knows if you take leftovers into account. So I was trying to save money by not wasting. Because wasting anything essentially boils down to wasting my money. Plus, you know the saying, "There are children in Africa starving and you just waste perfectly good food." Another good thing about using leftovers is a cheaper meal. Hey, I'm all for that. Home cooking is better for you anyway--you can control what goes into your meal. And since my first pregnancy, I have been a bit funny about what's in my food. So enough yapping, lets give you the recipe so you can eat Some Damn Good Chicken Pot Pie. Oh BTW, I don't always use measurements with my ingredients. And feel free to substitute ingredients. I won't be offended!

Some Damn Good Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1 package chicken tenderloins (the strips for those who don't read the labels)

1 can of Lima Beans (or frozen, if you prefer. Remember I had leftovers.)

Frozen corn--about half a bag (Remember I had leftovers).

Frozen Peas--a full bag (Remember I had leftovers).

milk

cornstarch or arrow root powder (I used the arrowroot)

black pepper and all purpose seasoning

corn meal

1/4 cup of vegetable oil or shortening

Olive oil and real butter

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook chicken strips in a bit of olive oil and a pat of butter on medium heat. The butter helps with flavor, you can omit it. Cook until golden on each side. For the Love of God, don't fry them dry. Just until the juices run clear. They should still be very juicy when you remove them form the pan. Meanwhile you should be heating up your veggies in a separate pot.

After removing the chicken form the pan, do not cut off the heat. Add a bit of milk and scrape up any bits of chicken. Now mix some milk and arrow root powder together and mix thoroughly. Pour into pan. Add pepper and all purpose seasoning. Stir constantly until it thickens. Feel free to add more milk or arrow root powder if needed, you're making gravy. Add hot veggies. Stir around and let mingle in the heat. Chop chicken strips and add to veggies. Turn heat to low. Make corn bread according to the back of the corn meal bag (without cooking it!). You can use a box mix if you like, but corn meal is much cheaper. Pour chicken mixture into a greased casserole dish or 9X13 inch pan. Pour corn meal mixture over hot chicken mixture. Pop into oven and cook for 20-30 minutes, until cornbread is done.

Tip: Whenever you are putting a bread (like biscuits or cornbread) over a pot pie, you want to make sure the pot pie filling is good and hot. This way your bread cooks all the way through, from top to bottom.

Voila! You have some damn good chicken pot pie.

Now remember, you can use any leftover veggies and meat you want. You can use a jar of gravy. You can use biscuits instead of corn bread. Hell, you can even use frozen or canned biscuits. The point is to cook it at home, use leftovers, and do it cheap.