Pasta Salad with Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives

From Epicurious:

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon drained capers
1 garlic clove, minced

1 pound fusilli pasta
12 ounces tomatoes, coarsely chopped
8 ounces fresh water-packed mozzarella cheese, drained, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup minced pitted oil-cured black olives

Preparations:

Blend first 5 ingredients in processor until tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Set dressing aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer to large bowl. Add dressing to hot pasta; toss to coat. Cool, stirring occasionally. Add chopped fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, Parmesan and olives; toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Chrissa's Everything Goes Taco Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground hamburger
1/4 cup of onion
1 head of lettuce
1/2 shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup black beans
2 ears of cooked corn
1 chopped tomato
1 chopped red bell pepper
Guacamole
Sour cream

Preparations:

Brown hamburger and onion. Add taco seasoning and water as directed. Set aside and let cool. Chop lettuce, tomato, and pepper. Slice corn off cob. Mix lettuce, pepper, tomato, corn and black beans. Once taco mixture is cool, add to salad. Top with guacamole, sour cream and cheese.

Baked Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground meat (pork or hamburger)
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs

Preparations:

Combine meat, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and eggs. Mix really well. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. Depending on how big
your meatballs are, you may want to bake longer or less.

Servings: 5

Menu Ideas for a Week

If you're running out of ways to answer the question "What's for dinner?", try checking out Yahoo's dinner menu for a week.

http://food.yahoo.com/everyday/dinner/

Got Cupcakes?

Check out this awesome bakery that now sells cupcakes online - http://saintcupcake.com/index.php .

If you don't feel like baking but want a treat for the family, try Saint Cupcake.

What to do when your kids won't eat what you make.

I grew up in one of those very strict and traditional households where you have to eat what's put on your plate whether you want to or not. As a result, I ate more Brussel sprouts than any kid should have to.

Since I hated being forced to eat stuff I just didn't like, I try to give our kids choices in regards to what they can eat. When it comes to dinner I say - "Take two bites and eat some veggies." But when it comes to lunch, I'm far more flexible. Today for example, we had quesadillas for lunch and our middle child insisted that she just doesn't like them. I could have pushed her to eat a couple of bites but since she's old enough (8) to do some of her own cooking, I asked if she'd rather have Mac & Cheese. She said yes and I told her she was free to have that but she'd have to cook it herself.

Kraft makes these nifty single serving packets that just require 2/3 cup of water heated for 4 minutes in the microwave. Kess was able to cook this on her own and was happy enough to eat the whole serving. I explained to the whole family that I want to cook food they like but asking me to cook multiple entrees to please everyone - is just cruel and unusual punishment.

If your kids are old enough to use a microwave, try keeping mac and cheese on hand or something similar. It can really take a lot of the stress out of feeding your family.

Chrissa's Chili Burgers

Last night I made hamburgers at the request of my little darlings who seemed to have inherited their father's penchant for red meat. (They even like it medium-rare.) While they love meat, they all seem to fill up fast and that left me with three cooked hamburger patties, some sliced mild cheddar cheese and sliced onions. It's amazing how leftovers that don't look all that appealing the next day, can turn into quite the tasty lunch.

Ingredients:

1 family sized can of Nalley Chili
1/4 cup of sliced onions
4 slices of medium cheddar cheese
3 cooked hamburger patties
Sour Cream
5 hamburger buns

Preparations:

Cook chili and add onions and cheddar cheese. Cut hamburger patties into small pieces and add to chili. Cook for about ten minutes on medium heat. Pour mixture over hamburger bun and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

This was a huge hit and a budget conscious meal.

Serves: 5

Feeding the Family

I've been in MIA lately as we've battled the swine flu and food poisoning. Being a full time mom and working full time, has pretty much taken center stage. I hope to get back to blogging soon. Look for kid friendly recipes in the near future.