Food in Review (week 9)

So, I'm a little late in the game but here's what I fed my crew last week!

SUNDAY: Oven Tacos with Rice

I've linked to this before...here it is. We LOVE this method of hard shell tacos! They don't fall apart. They stay nice and crunchy. They all come out of the oven at the SAME time -- no major assembly required! We also love how you can customize them to your liking. This last time I loaded mine with fresh avocado...MMMMmmm.

Photo from Recipe website

MONDAY: Santa Fe Beans and Rice with Chips

Another WIN for a meat-less meal! I like to try and have at least one meal per week without meat to help the budget and this one will definitely be making regular visits on our menu.

Here's the recipe I followed. I did a few modifications -- here's what I did different:

*instead of sour cream I used Greek Yogurt.
*instead of brown rice I used Jasmine Rice.
*instead of baking it in a casserole dish I used my Pie Pan (and it looked super cute!)

Photo from Recipe website 

Like I said - we loved this meal. I'm making it tonight and serving it wrapped in tortillas. Mmmm I'm drooling...

TUESDAY: Bourbon Chicken with Rice and Broccoli (crock pot) 

Good Ole Crock Pot helped me out this day! I love that I can get everything set in the morning and come dinner time I have a delicious meal waiting for me.

Here's the recipe I used. I doubled the sauce to have extra for over the rice. The recipe doesn't say to use the crock pot but I did - and it worked beautifully. So, if you don't have hours to let it hang in the crock pot use the stovetop method.

Photo from Recipe website. 

I steamed some broccoli and made some rice to round out this meal.

WEDNESDAY: Chicken Fajitas 

I made up the chicken in my crock pot with some classic fajitas seasonings: cumin, chili powder, garlic, and I accidentally (ha!) put some cinnamon in there (I thought it was cumin and then I realized....) --- side note: cinnamon on chicken with those other flavors ROCK. It was actually really good! Who knew.

Right before dinner I chopped up some bell peppers and onions to sauté on the stove top. Pair this with some rice and you have an easy dinner! We wrapped and rolled our fillings in a soft tortilla and ate away.

THURSDAY:  Turkey Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Carrots

I'm a broken record I know. I've done this meal before...a lot. We love it. It's good homestyle cooking! Can't go wrong with a delicious turkey meatloaf and classic mashed potatoes and those super sweet roasted carrots. 

Photo from Recipe Website

A friend of mine gave me the tip to bake my meatloaf in muffin tins to speed up the baking time and make them little individual sized! I ran with that concept and formed my meat into big meatballs and baked them in the oven (I lined my baking dish with foil so I would have less cleanup). 

I was feeling a little crazy with my mashed potatoes and stirred in some roasted red pepper HUMMUS while mashing them.

Verdict? Delish. It added some nice color and some spectacular flavor! 

We all know how obsessed I am with roasting my carrots. I love 'em.

Photo from Recipe website 

FRIDAY: PARTY! 

We celebrated my Grandma's 73rd birthday this day! We all worked together and created quite the spread of Asian dishes. My personal contribution wasn't that Asian though...I was in charge of FRUIT. Gotta have fruit. Especially with the amount of kids we have at those gatherings! I brought Pineapple and Strawberries. 

Speaking of Pineapple....check out this SWEET gadget I scored at Target the other day! 

It's a nifty little contraption that cores the pineapple and slices it is perfect rings! Depending how hard or soft you push on the handle dictates how thick or thin your slices will be. I used it last night (pineapple with turkey burgers? yum) and it was soooo handy to have perfect slices to go on our burgers! 

Best thing? $9.99 at Target. I adore fresh pineapple but am horrible at getting the fruit out. Win in my book.

There ya have it folks....Happy Cooking! 

Lazy Hair and Lazy-ER Hair

I have long hair and my go-to style is a ponytail. It's practical, easy and most of all QUICK. I'm all about fast and making the most of my time. Plus - with 3 little boys do you really think I have time to stand in the bathroom and DO my hair? Ha. No. I rarely get to GO to the bathroom by myself...so the idea of spending actual time on my hair -- not really a feasible feat in my current book.

I saw an idea on Pinterest (if I got a quarter every time I said that....I'd be RICH) - anywho - I saw an idea on Pinterest on how to get 'curly' hair overnight from sleeping on it.

I'm all ears. 

What I found was WAY too involved for me - especially when it's nighttime and I'm exhausted.

So, I made up my own 'lazy' version of it.

Then I discovered an even easier (aka: lazy-ER) version.

Now I do it ALL the time. Easy Peasy. Here ya go:

Overnight LAZY HAIR ->

Wash your hair.

Let it air dry about half-way then make a rough part down the middle all the way to the back (think: pigtails).

Starting by your eyes TWIST your hair away from your face grabbing little bits as you move towards the back of your head (kinda like a french braid sans the actual braid)...

...once you twist all your hair on that half keep TWISTING the length of your hair until it twists up on itself creating a little bun.

Take a thin binder and secure around your mini bun.

REPEAT on other side.

The top-right picture is what your TWISTS will look like after you sleep on them (still intact but not as tight).

In the morning, or when your ready to head out for the day, simply UNTWIST your handiwork from the night before. Carefully shake your head and run your fingers through to separate curls if you want. I like to spray a bit of hairspray on to help hold it.

SWEET HUH? I spent all of 10 sec on my hair in the morning (which is perfect with my 3 little crazies) and I have beautiful, relaxed curls! Score in my book.

**The only potential issue with this would be if your hair isn't DRY by the morning....to remedy this just make sure your hair is lightly damp (or almost dry) when you twist if you have to leave in the morning -- normally I don't have to roll out of my house till mid-late morning so I have more time to let it dry**

I was having fun with this 'Lazy' hair and then one night I was just too tired to twist both sides of my head....lame I know.

So, I thought....maybe if I just twist it all I'll get looser curls....wow. I'm a stinking genius! 

Cue: Overnight Lazy-ER hair -> 

Wash hair.

Air dry partially....or almost fully...depending when you need to leave the next day. We've already discussed this...

Pull ALL your hair to the back of your head and start TWISTING (you're twisting where a ponytail would be) -- twist till it starts to twist on itself and fold into a mini-bun. Secure with thin binder.

SLEEP. ZZzzzzz....

Wake up.

This is what you'll wake up to - a falling apart, messy, twist bun. 

Whenever you're ready to go - simply UNTWIST.

Not as curly as before but we don't need curly hair EvErYdAy right? Right.

I like that it gives me something other than stick-straight (which I can't achieve sleeping on wet hair - unless I have a date with my straightener...and we don't really get much date time these days). The extra wave makes it look like I actually tried! Woo-hoo!

And by try I mean I didn't default to a ponytail. Which I'm totally sporting right now. 

Some nights I'm even lazy-ER-er (obviously I'm not an English major) and I'll just go to bed with wet hair.

Then in the morning I'll TWIST my crazy, slept-on hair into a low bun and rock that around the house for a few hours and by the time I leave it's tamed my hair into calm waves.

So - there ya go. Maybe it's helpful? Give it a whirl!

Food in Review (week 8)

Time to share my menu plan from last week.....aka time to sit at the computer and not care that my house is a living tornado zone. Meh - I can clean later. 

I tried a few *new* recipes this week and they were KEEPERS! Woot - woot. I love it when that happens! 

SUNDAY: Blueberry Pancake Bites with Sausage

I found this variation of the classic pancake on Pinterest and gave it a whirl....look how cute they look:

Image from Recipe website

I made ours with blueberries and served them with some sausage links. The kids thought they were fun and I enjoyed the 'fluffiness' of them and that I didn't have to stand and FLIP pancakes for ever. 

MONDAY: Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken with Rice and Peas

Wow. Seriously. This one is a KEEPER. Soooo good. Delish. 

Ok - enough rambling...

I've had this pinned on my Pinterest board for a loonnng time but have never tried it because it requires a lot of prep and time. I wish I would've tried it sooner - it was that good. I can't wait to make it again. It looked, smelled and tasted like takeout! Maybe even better? You decide. 

Here's the LINK for the recipe. I used chicken THIGHS instead of breasts and absolutely loved it with them! 

Look at how WONDERFUL that plate of food looks! It tastes even better...have I convinced you to try it yet? 

TUESDAY: White Chicken Chili/Soup over Rice

Have you noticed I do a lot of variations of this? Cuz I do....a lot. Good thing we like it. It's an easy crock pot meal that I can modify to what I have or want to use.

Here's what hung out in my Crock Pot this time:

Chicken Thigh (the remaining thighs that I didn't use for Monday) 
Black Beans
Corn
Can of Green Chilis
Chicken Broth

To serve I put a scoop of rice in a bowl and poured the yummy soup/chili mix over it....Mmmmm. Can't go wrong with this one!

WEDNESDAY: Turkey Burgers/Fries/Broccoli 

I love ground turkey. It's cheap. It's versatile. It's healthy.

I made THESE burgers and served them on those thin buns (I don't know what they're actually called...)

Some frozen fries and steamed broccoli helped me round out this meal. I made 3 'mini' burgers for my mini men...they thought those were pretty sweet. I agree.

Gotta love a good, simple meal. Picture-less but still delicious. I was too busy eating it.

THURSDAY: Sweet and Sticky Baked Chicken Drummies 

This was another new one. I was a little hesitant since I don't cook with bone-in meat much....but I gave it a whirl anyways.

I let my drummies hang out in the marinade for a solid 24 hours and I'm glad I did! YUM.

HERE'S the recipe. They taste as good as they look. 

Look......

Image from Recipe website 

My kids think it's a riot to eat meat off the bone - they like to discuss where on the animal it was...weird? perhaps. 

I served this with some rice and peas and a SMILE. I try to serve all my meals with a smile....it's a nice side right? right.  

This one is another new KEEPER. When I see drummies go on sale I know what I'll be doing with 'em!! Mmmmmm. 

FRIDAY: Black Bean Quesadillas 

I prepped my quesadillas in the afternoon and stacked them with buttered outsides to hang out in the fridge till it was eating time. It was a cool trick - once it was time for dinner I just fired up my griddle and didn't have to waste time prepping them! 

Does anyone else do quesadillas on your griddle? You know - the thing you use for pancake flippin'? Well - it's a SLICK way to make a bunch of quesadillas at once! 

For my filling I put some black beans in a bowl (I drained them 95% and kept just a tad of liquid) and smashed them with a fork. 

Into that I added:

Garlic Powder

Chili Powder

Oregano

Mix 'er up and there's your filling! I put a layer of that then a layer of shredded cheese - smooshed between two corn tortillas. Yum. 

There ya have it. Another week in review. Lots of happy tummy's. I went grocery shopping today and have my game plan set for the week. Game on food. I'll win. 

Happy Cooking. 

Easy Homemade LARA Bars

I love easy.

I love healthy.

I love homemade.

Get where I'm going with this?

My sis-in-law introduced me to homemade Lara Bars! So simple. So delicious. After I saw her bars (which looked amazing!) I decided I wanted to join in the fun. Cue: Pinterest.

While rummaging through Pinterest I found a few promising recipes - they all looked very similar and very simple. *Remember I like simple?*

So I tried one. And I loved it. They were gone in 24 hours. My hubster recommended I make MORE next time! Yep, I will.

Here's the original recipe I used....

Homemade Cashew Cookie Lara Bars 
From The Inner Gourmet

NEED:

- 8 oz DATES
- 1/2 cup CASHEWS

DO IT: 

- In your food processor process your cashews till small (think ice-cream topping small). Set aside in bowl.

- Throw your dates in the processor and process till no chunks left. Add into bowl with crushed cashews.

- MIX. I got in there with my clean hands but I'm sure a spoon could do the trick too!

- Spray some plastic wrap and set your 'ball' on it. Fold over tops of wrap and then form into a block and set in fridge for 30 min to harden.

- Take out and cut into desired sizes. I was able to get 8 hearty snack sizes out of this batch (probably equivalent to 4 or 5 store bought bars)

- EAT! I stored mine in the fridge wrapped in wax paper so they were easy to grab and enjoy!

I did the math and with the dates and cashews I bought/used for these it came out to $3.38 for my EIGHT bars! Not too shabby....

I have some other variations pinned and begging to be tried....next up I think I'm going to try the Raw Lemon Lara Bar. It calls for Almonds, Lemon, Cashews and Dates....Mmmmmm.

Food in Review (week 7)

This past week was semi-boring on the food front....and I'm cool with that. Busy weeks call for fool-proof food and that's what this week *almost* was. I say almost because I tried something new - that looked super easy and fun - and it was a total FLOP. Ah well. You win some...and you lose some.

SUNDAY: Chicken Fried Rice 

I used leftover chicken and leftover rice for this weekend meal. I get a rush out of trying to use EvErYtHiNg in my fridge/freezer/pantry to get my money's worth. This meal was just that! Using leftover (cooked) chicken and leftover rice as my base this meal was easy to throw together in minimal time.

Ingredients: 
*Leftover Rice
*Leftover Chicken (I shredded mine with forks)
*Frozen Peas
*Soy Sauce
*Ginger
*Eggs

Do it:
*Fry your chicken in some oil (I used vegetable this time)
*Add your rice in
*Pour soy sauce and sprinkle a little ginger (I never measure here...go by the look and smell)
*Add a few handfuls of peas and keep on frying....
*Move everything over to the side (or remove from the pan if your pan is small) and scramble your eggs (I used 3 this time)
*Mix all together gently and EAT!

MONDAY: Pineapple Ham, Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Carrots

Sounds involved but it wasn't at all.

I put my ham in my trustworthy Crock Pot in the early afternoon with a can of crushed pineapple and a handful of brown sugar on top. It hung out in there for about 3-4 hrs on LOW (you don't want your ham to fall apart...eww).

During nap/rest time I peeled and chopped everything (while balancing my phone on my shoulder and socializing! Take that multi-tasking!) I peeled/sliced my carrots and peeled/chopped my potatoes.

I learned this sweet trick (via Pinterest of course!) to put your chopped potatoes in a pot with water (like you're going to boil them) in the FRIDGE until you're ready to actually make them. This way the potatoes don't get all brown and gross...but they're all chopped and ready to roll when you are!

About 45 min before dinner I started my tators and threw my carrots in the oven. Remember last week how I said we discovered roasting them? Yep. I'm obsessed. They're soooo good. I like to roast them with a sprinkle of thyme....Mmmmm.

After dinner I packed up our leftovers and smiled knowing they'll be put to good use later (I planned on leftovers and had them incorporated in some of the meals later in the week).

TUESDAY: **FAIL** Fried Mashed Potato Balls with Salad

I was so excited to try this recipe!  I specifically planned mashed potatoes for Monday so I could make these little fried goodies with the leftovers....

Picture from recipe website - aren't they cute?

....and they didn't work at all:(

Who knows. Maybe my mashed potatoes were too creamy? Maybe my oil too hot? Ugh. All I know is that I put a batch of them in my oil and they fell apart. Completely. I fished out the remnants and tried again after tweaking the temp....same result.

Cue calling hubby..."Ummmm dinner kinda flopped....can you pick something up? I have a salad"

So he did. And saved dinner. Thanks Man.

WEDNESDAY: Double Stuffed Potatoes and Ham

Double stuffed potatoes - there's a story behind these....

....years ago I met a guy. I liked this guy. I couldn't cook very well. Said guy was coming over for dinner and I wanted to make something to wow him (remember...I liked him) so I made DOUBLE STUFFED POTATOES. And it worked:) He liked the potatoes. And me. Proof of that is sparkling on my ring finger! Now, when I make these I always remember the first meal I made him *sigh*....

The wonderful thing about these -- they are SUPER easy and look SUPER fancy.

Double Stuffed Potatoes
*Potatoes
*Sour Cream
*Milk
*Green Onions - chopped
*Cheese - shredded

-Bake your potatoes (either in the oven or crock pot)
-Slice in half (like boats) and scoop out insides - set scooped insides in a bowl
-mash/mix potato insides with some sour cream, little milk, shred cheese and green onions (like making mashed potatoes)
-Line up your empty 'boats' on a baking sheet and fill 'em up full with your loaded mashed potatoes
-Top with more cheese
-BAKE 350* 20-30 min till top is beautiful and crispy

**Face palm** I never took a pic. Shame. When Joe loaded his plate he looked and me, winked and reminded me of the time I made these for him years ago...*sigh*...

I served these with our leftover ham from Monday. Gotta put my leftovers to good work!

THURSDAY: Egg Bake

Not sure what normal peeps call this - but I dub it an 'egg bake'. Easy. Fast. Cheap. Love.

Egg Bake: 
*Hash-browns (any cut - I used shredded this time but it's equally as delish with cubed)
*Meat (I used cubed ham this time - sausage works well too!)
*EGGS (8-10)
*Cheese
*Milk
*Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Salt/Pepper, Oregano

Assemble ("Avengers -- Assemble!!" Yep. I live with 4 boys.) 
*Put your potatoes in a big bowl
*In a medium bowl whisk your eggs with a splash of milk and your seasoning (like making scrambled eggs)
*Mix Eggs in with potatoes and add in meat. Stir well.
*Pour into 9x13 SPRAYED pan (I've also used a pie pan...looks fancy)
*Top with a handful of cheese
*BAKE 350* COVERED 30-40 min then 10 min UNcovered till nice and brown on top. (and not jiggly on the inside...no one likes jiggly eggs).

FRIDAY: Chili 

This was a busy day. Calls for an easy - no fuss meal.

Cue crock pot chili! 

I've mentioned before my non-recipe chili method. I dump a little of this and that and walk away. Haven't made a bad batch yet! This time I made a ground turkey chili.

Crock Pot Chili
*Meat (ground beef, ground turkey, shredded chicken, etc...)
*Diced Tomatoes
*Tomato Paste
*Onions
*Garlic
*Chili Powder, Cumin, Oregano
*Black Beans (or any kind you like)
*Corn

*Prepare your choice of meat.
*Mix remaining ingredients in your crock and stir in meat. Set for HIGH 2-4 hrs or LOW 6 hrs.
*Walk away.
*Serve with shredded cheese and chopped green onions on top!

Sooooo.....sorry about the basically picture-less post. Remember how I said it was a busy week? Well, I guess busy translates to lack of pictures. Good to know.

This week should be a little more sane. Hopefully resulting in a more interesting picture-full post next time! Ha.

Over and Out. Happy Cooking. 

Oatmeal Mini-Cakes for Breakfast

Yep. Cake for breakfast. That's how I roll....well, not really. I'm all about being healthy and passing on that lifestyle to my kids! This breakfast recipe feels like you're cheating and eating CAKE for breakfast but it is oh.so.healthy for you - and suuuupppeeer easy to boot. *I just typed 'to boot'. Ugh. Turning in my cool card....* 

I was inspired by a pin I found on Pinterest here and tweaked it just a tad to fit my liking - here's my version of it...

**like those little feet on the top of the pic? It's really not MY baby - just a cute stuffed bear they were playing with**

Oatmeal Mini-Cakes 
*Adapted from ChocolateCoveredKatie

- 2.5 cups oats (I like old-fashioned)
- 1 1/4 c mashed banana (the brown-er the better!)
- 5 Tbsp sugar or sweetener of choice (honey, agave, etc)
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 2 Tbsp oil (veg or coconut)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup chocolate chip (or nuts, raisins, dried fruit, etc...)
- 2 Tbsp water + 1 tsp baking soda

I prep mine the night before and store it in the fridge - this way the oats can soak up all the yummy goodness and they become easier to digest...and it totally cuts breakfast prep in the morning! 

In a bowl combine banana, sugar, oil and vanilla. Add in oats and mix well - Add in water and stir together.

Put a cover (plastic wrap, press-n-seal, etc..) and pop in the fridge over night.

In the morning -- 

Preheat oven to 350* and prepare a 12-cup muffin tin ready (I like to use paper liners and SPRAY them)

Take your bowl out and notice most of the liquid is gone (soaked into the oats). Mix about 2 Tb water with 1tsp baking soda and ADD into your big bowl. Mix well.

At this point you can mix in your choice of add-ins! I normally pour 2-3 muffins without chocolate for my littlest guy then mix my chips in for the rest. Fill up your muffin tin and pop in the oven.

BAKE 18-21 min depending on your oven. They should puff up a tad and smell amazing.

**I like to eat mine with a fork...it's seriously like CAKE! Mmmmm.

I make these probably twice a week and we eat the leftovers the next morning warmed in the microwave.

Kids review? THUMBS UP! They love 'em!

Baby review? Well, I went to take the pic and it was gone. Like...he inhaled it in .5 seconds. I take that as a GREAT review! 

One time I made these I was lacking in the banana department *gasp!* so I used the banana I had and applesauce for the rest to get a grand total of 1+1/4 cup. Those were delish! I'll probably do that again on purpose. Mmmm.

Save yourself some time tomorrow morning and whip up the batter for these tonight -- you won't be disappointed! I know what I'll be making tonight for tomorrow's breakfast...CAKE! Well, sorta. My healthy cake:)

Food in Review (week 6)

MONDAY: Turkey Meatloaf with Roasted Carrots

Mmmm comfort food. Gotta love it. This past Monday I made a turkey meatloaf from this recipe and a side of roasted carrots from this recipe.

Photo from recipe website 

Call me behind the times, but this was my first time ever roasting carrots. Oh.My.Goodness those are good! My kids gobbled them up and both Joe and I couldn't get enough of them! So simple and so sweet. Needless to say - they are on the menu again this week. 

TUESDAY: White Turkey Chili over Rice

I used this recipe as a base and tweaked it to fit what I wanted to use. Instead of chicken I used ground turkey and used my basic chili seasonings (chili powder, cumin, garlic). I served this chili over a bowl of rice - Mmmmm.... 

WEDNESDAY: Pepperoni Pizza Bites with Broccoli

How fun is this meal? Pretty fun you'll see...

I based my idea of this recipe but used a different dough and different baking method...same concept though! 

Ingredients: 

3 tubes refriderated Buttermilk biscuits (total of 30) 

Mozzarella Cheese cut in small chunks

Pepperoni 

Butter (I melted garlic into mine) 

1. Flatten down each biscuit a little

2. Lay a slice of pepperoni on it 

3. Put a piece of mozzarella cheese on top

4. Fold edges of biscuit up and seal top

5. Place little pizza packages in 9x13 pan with sides touching

6. Brush melted butter over biscuits and bake according to package or until tops are brown

DIP in warmed marinara sauce! Yum and Fun! 

Serve it with a healthy side and call it good. My go-to for this night was steamed broccoli - everyone's a broccoli fan in this house! 

THURSDAY: Vegetable Minestrone

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and gave it a whirl....meh. It wasn't AmAzInG but it wasn't horrible....meh. 

It's full of veggies and is great for a chilly winter day! 

Here's the recipe I followed. 

Photo from recipe website

To help fill us up I served this with a side of crackers and cheese. Mmmmm cheese. 

FRIDAY: LazyMan Lasagna

This one's a keeper. Easy. Yummy. Feeds a crowd. 

Here's the recipe. I used bow-tie pasta to more emulate 'real' lasagna noodles and love the way it turned out! I decided to use chopped spinach for the veggie aspect of it and it meshed perfectly with the rest of the dish. I had thoughts of adding in chopped mushrooms but I'm glad I didn't -- the spinach itself was great! 

Photo from recipe website

I've eaten these leftovers for the past 3 lunches! It's that good (and it makes THAT much!) Try it. 

SATURDAY: Papa Murphy's 

I love a good deal. In our local newspaper I found some sweet coupons for Papa Murphy's and then in a mailer I found more coupons for Papa Murphy's....guess what we're eating for dinner this night? Yep. Papa Murphy's. I totally mis-matched the coupons together to get an even better deal! 

$6 Large Pepperoni Pizza

FREE 2-Liter Pop

FREE Cookie Dough

That was our ever-so-healthy dinner on Saturday. The kids thought it was so FUN! Pair this with a RedBox movie and you have a special Saturday night. 

That's our week in review! I have a lot of fun food planned for this week and can't wait to share it with you. A few new recipes and a few old recipes....

Ethan the Chef

I promised you a story about my little chef....promise delivered. Read on and enjoy the warm fuzzy's you'll feel from the massive amount of cuteness I'm about to throw at you...

So - my smart Kindergartener E recently created a 'cookbook' of sorts. He was flipping through a SpiderMan coloring/activity book of his and got super excited when he found a recipe in there. Then he found another - then another. These exciting discoveries were the first of many entries in his 'cookbook'. We ripped out the super-hero recipes (Think: SpiderMan Stromboli and Sandman Slushy), put them in page protectors and secured them in a handy-dandy folder (you know - those sweet ones with the metal clips inside?). E also found recipes he liked in random cooking magazines, ripped them out and put 'em in page protectors.

Then one day while I was cooking, E got the idea that he wanted to CREATE a recipe of his own.

So he did.

And it was awesome.

In the morning we (E and I) sat down and wrote the recipe. He drew the picture and dictated the steps to me (which I wrote word-for-word of course!) - said recipe went in a page protector and into the ever-growing cookbook folder.

*This is the recipe for Darth Vador Pizza* 

When lunchtime rolled around E proclaimed that he was going to make us lunch! Yes, please.

He started with cutting up mozzarella cheese with his knife...

**did I make you nervous?? It's a butter knife I promise**

He ripped up some delicious salami (I was too busy staring in awe that he was making me food and forgot to take a picture -- I'm sure you can imagine it).

Then he laid out the crescent rolls in triangles and topped them with his meat and cheese...

And then into the OVEN it went! E made it very clear to me that I had to do that part since it was HOT. Smart kid I tell ya. 

As his little Darth Vador Pizza's were cooking away, E went digging in the fridge to find something to go with it. As a result of his searching the DARTH MAUL SALAD was born. 

*Mmmmmm veggies*

Carrots, celery, sweet peppers and cherry tomatoes were the ingredients Chef E combined for our salad. I love that he didn't put lettuce in...lettuce in a salad? Sooooo expected. 

Beep. Beep. Pizza's done! 

Ethan plated up our lunch and enthusiastically explained to us what we were about to enjoy:

Darth Vador Pizza 

Darth Maul Salad

R2D2 Oranges

And you know what? It was really good! 

Thanks E for the great lunch! Can't wait to taste your next new recipe :)