The Train To Crazy

A simple homemade mac n cheese recipe seems to be a staple in many households. I don't personally like it but my children are mac n cheese fiends. A few years back I searched for an easy recipe that my kids loved but nothing seemed to appeal to them. I eventually came up with with our shells and parmesan recipe that all the kids like. 

This recipe is quick and easy and not full of complex flavors so it's great for the pickier set. 

Parmesan Shells

In a large pot combine the water, evaporated milk, butter, pasta and salt. Bring to a boil. Boil uncovered for 9-12 minutes, until pasta is tender. Stir frequently. Remove from heat. DO NOT DRAIN. Add the parmesan and Italian seasoning and mix well until cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let sit so sauce will thicken for a few minutes. Serve with freshly grated parmesan. 

If your kids are like mine they'll enjoy this and you'll have leftovers for the lunchbox the next day. Win win! Let me know if you try this. I'd love to hear what you thought!

I like ice cream. I love mint ice cream. I super duper love mint ice cream with oreo cookie chunks in it. This recipe is very easy (the kids made this batch) and doesn't include eggs or cooking so that's a bonus in my book. Without further ado, let me present the Mint Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Recipe!

Mint Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Recipe

2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

8-10 regular oreo cookies

Stir together all the ingredients except the cookies until sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and follow its directions. Crunch up the oreos while you wait. I like fairly large chunks in mine. 

Add oreo chunks when ice cream is finished. Mix in well and freeze for as long as desired.

Top with some homemade chocolate syrup or just eat straight. You won't be sorry with this one. 

If you are like me, you care about what your kids put in their bodies. And, if you're like me, you sometimes fail to give them all the fruits and veggies they should be eating. Life happens. Empty fridges happen. Picky eaters happen.

At some point we noticed our oldest daughter had become a much pickier eater. Always asking for sweets over healthier options. We decided to do a bit of healthy eating education.

First we taught them about serving size.

Then we created the 5 Or More A Day chart we use in our house.

Each circle represents a full serving of a fruit or vegetable. The center line allows for half servings. Sometimes our little eaters have half a serving of a fruit so they get to color in half.

Color them in? What colors you might ask? 

Purple/Blue: blackberries, blueberries, plums, purple grapes, purple asparagus, purple endive, purple peppers, purple carrots, eggplant

Green: avocados, green apples, green grapes, honeydew, kiwi, limes, pears, artichokes, broccoli, brussels sprouts, green beans, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, leafy greens, leeks, okra, peas, green peppers, snap peas, spinach, zucchini

White: bananas, cauliflower, jicama, kohlrabi, mushrooms, onions, white potatoes, turnips, white carrots

Yellow/Orange: yellow apples, apricots, cantaloupe, grapefruit, lemons, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papaya, peaches, persimmons, pineapples, tangerines, butternut squash, carrots, yellow peppers, pumpkins, rutabagas, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, yellow squash

Red: red apples, cherries, cranberries, red grapes, pink grapefruit, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, beets, red peppers, radishes, radicchio, red onions, red potatoes, rhubarb, tomatoes

Implementing the chart

Stop fighting. Make sure you are offering the healthy foods, set your expectations, then leave it up to them to eat enough to fill in a circle. We are consistent about serving sizes and we don't bargain. Or beg.

Offer an incentive. If you are fortunate, the idea of filling up a chart is enough motivation for your child. Chances are, you might have to provide more incentive. We link dessert to the chart. Perhaps you could implement a "5 a day all week and you get dessert on the weekend" policy. Maybe your kids need more frequent reinforcement? Perhaps a few m&ms or a sticker after dinner if they eat 5 a day without complaining? It's up to you. Obviously the goal is to create habits that don't require incentives but that takes time if your kids aren't used to eating a lot of veggies and fruit.

Make decisions about the questionables. We don't count juice (except fresh squeezed) or overly processed veggies/fruits as a serving. That's up to you but make your decisions early.

Get organized. Feeding your kids at least 5 full servings of fruit and veggies every day takes planning. Once your kids get excited about this chart (and they probably will) they won't let you slack! Don't even think about not offering them enough. My kids are on my case if they don't have enough for the day. Make sure there are fresh, clean, cut fruits and veggies ready for them to snack on throughout the day. Spend 5 minutes at night preparing for the next day. It makes a difference.

Emphasize COLOR. Eating lots of strawberries is wonderful but we want kids that eat a wide variety of colorful veggies. The more colors they eat the wider variety of nutrients. Added bonus? Their chart is prettier.

Be realistic. If you have a kid who refuses any and all healthy food right now you could consider starting small. You know your kid best. Though I've found that kids are able to rise to the occasion. If you tell them what you expect from the outset, and if they want that reward enough they'll get on board.

Have fun. I've never seen my kids so excited about getting healthy. Talk it up, get excited with them. If you act like it is a dreadful chore they will too. Find fun ways to serve veggies. Try kale chips, green smoothies, frozen peas or rainbow kabobs.

Want to start creating healthy habits in your home?  Download 5 a day chart 

Soon enough your charts will be looking like this:

What are some creative, healthy ways you increase fruit and veggie consumption in your house?

What says winter more than peppermint bark? Okay, lots of things, but seriously, it's my favorite thing. And let's be honest. There is mediocre peppermint bark, and there is exceptional peppermint bark. If you've had Williams Sonoma's then you know exceptional (insane price as well). If you've has Costco's you know mediocre (though still worth eating).

I'm about to share a recipe that blows them both out of the water. Are you ready to pack on the pounds?

I found this recipe on Epicurious (here) but I'll tell you exactly how I make it.

What you need:

17 oz. white chocolate chips (Ghiradelli is perfect for this)

7 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips (also Ghiradelli)

6 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

6 candy canes crunched up

How to:

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Mark off a 12×9 inch rectangle on the foil (or eyeball it)

In a double boiler, melt the white chocolate chips until 110 degrees F. No double boiler or candy thermometer? No problem! Take 2 sauce pans, one slightly larger than the other and put about an inch of water in the bottom of the bigger one. Put the smaller one inside the larger one. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the small one. Heat the water on medium until it simmers. Put white chocolate into smaller pan and place pan inside larger one. STIR CONSTANTLY. Remove from heat when the chocolate is ALMOST all the way melted. If you wait until it is all melted, you've gone too far and it will burn. Don't worry, it will melt the rest of the way once off the stove. 

Pour 2/3 cup of white chocolate onto foil. Spread it evenly within the rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup of the candy cane bits on top. Cool in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

In a heavy bottomed pan, on medium low heat, melt bittersweet chocolate together with the cream and peppermint extract. STIR CONSTANTLY. Remove from heat once melted. Pour it onto the cookie sheet and spread evenly. Cool for 25 minutes.

Rewarm the white chocolate as before. Spread evenly on top of bittersweet chocolate. Evenly distribute the remaining candy cane bits on top. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Then cut the peppermint bark into squares and refrigerate to store. Unless you eat it all right then…

 Yum. 

Do you like peppermint bark? Have you ever made it?

• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• dash of salt

Combine in a sauce pan. Bring to a gentle boil for 3-5 minutes stirring continually. The longer it is boiled, the thicker it is when cooled. Cool and refrigerate for up to 2 months. Oh my, good.

I have a few a few pizza crust recipes I use. This is my favorite thick crust recipe. Super easy, very tasty.

Make the crust:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Combine the first 4 dry ingredients. Combine water and oil, then add to the dry ingredients. I use my Kitchen Aid mixer to mix then use the dough hook to knead for about 5 minutes. You can mix by hand then knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Grease a bowl and put ball of dough in it. Toss it around to coat. Cover the bowl and let rise 20 minutes. I use the same mixer bowl so I don't dirty another dish. In a rush, I sometimes skip this rise. The dough will still be good, just not as thick.

Grease a 12" or 16" pizza pan and spread dough out with your hands on the pan. Don't use a rolling pin. Top pizza and let rise for 15 more minutes. I've also skipped this rise with success. 

Topping your pizza: Mix 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil with 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and a dash of salt. Spread oil mixture on crust, especially the edges. Add pizza sauce. Good pizza sauce is a requirement. If you aren't up for making your own, I recommend Trader Joe's pizza sauce. Then add 3/4 to 1 cup of shredded mozzarella and 1/4 cup fresh shredded parmesan.

Bake at 450 degrees for 11-15 minutes.

Do you make your own pizza?

I may, just possibly, be linking to one of these other blogs this week. Go check them out.

It has been a rather snowless winter around here, oddly enough. I think you all have hogged all the snow. Sure we've had a few inches here and there and maybe one big snow but not as much as I expected for Boston.

I was excited about the 6-8 inches of snow we supposed to get last week so I headed to the store to buy soup ingredients. Because nothing says snow storm like soup. Unfortunately we didn't get snow. Well, an inch, if that counts.

Still, I declare this soup week. In honor of soup week, I thought I'd share some of my favorite soup recipes.

Beef Stew

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes 
1/4 cup flour 
2 cups chopped onions 
1/2 cup chopped celery 
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons chopped garlic 
4 meat stock 
2 large Idaho potatos, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

Chili

1 lb ground beef

1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce (I puree a can of tomatoes)

1 (29 oz) can pinto beans, with liquid

1 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced celery

4 medium tomatoes coarsely chopped

2 tsp. cumin powder

3 Tbsp. chili powder (add extra for spicier chili)

1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp salt

2 cups water

Brown ground beef and drain. Put all ingredients in a large pot and simmer for 2-3 hours. Alternatively throw it in a crock pot for the day. This makes a full 5 quart crock pot full. This is rather spicy so if you don't like spicy you might want to add a bit less chili pepper.

• Winter Minestrone (courtesy of Giada De Laurentis)
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 carrots peeled, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 oz thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 russet potato, peeled, cubed
• 1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
• 2 (14 oz) cans beef broth
• 1 oz piece of parmesan cheese rind
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• salt and pepper
• Heat the oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, pancetta and garlic. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and potato. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and rosemary sprig. Simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, blend 3/4 cup of the beans with 1/4 cup of the broth in a processor until almost smooth. Add the pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, and Parmesan cheese rind to the vegetable mixture. Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in the whole beans and parsley. Simmer until the beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard Parmesan rind and rosemary sprig.
• I've omitted the parmesan and the pancetta before and it does lose a bit of flavor but it is still really good!

Now go eat!

I really like Rice-a-roni. I know. There is an easy way to make it without buying the sodium laced box of mystery ingredients. This tastes good. Really good. And the good news is that you probably have all of this in your pantry.

1/2 cup broken up thin pasta like vermicelli 

3/4 cup white rice

3 cups of broth (I use chicken)

2 Tbsp. butter

Optional ingredients: garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, salt or whatever you want. I use about 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, a little salt, liberal parsley.

Saute pasta in butter, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. Stir in rice and spices until it is coated in butter. Add broth. Cover with tight fitting lid and simmer until broth is absorbed. Enjoy. 

For more recipes head over to the Ultimate Recipe Swap.

I've made a handful of different pancake recipes in the past few weeks and have settled on a tasty, easy recipe. I always look for a recipe that doesn't require separating eggs and isn't fussy. It also has to include ingredients I have on hand. This one fits that bill for me. We eat pancakes enough to be worth it to keep some buttermilk on hand. To make the next pancake breakfast even easier just mix up the dry ingredients and put them in a jar to be quickly mixed with the egg and buttermilk when you have a pancake craving. Easy Buttermilk Pancakes (from Recipezaar)

• 1 cup cake flour or all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix. It will be a bit lumpy, that's O.K. This recipe serves 4 people, if you are light eaters and there are other things to eat. I double it. I always have cake flour on hand. I've also made it with half cake flour and half unbleached flour. It is best with all cake flour but it is still good with all purpose flour.

In my quest for a mac 'n cheese recipe my kids will eat I decided to abandon the traditional mac 'n cheese ship for a while. After many recipes and failed attempts I made Shells 'n Parm. Or, as I call it so my kids will trust me and eat it "pasta with butter and parmesan."

I had mentioned that we make these baked doughnuts. The second day we had a bunch left over and still no sugar to put on them. They aren't that awesome plain (though that is the only way Daphne will eat them) so we tried dipping them in chocolate (isn't everything good in chocolate?). As I said, looks can be deceiving.

I've searched high and low for the best, easiest waffle recipe and have found it. The recipe came courtesy of the Food Network and I've made some adjustments to make it easier and a bit healthier.

The mixing takes about 5 minutes and then you just let the batter rest for 30 minutes. No separating eggs or whipping egg whites. The recipe will make 6 4" square belgian waffles. We like to double the recipe because we all love waffles.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup flour (I mix half whole wheat flour, half unbleached white flour)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup nonfat milk 
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Butter and syrup, for serving  

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the flours, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat a waffle iron. Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron; the oil in the batter will allow the waffle to release easily. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.

For more Fun Foods visit Randi's Recipe Swap Box.

These were good.  Too good.  I ate way too many of them.  This was my plate and trust me, I went back for seconds.

The girls made these (you might be able to tell that without me saying so).  Peanut butter cookies are fun to make the fork marks on.

It is Friday again! Please join us in posting a favorite recipe so we can all enjoy! If this is your first time here please read this. Once you have posted your recipe on your blog put your name in the auto-link below and put your recipe’s URL so we can all go check it out. Feel free to add to these at any time as well. If you can’t get to this on a Friday, no worries!! If you don’t have a blog, or don’t like putting recipes on your blog just put your recipe in the comments.

The theme is Christmas desserts!! This is my all time favorite recipe.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls (A.K.A. the best cookie ever)
There are many recipes out there for this cookie but this is the BEST recipe.
2 C. peanut butter
2 C. powdered sugar
3 C rice krispies
about 16 ounces choc chips

Mix first 3 ingredients together and roll into balls.

Melt chocolate. Dip balls into melted chocolate to coat. Put on cookie sheet on wax paper for a couple hours before eating. You can freeze, but cool in fridge for a couple hours before you freeze them.

My mom’s chocolate peanut butter balls look SO much better than mine but they taste the same!! Yum! I just ate one.

We all enjoy getting our kids to eat healthily. With some kids it is easier said than done. Making smoothies is a great way to add a few servings of fruits and vegetables to their daily diet. Vegetables you say? YES! Here is the recipe for Naomi’s favorite smoothie, that she sometimes mistakenly calls a milkshake 😉 Well, there is no real recipe, but this is what we add;

5 types of frozen fruit- peaches, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, & melon (you might recognize this combo as a bag you can find at Costco)
A few mini carrots
a cup or two of spinach
apple juice

When I first started making these smoothies I would distract the kids while I put in the spinach and carrots. My girls are usually not a fan of either, in any form. Now the girls help me put them in the blender and only occasionally comment about the “salad”.

Now I don’t feel so bad about feeding them a steady diet of carbs and cheese.

What is your favorite smoothie recipe?