Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Get Your Kids Into The Kitchen This Week! (What Malachi is Learning)

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I tell you, when my older boys were little I had them in the kitchen learning with me all the time. It’s amazing, though, what Malachi has missed out on by being the youngest of four. Poor kid. I read to him less, took fewer pictures of him – basically he has all the “baby of the family” issues. You can see how sad and miserable he is as a result:

pineapple fluff malachi

There. We can’t say I never took his picture.

One thing that has been nice the past few months is that while the older boys have been at basketball practice on Tuesday/Thursday nights – Malachi has had quite a bit of one-on-one time with the parents. We’ve used these nights to work on special projects – one in particular has been in the area of cooking. (He’s also been dreaming of and planning a state-wide Lego Convention with Matt, because when Malachi has an idea it’s go big or go home.)

I’ve been pulling him down onto my lap (because yay, he still fits!) and together we’ll watch a cooking video from the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse that came out in January. We talk about what we watched. We make plans for what to cook, based on the skills he just learned. We practice the skills together. This kid has made huge strides in just a few weeks!

In fact, he and I got so excited about what he’s learning that we spent part of the month of February writing a little cookbook together! I’m not even kidding. (More about his book later!)

Malachi's Favorite Cookbook small

Score one (or one-thousand) for being intentional. That’s really all it takes: Deciding you’re going to teach your kid something – then actually following through with it. (That is profound parenting advice, right there.)

malachi cutting

Free 3-Part Kids Cook Real Food Videos

This all started for Malachi and me back in January when we took advantage of Katie’s FREE Knife Skills Training Lessons. He learned loads in those lessons alone. Now Malachi confidently cuts everything from apples to strawberries to carrots – and I confidently hand him the sharp knives. (I am totally working myself out of a job.)

malachi cutting berries

I’m so happy to share that Katie opened up access to these FREE video lessons again just for Heavenly Homemaker readers. They are completely free – so grab the videos, grab your kids, then grab some knives. ( <—For your fruits and vegetables. Oh, you know what I mean.)

What You Can Expect This Week

All this week we’ll be focused on getting our kids into the kitchen. Why?

  • Our kids need to know how to cook.
  • Our kids need to know about cooking nutritious foods (not just about putting a frozen pizza in the oven).

Even if you don’t have kids at home, I think you’ll still enjoy the posts during the next several days (because recipes and a craft!!!). Here’s the line-up for this week:

  • Kid (and everyone else) Friendly Recipe: Crustless Pizza Pie
  • Kid (and everyone else) Friendly 3-Ingredient Recipe: Homemade {Real Food} Tootsie Rolls – I am not kidding!
  • Easy 5-Minute Recipe Card Holder Craft Tutorial for Kids and Adults Alike (If I can make it, you can make it. Wait until you see how cute!)
  • Lists of easy recipes (with links) your kids can learn to make on their own
  • And don’t forget that this week only, you have access to the FREE Knife Skills Videos and Lessons.

kids in the kitchen week

A Word About the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse

Registration for Katie’s Kids Cook Real Food eCourse closed right after Malachi and I signed up in January. Since that time, it has benefited our family more than I ever imagined it would. Malachi wasn’t super thrilled to watch the first video with me and get started in the kitchen (because it’s easier to let someone else do the work, right?). But in just a few weeks, he has gone from knowing very little about cooking to being able to do dozens of kitchen tasks. Now each week when a new lesson hits our inbox, Malachi actually gets excited!

“Did we get a new cooking video? I really like those, Mom. You should tell Katie that I really like the videos and the lessons. What’s this new one about?”

That is why I emailed Katie recently – to let her know that her eCourse has been a huge blessing to our family, and to ask her if she would pretty please open up her cart for a few days in Feb/March so more of you can jump aboard this amazingness with Malachi and me. She said “sure!” You need to know that we scored big to be given this privilege, because the cart doesn’t open back up for the general public until May!

What Surprises Me Most About The Kids Cook Real Food eCourse

I’ve been cooking since I was about 8-years old. I’ve been researching nutrition and real-food eating for over 10 years. I consider myself to be pretty good in the kitchen and pretty knowledgeable about food in general.

But I have learned oodles of facts I did not know while working through this eCourse with Malachi.

I didn’t know the thing about the garlic! I didn’t even know the thing about the rice. (I can’t tell you which things because that’s not fair to Katie.) If your kids are taking the course and you read/hear the things about the garlic and the rice, please email me to tell me if you knew. Did you know??

I Have a Bunch of Free Stuff for You To Go With This eCourse

You might remember me saying that I’ve been wanting to put together a Kids Cooking eCourse for years. I was even a little bit disappointed when I heard Katie was making one because I wanted to make one! (<— best read in a whiny voice.) Then I saw what Katie had put together, and I was like, “Well, wow. This is a million times better than I would have/could have done. This is incredible.”

But if I would have made one (which I didn’t), I would have geared it around my Teaching Your Kids to Cook and Learn to Cook ebooks. They would have gone hand-in-hand because those books have a lot of basic cooking information and of course – many easy-to-make real food recipes.

Katie’s class is perfectly set up to teach your kids to cook the real foods you regularly make in your kitchen. This means that if your family has allergies, your child learns to make allergy friendly food your family can eat. It means that if your family has favorite recipes, your child learns to make your family’s favorite recipes. This means that no matter what cookbook your child has, he/she can read it and cook from it.

That’s why it’s fun to be able to give you all 212 pages worth of my Teaching Your Kids to Cook and Learn to Cook ebooks FOR FREE when you buy the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse this week. Then you and your kids will have even more great real food recipes to work with!

Free Teaching Your Kids to Cook eBooks

Additional Freebies!

I’ve been creating some simple activities for Malachi to complete as he has been working his way through the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse. They are fun and effective – reinforcing the skills and nutrition tips he’s been learning. So I packaged them up for you to enjoy with your kids too! Get the Kids Cook Real Food Activities Packet for FREE when you buy Katie’s eCourse this week.

Kids Cook Real Food Activities Packet - Free with Purchase

A Special FREE Copy of Malachi’s Favorite Cookbook

Malachi and I had so much fun working together to write a cookbook. Wait until you read, “Malachi’s Best Cooking Tips!” on page 2 of his book. (He actually used the word, “duh!” which I edited out then put back in because he is eleven and adorable and I couldn’t not include it.)

I’m guessing Malachi’s favorite recipes will soon be your child’s favorite recipes. The book includes 16 of his favorites. Of course, now that we’ve completed it and we keep cooking together, he keeps thinking of more. “We should have added that recipe to my cookbook!” Good thing we included extra pages at the back of the book for your child (and mine) to add new favorites as he/she discovers tasty recipes he/she enjoys!

Malachi agreed that we could give this book away for free this week to anyone who buys the eCourse. “People should get these classes, Mom. They’re really good. Tell them it’s really good.” <— Malachi has spoken.

Malachi's Favorite Cookbook Samples2

So Let’s Review

  1. Everyone can sign up this week to enjoy the FREE Knife Skills Training Videos with your kids. Do this now! You’ll love it!
  2. I have some really great recipes and a craft tutorial ready to share with you this week. Homemade tootsie rolls? Absolutely, yes!
  3. The Kids Cook Real Food eCourse is open just for Heavenly Homemaker readers, just through Monday, March 7. It is well worth your money and time investment.
  4. To sweeten the pot, I’m giving everyone who purchases the eCourse a free Learn to Cook eBook (102 pages), a free Teaching Your Kids to Cook eBook (111 pages), a free copy of Malachi’s Favorite Cookbook (15 pages), and a free KCRF Activity Packet (10 pages)!

To get your freebies and to be entered into our drawing, you’ll just need to email me to let me know that you made the purchase. I’ll have your name in a ledger, but I won’t have your email address. So I can check the ledger, then email you back with the goods!

It’s going to be a great week! At home we’ll be starting with Malachi cutting broccoli, carrots, and zucchini for stir-fry. See? Told you I was working myself out of a job. :)

Look forward to fun kid-friendly recipes coming right up!

Learn More About the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse Here.

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Coconut Oil: Why it is Good For You and Where to Buy it

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Why Coconut Oil is Good For You

I’m often talking about coconut oil around here.  I use it for baking. I use it on our skin. My favorite lotion bar is made from coconut oil. I highly encourage eating coconut oil and letting coconut oil help heal your system!

Today I’d like to answer a couple of frequently asked Coconut Oil questions…

Why is coconut oil good for you?

Coconut Oil is a saturated fat…something we’re told today to stay away from. My research has taught me to disagree with this. I’m not afraid of saturated fats. Please read this well written and well researched article, which explains saturated fats and coconut oil way better than I ever could!

Coconut Oil:  Why it is Good For You

Coconut oil is a stable fat, which means that it doesn’t go rancid easily like unsaturated fats do. (Unsaturated fats, like canola and vegetable oils, go rancid within just a few hours of being produced. This means that they are already rancid by the time they make it to grocery store shelves.)  Those living in tropical climates, consuming large amounts of coconut oil have low rates of heart desease, cancer and colon problems. Coconut Oil can actually help you lose weight and fight infections. It is anti-fungal. It has the ability to keep your thyroid healthy.

Where can you buy Coconut Oil?

I’ve not seen high quality coconut oil in my local grocery stores, but I live in a fairly small town without a lot of options. I have seen coconut oil at Wal-mart…and it works if I’m desperate…but it is far from great in my opinion.

I always buy my coconut oil online, as this is where I find the best prices. High quality coconut oil may seem expensive, but I consider coconut oil to be a healing, whole food…therefore the cost is worth it!

A good price for high quality virgin coconut oil, according to what I have found, is around $14/quart. I love it (of course) if I can find it for less than that! I watch for it to go on sale and compare prices at any of the following:

~ Tropical Traditions (watch for sales on both their Virgin Coconut Oil or their Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil.)

~ Vitacost – get $10 off your first $30 order!

~ Mountain Rose Herbs (Can be bought by the gallon here, helping this purchase to be very cost effective. Since Coconut Oil keeps for a long time…purchasing a gallon bucket is a great idea to help cut the cost!)

~ Amazon (Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil seems to be the best price at Amazon.)

~ Food Co-ops – If you’re a part of a health food co-op, you’ll likely be able to buy coconut oil through them.

What if I don’t like the taste of coconuts? Does coconut have a strong coconut flavor?

There are two types of coconut oil and both are good for you. One tastes like coconuts, and the other doesn’t!

Virgin (unrefined) Coconut Oil has a strong coconut flavor. It is processed in such a way that helps it keep the coconuty taste. I love Virgin Coconut Oil for baking.

Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil doesn’t have a flavor at all! It is processed differently, taking away any flavor, but keeping the nutrients intact. I’ve almost always found this variety of coconut oil to be less expensive. In fact, Mountain Rose Herbs has Virgin Coconut Oil for only $24/gallon + shipping…making it around $9/quart!!!!

How do I measure Coconut Oil for a recipe?

I addressed this question in my recent post:  How to Adapt a Recipe to Make it Healthier. I encourage you to read this post, and read through the comments as many of you shared easy ways to measure coconut oil. I pretty much just “eyeball it” when I measure! :)

What other Coconut Oil questions do you have? Do you like the coconut flavor, or do you prefer your coconut oil to be flavorless?

This post was originally published March 15, 2011.

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So, You Don’t Like to Cook?

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I don’t understand how it can possibly be true, but from what I hear, some of you don’t get a “high” out of pulling out ingredients and stirring together dishes of deliciousness. When you see a new recipe – you don’t get giddy? How can it be?

It seems that instead, some of you very much enjoy mixing chemicals in beakers, changing the oil in a car, running marathons, writing software, organizing closets, crafting adorable items out of old window frames, decorating living rooms, taking pictures, or making quilts. I’m neither good at any of those, nor do I enjoy them – which is likely because I’m not good at them. Every time I try to run, I am then unable to walk for several days afterward. For me, quilting takes three million years of cross-eyed sewing and ripping out mistakes. And last week – someone handed me a camera with lots of cool lenses and I completely panicked because it wasn’t a simple point-and-shoot. They all stood there saying cheese, and I was like, what do I do? what do I do?

But put me in my kitchen, and I’m completely at ease. Ingredients of all kinds give me joy. (Well, not ingredients like margarine. But, you know what I mean, right?)  Creating new recipes is one of my favorite hobbies. Making four dishes at one time is therapeutic for me.

Heavenly Homemaker's Messy Kitchen

Ah yes, we all have different talents, abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and interests. God did that on purpose.  It’s a good thing.  Seriously, if it were all up to me, all living rooms would be painted white, NASA wouldn’t exist,  and there would be no party games.

While I can call in for back-up when picking paint colors, unfortunately, there’s not much of a way those of you who don’t enjoy cooking can avoid the kitchen. After all, we all need to eat three times each day. I’ll even admit that while I love cooking, sometimes even I don’t feel like going to all the trouble to once again feed the forever hungry people in my house.

So to all of you who do not enjoy cooking, or who might be experiencing some kitchen burn-out, I have a few suggestions:

1. Don’t make it hard.

Is it possible that you don’t like cooking because the recipes you try are complex and challenging? I believe one of the reasons I love cooking is that I always stick with very simple recipes. Basic ingredients. Tasty food. The end. I’ll leave recipes which require fourteen complicated steps to gourmet chefs. As for me, I’ll stick with simple prep, real food, and family friendly meals.

2. Don’t give up.

I promise that cooking gets easier the more you do it. Make just a few recipes over and over, then slowly add in a few more as you become comfortable. Don’t overwhelm yourself, feeling like you have to put loads of work into this. Make a simple main dish, toss a salad, steam a veggie…and you’re done.

3. Make the most of your kitchen time.

If you don’t enjoy cooking, do everything possible to save yourself effort. If you’re making one casserole, make three (eat one, freeze two). Brown several pounds of hamburger at once, freezing one pound portions so you just have to pull out cooked meat to stir into sauce or make into tacos. Check out more of my Eat Healthy, Save Time Tips.

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I would say that about 95% of the recipes you’ll find here on my site are very quick to put together. (Homemade Twinkies are the bomb, but who really has time to bake little cakes, and then pipe filling inside except for the rare special treat?)

Here are some of my favorite, super fast and easy recipes to throw together:

Really, the list could continue – just click through all my recipe links in my Recipe drop-down tool bar at the top of my site. And don’t forget to make use of the new Heavenly Homemaker’s Recipe Search By Ingredient Box, located at the top of my right-hand side bar. It can take the thinking out of “what should I make?”

Don’t like to cook? No problem. I’ll do everything I can to make this healthy eating journey easier for you!

Let’s get an idea of how many of you love cooking, or dislike cooking. Share in the comments section! Those of you who don’t like cooking – what other activities do you enjoy?  :)

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What Recharges Your Batteries?

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freezer_cooking_3

Hearty Chili and Whole Wheat Butterhorns for the freezer

We had been traveling for two weeks. We drove from Nebraska to California and back again. We saw friends and loved ones along the way. We waited in traffic, slowed down while car accidents were cleared away, crawled along to be careful of icy roads, and took detours. Our body clocks got messed up because of the time changes. Our digestive systems got messed up because of the fast food.

We got behind on our work. We came home to deadlines, expectations, loads and loads of laundry, and a Christmas tree that needed to be taken down and put away.

After spending an enjoyable holiday with family – I found myself being so tired upon arriving home that all I could think of was how miserable I was. I had so much catching up to do, I didn’t know where to start. I just wanted to sleep. But no matter how much I slept, I somehow couldn’t get caught up on rest. My body was exhausted. And ultimately, I didn’t have time for extra sleep. There was too much to do!

The point of this post is not to invite you to my pity party. I’ve prayed through it. I’ve caught up on sleep. I’m over it. :)

But we all have times like this don’t we? Times when we are so overwhelmed and exhausted we can hardly see straight? It’s not fun.

While I was in the “thick of the sludge” last week, at one point I groaned and wearily told Matt, “You know what I really want to do? I really just want to skip all the rest of the work I need to do and go into the kitchen and cook all day!”

Matt told me to go for it. But I whined that I “didn’t have time to take a break like that.”

Finally, once I realized that I wasn’t able to be productive anymore at the computer, I threw my hands in the air and went into the kitchen to start grinding flour. :) I then proceeded to spend the entire afternoon baking, cooking, and baking some more.

orange_cake_1

Orange Pound Cake, following this Lemon Pound Cake recipe, subbing orange juice from our California fresh oranges!

By the time I was finished, my back was aching, my feet were tired, and my kitchen was a mess. But I felt completely refreshed, recharged, and ready to tackle my other projects once again.

freezer_cooking_1

 Whole Wheat Calzones

 It’s amazing really. Sometimes when we have too much to do, we need to just step back and do something else. By doing so, we will be refreshed and ready to tackle our to-do list again.

Cooking refreshes me. I love it. And then I end up with great food to feed my family too. It’s a win-win!

What recharges your batteries? What activity do you love to do when you need a breath of fresh air? Making crafts, cleaning, cooking, something else? I can’t wait to hear!

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17 phone calls

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As of this month, I am now 38 years old and have been married to my beloved for 17 years. Speaking of my beloved (because it’s more fun to avoid talking about how old I am and to instead focus on my anniversary) – do you want to know what Matt did for me on our special day?

He was out of town all weekend at a soccer retreat with the college team he helps coach, making it impossible for us to be together on our anniversary. (Don’t worry, the story gets better.)  We’d decided to celebrate later and I happily supported his decision to go be with the team. His cell phone broke while he was gone (no really, the story gets better), so he was unable to call without borrowing a phone and going to a little extra trouble. He called in the morning to wish me a happy anniversary, and then later in the evening when he had a moment. And that’s when the fun started.

No sooner had he and I hung up from our conversation that the phone rang again. It was one of the soccer girls, Isabelle, calling to wish me a Happy 17th Anniversary. I hung up with Isabelle and the phone rang again. It was Katie, another soccer player, calling to wish me a Happy Anniversary. Then Jen called. Then Jordan. Then Anna, then Macy, then Hannah, then Morgan. And so it went for 17 phone calls.

Yes, my husband had arranged for 17 soccer gals to call and wish me a Happy 17th Anniversary. It was the sweetest thing ever. The girls kept saying things like, “Coach Copp has been talking about you all day.” and “Thanks for sharing your husband with us this weekend.” It totally made my night (and totally kept me from washing dishes because who can wash dishes when the phone rings 17 times in a row?).

And that is why I made him a peach cobbler when he got home with 17 peaches from our peach tree. (Okay, just kidding, I don’t really know how many peaches I used, but 17 peaches sounded more romantic.)

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Meals to Feed to a Large Crowd

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Have a large crowd to feed? We have over 39 great ideas to help you keep it simple!

I frequently feed crowds of 20 or more. I’ve truly gotten to a place where I can say, “Oh, it’s easy.” How? I keep these meals very simple! And my best tip of all:

The side dishes I serve are made up of fresh fruits and vegetables. Nothing fancy or difficult! I simply wash strawberries and put them in a big bowl. I dump baby carrots onto a tray, slice some cucumbers, and set out some ranch dip. I steam several pounds of frozen green beans, peas, or corn.

My buffets always look so pretty and inviting because of these fruits and veggies! People love this! But I’ve gone to very little trouble. It’s a great win-win!

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junefood 1

Tips for Feeding a Large Crowd

  • Do as much food prep ahead of time as possible. Here are my best tips about working ahead before company arrives.
  • Don’t be afraid to say yes to help! If someone asks, “What can I do to help?” give them a job!
  • Create a menu with one simple main dish (ideas below) and as mentioned above, set out simple fruit and veggie side dishes to accompany the meal.
  • Watch for French and Italian bread on the mark-down trays at your grocery stores. Slice them in half length-wise, butter them, and warm them in the oven for an additional, filling simple side dish.
  • If you’re going to make mashed potatoes (for a crowd or just for your family) you must follow this simple mashed potato making method!
  • Serve water. Other fun drinks are great if you have time. But when I have a houseful of teens or college students, I usually set out jars of water and a stack of solo cups. It’s easy and well, spilled water isn’t a concern like spilled grape juice. Oy!
  • Smile often. Smile while you prepare the food and while you’re serving it. Let your guests know you are glad they are there!
  • Good home design can also play a factor in making your kitchen more functional for large groups. If you are building a home or remodeling your current kitchen, consider an open plan with an island or plenty of countertop space for buffet-style entertaining. Staying up-to-date with the best home décor ideas from sites like DesignIdeasGuide can spark your creativity.

Meals to Feed to a Large Crowd

burrito buffet

Setting up a buffet in which people line up and fix their plate according to their preference is the easiest all the way around. This also ensures that people with food allergies or those who are picky can fill their plate the way they need and like. Here are my best ideas for simple main dishes that can be made in bulk and fed easily to a large crowd:

  1. Build-Your-Own Burrito Bar
  2. Breakfast Burrito Buffet (great any time of the day!)
  3. Nacho or Taco Bar (This meaty cheese dip recipe is our favorite! It’s easy to make in bulk and is always a crowd pleaser.)
  4. Baked Potato Bar (Bake potatoes in a crock pot or large roaster to make it easy. Set out diced meat or chili, grated cheese, chopped veggies, sour cream, and olives for toppings.)
  5. Sub Sandwich Bar (Set out hoagie rolls, a variety of lunch meat and sliced cheese, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, olives, and any other favorite sandwich fixins.)
  6. Chef Salad Bar
  7. Pasta Salad Bar
  8. Simple Spanish Rice Bowls
  9. Sloppy Joes
  10. Chili (served with toppings like Fritos, shredded cheese, sour cream, and olives)
  11. Burgers and Dogs on the Grill (great for spring and summer!)
  12. Simple Grilled Chicken

How about casseroles that are easy to make in bulk to feed to a large crowd?

After all, if you’re going to make one, you might as well make…more than one. Each of these feeds 8-12, so double or quadruple accordingly!

  1. Lasagna (Use this method to make it easy to build several Lasagnas at once. This is always a huge crowd pleaser!)
  2. Easy Breakfast Casserole (served with a variety of homemade muffins – recipes below – and fresh fruit)
  3. Simple Crock Pot Taco Pasta
  4. Simple Pizza Chicken Bake
  5. Simple Lasagna Casserole (For Instant Pot or Crock Pot)
  6. Simple Hashbrown Casserole (For Instant Pot, Crock Pot or Oven!)
  7. Simple Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
  8. Layered Cheesy Salsa Enchiladas
  9. Beefy Enchilada Bake
  10. Cheesy Beef and Rice
  11. Pizza Casserole
  12. Italian Pasta Bake

Easy Meat Dishes that are Great to Feed to a Crowd

You’ve got to love how the word “Simple” is in each of these. These recipes each take just a few minutes of prep!

  1. Simple Barbecue Beef Roast
  2. Simple Overnight Saucy Crock Pot Chicken
  3. Simple Overnight Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast
  4. Simple Oven Fried Chicken
  5. Simple Honey Mustard Chicken Legs
  6. Simple Roasted Rotiserie Chicken
  7. Simple Hawaiian Beef Roast
  8. Simple Garlic Parmesan Chicken Legs

Soups and Stews That Are Great to Feed a Large Crowd

Make a big pot or two of these. Serve with fresh fruits and veggies, maybe bread, muffins, or corn chips. So easy and good!

  1. Calico Beans
  2. The Simplest White Chicken Chili
  3. Simple Hamburger Soup
  4. Simple Crock Pot Chicken Soup with a Kick
  5. Last-Minute Lentil Chili
  6. 20-Minute Taco Soup
  7. Potato Soup
  8. Chili

Pssst! If you like keeping life in the kitchen simple, while still putting nourishing and delicious food on the table for your family, you should consider becoming a Simple Meals Member! We cut down on your time and effort, save you money, and provide you with all that you need to make great and simple meals all week long!

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Desserts that are Great to Feed to a Large Crowd

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I typically choose to make cookies into bars when I am feeding a crowd. This cuts down on my time investment!

  1. Butterscotch Bars (my most requested dessert recipe when I’m feeding a crowd!)
  2. Monster Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
  3. Build a Brownie Sundae Bar
  4. Peanut Butter Apple Cookie Bars
  5. Build a Fruit Salad Bar

Easy Bread and Muffin Recipes to Feed a Large Crowd

  1. Four Varieties of Cheesecake Muffins
  2. Peanut Butter Muffins (naturally grain, gluten, and dairy free!)
  3. Twenty-Three Wholesome and Delicious Muffin Recipes
  4. Whole Wheat Stir-and-Pour Bread (unbelievably easy!)
Meals to Feed a Large Crowd
Now your turn! Please share in the comments any and all of your ideas for cooking for a crowd. What are your favorite dishes to make for company? What dishes work well to make for large groups of people? If you have recipe links, share those too. Thanks all!
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Gratituesday: Cooking for Three

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We’re experiencing something this week we haven’t experienced for 12 years – we have only one child in our house.

Yep, Asa’s at church camp, and Justus and Elias are spending a fun-filled week with grandparents. Left at home with the parents:  Malachi.

It’s quiet, there’s not nearly the volume of laundry or dirty dishes and wow – I can’t believe the tiny amount of food we’re eating. Yesterday I got out eggs for our breakfast, automatically getting out an entire dozen. Oops. All of our biggest eaters are away right now. We may actually have leftovers this week!

I got to visit with Justus and Elias on the phone this morning and it sounds like they are having a blast. Papa had bought some fireworks, Grandma Tacy had made cinnamon rolls and “a really yummy egg casserole thing”. There had been a potluck after church yesterday and last night they got to eat pizza.

Funny how much of the conversation revolved around food. See? Told ya my biggest eaters were out of town. (I’m sure Asa’s doing a pretty good job of chowing down at camp too!)

So what’s Malachi doing? Well he’s got big plans to invite over some friends this week to play with, he’s getting a little more PBS Kids time than normal – plus we’ve played at least six or thirty rounds of Blink. We’re reading Mr. Popper’s Penquins together and last night, he fell asleep in my arms while we read. Bliss.

As the youngest boy, Malachi hasn’t had much one-on-one with the parents. He’s living it up!

I’m thankful for this time with him, and so grateful that our other boys are being loved on and are making great memories this week.

What are you thankful for this Gratituesday? Write about it on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for!

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Teaching Your Kids to Cook: Turkey Ranch Pinwheels

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As I mentioned a few days ago, we’re working hard at our house on a new curriculum/ebook called Teaching Your Kids to Cook. Just like Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve, this has become a family project. I’m the one writing it, but all the kids get to be a part of putting this all together (and posing for pictures), which makes this task so much more fun!

Malachi (age 6) was eager to help me try a new “recipe” idea – one that requires no cooking – just a little bit of spreading, rolling and sprinkling. In the middle of summer, any recipe that requires “no cooking” is a winner, so we decided we’d give you a sneak peek into this recipe before the book is completed!

Turkey Ranch PinwheelsYum

4 Soft Whole Wheat Tortillas
3 Tablespoons Ranch Dressing (we make our own ranch dressing)
½ cup Turkey, cut into tiny pieces
½ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Spread Ranch Dressing on each tortilla.

Sprinkle bits of cheese and turkey over the ranch covered tortilla.

See what a nice job Malachi did!

Roll the filled tortilla up as tightly as you can.

Let a grown up help cut the rolled tortilla into pinwheels:

Malachi was so excited that he “made dinner for our family” and he declared this to be the “awesomest dinner ever!” It’s true – these Turkey Ranch Pinwheels were super easy to put together, didn’t require a stove or an oven and Malachi (age 6) was able to do most of the work all by himself (okay, not really, but sort of). We devoured this entire plate – and we had made a triple batch!

Since we had been taking pictures of the entire process Malachi wondered, “Don’t you need a picture of me eating them, Mom?” Well sure. Just in case you aren’t sure what to do once you finish putting your Pinwheels together, here’s Malachi to show you:

Do your kids enjoy helping you in the kitchen? I know it’s usually easier (and less messy) to do the work yourself…how often do you pull the kids into the kitchen to help?

Update! The book is finished – find Teaching Your Kids to Cook and Learn to Cook books here!

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Getting Ahead in the Kitchen (kind of but not really but maybe a just little bit)

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Our boys are now 6, 9, 11 and 13 1/2. I know that in a few more years, I’ll look back on these days of “how much they ate” and laugh because they’ll soon be eating even more than they are now. But wow. It is a fact that our family went through SIX DOZEN eggs last week. Six. Dozen. That’s seventy-two eggs. And I had to ration them or they would have been gone before the week was up. (I think we may need to take another look at our 2011 Grocery Budget!)

The boys seem to all be going through growth spurts lately and I’m not sure I’m going to able to keep up. Even if I can, I’m not sure the chickens can. I hate to ask my friends with chickens to squeeze their flock just a little bit harder so that they can keep up with the Coppinger boys, but I’m afraid I may have to. 

I decided over the weekend to get a bunch of food made up to make life easier during soccer season, and I think I got ahead a little bit…but with the way my family has been eating lately…I’m not really sure how “ahead” I actually got.

For instance, I made a double batch of Taco Corn Fritters, knowing they would be great for “grab and go” meals and snacks. I let the boys eat them for lunch that day, thinking that at the very least, we’d have 15 or so fritters left over for the freezer. Nope. There were four left. Emphasis on the word were, because now I think we’re down to one. So much for freezing our corn fritters. :)


I also re-created our Easy Breakfast Casserole and made Mini Breakfast Quiches as one of you ladies suggested during our Gluten Free Recipe Parade. I’ll share the recipe in a few days, but I used a dozen eggs, made 24 quiches and there are exactly zero left. I believe I, myself, got to eat a grand total of one quiche. It was good, if I remember right.

Ah well. This appears to be the new norm. I will embrace it and run with it and continue making mountains of food. God gave me boys and He gave me a love for cooking. I’m pretty sure He knew just what He was doing!

I made a batch of Breakfast Cookies, sending some home with a friend of ours who came over to celebrate his birthday. You’ve gotta love being able to give the gift of a plate of Breakfast Cookies. It was his request, after eating some at our house another time. 

Here are a few other food items I was able to make and HIDE from my children so that they would actually make it into the freezer:

I cooked a whole chicken so I’d have a nice container of chicken and some broth for future meals. I also made a TRIPLE batch of Whole Wheat Tortillas. Yay, a tower of tortillas! (I have some rice tortillas in the fridge for Malachi to use right now.)

I made a quadrupal batch of Sloppy Joe Meat for the freezer. Then I adapted our Popcorn Chicken recipe to make Rice Flour Chicken Strips. They aren’t the prettiest things in the world, but now I have chicken strips to use this week for chef salads and tortilla wraps!

I was kind of on a roll with meat apparently, so I made six pounds of Turkey Sausage. I froze some of it in patties so that I can cook it up quickly for breakfasts and lunches. I cooked up the rest of it and froze it in meal sized bags. These bags of Turkey Sausage are wonderful to have on hand for Easy Breakfast Casserole and Pancake Sausage Muffins.

I made up a new batch of Taco Seasoning Mix, and I’m happy to report that everything I made is still in the jar. Nobody seems very interested in snacking on a spoonful of Taco Seasoning for some reason. At least I got ahead a little bit in the area of food seasoning. Score one for Mom. :)

Been doing any extra cooking lately? Can you keep food around your house, or does it get eaten before you can even put it on the table?

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Cooking Week Recap (Complete with Ugly Corn Dog Pictures)

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Well, I got a lot of cooking done last week. I don’t have a lot of food to show for it, as we did our fair share of eating last week too. But, eating is a good thing, and I was able to stash a little bit in the freezer for quick meals later on too.

I am happy to report that I was able to make everything on my list (except for the Ranch Dressing), plus a few extras. What I’m not so happy to report is that with some of the cooking…I got a little bit lazy.

Take for instance these Corn Dog Muffins. They’re so easy to make and are great to have in the freezer for a grab and go meal. My problem though came when I just didn’t feel like taking the time to cut the hotdogs to the right size. I was in a hurry and just cut them all in half (instead of into thirds). This means that the dogs did not fit into the muffin cups at all and instead just sort of sat on top of the cornbread. 

Thankfully, my family doesn’t mind eating ugly little Corn Dog Muffins, but let’s just say these fellas wouldn’t win any prize at the fair.

Nor would my Honey Whole Wheat Bread this time around. Want to know what happens when you’re too lazy to knead your bread for as long as you should knead your bread?

It get’s all funky in the oven and comes out looking like this:

Again, my family doesn’t mind funky looking bread, especially if I slice it before they notice. While making our bread, we took a little extra time to make some loaves of Cinnamon Swirl Bread – always a favorite. My kitchen helper loaded it up with cinnamon…the more the better right?

And again, I have to say…if the bread is ugly, slice it up before anyone can see it. It doesn’t look nearly so ugly when it’s toasted and has butter melted all over it…

For a snack while the boys were having an art lesson (because drawing and eating at the same time is a great way to creatively sketch animals), we had Cream Cheese Apple Dip with sliced apples. That stuff tastes SO good.

I made six pounds worth of Turkey Sausage, browned it and bagged it up for future use with Pancake Sausage Muffins and Easy Breakfast Casseroles. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have pre-made Turkey Sausage on hand to grab out of the freezer for a quick meal!!

Of course, while I was at it, I went ahead and made two batches of Pancake Sausage Muffins. We ate a batch the next morning and froze a batch for later.

Again, my lazy side took over and instead of making Mini Apple Pies, I made one big apple pie and an apple crisp. The boys decorated the top of the pie using cookie cutters with the leftover pie crust dough.

I made a batch of Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns, which is probably one of my favorite foods to have in the freezer! They’re great to have ready to pull out for Sloppy Joes or Ranch Burgers or just plain sandwiches. 

Because I had talked about stretching one chicken to make six meals…I decided I’d better cook a chicken to prove it to myself and to experiment with the best way to get six great meals from one chicken. After eating some of the chicken and broth, we still have some chicken and broth in the fridge for future meals. I’ll be working on the “How to Stretch Your Chicken” post, and in the meantime, I hope you are all picturing us in the kitchen with a raw bird, seeing how far we can stretch him…kind of like a tug of war. Just kidding…don’t picture that.  And please, whatever you do, do NOT give my children any ideas.

I made Warm Vanilla Soother one morning to go with our breakfast, so with the leftover egg whites, I made a batch of Coconut Macaroons for a friend who can’t have wheat. We did a little “quality control” before sending the cookies off, and we declared that the cookies were certainly fit to eat.

The Poptarts finally got made toward the end of the week…and there is exactly one left. These Poptarts are a hit…and I’m just sure they freeze well…but in my house, they have yet to make it to the freezer.

So what do you suppose is the loudest activity in our kitchen? Give up? It’s making Homemade Peanut Butter. Peanuts flying around in a food processor is really, really loud. Of course, then it gets even louder because my kids tend to like to try yelling over the noise. It’s a highly effective way to communicate.

With our fresh Peanut Butter, we made some Healthier Rice Crispy Treats for snacking. Then we made more (loud) Peanut Butter to fill our jar for the fridge.

So let’s see…what did I learn from my week of cooking? Don’t be lazy. Cut the hot dogs smaller, knead the bread dough longer. Don’t try to draw animals while eating apples and dip because you’ll end up with a very sticky horse. And never tell your kids you’re going to see how far you can stretch a chicken, or they’re likely to grab the bird and yank the legs off.

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