Toddler Foods

So I came across this book yesterday in Walgreens.  It was only $4 and well worth it.  Let me tell you it is hard to come up with ideas of foods like toddlers will enjoy and the parents can enjoy too.  This book has some amazing recipes in it that not only toddlers will like, but Mom and Dad will definitely be a fan of too!

I plan to buy a couple to put away for baby shower gifts and possibly a future giveaway.

Thank You Julia

     So I am going to put it out there right now...I LOVE the movie Julie & Julia.  Meryl Strep was amazing, as always, and she really made me love Julia Child.  Also, I really related to Julie Powell.  I would like to know what woman has seen this movie and did not run out and buy Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  I did not see this movie in the theater.  Tuck went out the day the movie came out on DVD and rented it for me.  I went and bought it on DVD the next day.  I really loved it. A couple days later I came home with Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  When I got home with the book, I was so intimidated by the contents that I almost took it back to Barns and Noble to return it.
     I decided to keep the book after reading a little more into it.  I became more comfortable with the book.  I will say this cook book is not for the impatient or those who can not follow directions.  To complete one recipe you will have to read 3-5 different pages, it will take you quite a while to complete, and if you do not follow the instructions carefully the recipe will not turn out. I suggest putting post its on the pages you will need for the recipe you are working on.
     Sometimes I can get impatient, but not with cooking.  So I decided to make Boeuf Bourguignon and a Souffle A La Vanille for dessert.  It took me about 5 hours of non-stop cooking on Friday evening.  I will tell you that Julia Child's cooking is for weekend purposes, and not for after a long day at work and shopping.  Also, it is expensive but well worth every minute and cent that you put into it.

So 4 hours into cooking the boeuf was ready!  Tuck and I were so excited and really hungry because it was close to 9 pm.  We normally eat around 6 pm.  It was amazing!! The meat was tender, so full of flavor, and you could eat an entire meal of just those sauteed mushrooms and brown braised pearl onions.  Tuck and I love food, but I have never seen Tuck eat like he did on Friday night.  It was so amazing.  This recipe makes a lot of food.  It called for 3 pounds of stewing beef.  There is not one drop left of this, we ate it all.  If you ever want to make an impressive meal, this is the one to make.  In Julie & Julia, Julie makes this meal for Judith Jones who ends up cancelling at the last minute due to rain.  When Julie's husband sits down with the big plate he takes a bite and then adds salt.  Julie says "is it bland?"  All I have to say is that you would have to do something really really wrong to make this meal bland.  It was so full of flavor I just do not see how this could ever be bland.

We served it with fresh French bread.  I think I already said it was amazing, but it was amazing!  While we were feasting on my (actually Julia's) masterpiece, the Vanilla Souffle was baking away.

I was so nervous about the souffle. Did I beat the egg whites long enough?  Where those stiff peaks I saw, or soft peaks? What if it cooks over? My mold was a little taller then what Julia says to use, but it still puffed up and was delicous.  I do not know how we were able to eat it, but we found the room in our bellies and ate almost the entire thing.

So thank you Julia Child for such amazing recipes.  It was the best dinner I ever had.

Easy Chicken Empanadas

I apologize for there only being one photo for this one.  I had so much going on while cooking I did not take photos of the process.   Then Tuck was so hungry that before I could get my camera put together to take photos of the final product, he had plated them and had already begun eating...so you get a photo of my plate. :)


I came up with the recipe for these with a little inspiration from Pillsbury.  Pillsbury has a recipe for taco melts.  We LOVE taco melts, but I am a little burnt out on ground beef.  It seems like 90% of our meals, for a while, had ground beef.  I am ready for a change.  I went into the kitchen and threw two chicken breasts into a pot of boiling water.  I told myself I would figure out what to do with it once it was done cooking.

Suburban Mama's Easy Chicken Empanadas

2 Chicken breasts

1 package Mccormick's Enchilada Sauce Mix

1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups of water

Mexican blend shredded cheese

1 can of Pillsbury's Grands Biscuits

Boil the chicken until cooked through.  While the chicken is boiling, make the enchilada sauce using the water and tomato sause.  Follow the directions on the back of the enchilada mix.  When the chicken is cooked through place on a cutting board to cool.  You will want the chicken to cool just enough that you can handle it.  Shred the chicken and place in a bowl or the pot you boiled the chicken in if you would like to use the least number of dishes possible.  Pour the enchilada sauce over the chicken.  Put as much or as little as you like.  I like mine to be just coated, but Tuck likes extra sauce on his.  Open your can of biscuits and roll each out into a flattened disk about 6 inches, give or take a little.  Place the biscuit onto a cookie sheet.  Add the chicken mixture on top of the biscuit, top with cheese, and fold over.  After you have folded the biscuit over, use a fork and press the edges all the way around to seal the empanada. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Serve with your choice of  sour cream, hot sauce, queso, or left over enchilada sauce.  Tuck likes all of the above poured over his.

These are super simple and you'll have a fun, child friendly, husband friendly, meal on the table in about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!