What's Cooking?

Happy Monday All. Here is a recap of what I have been cooking lately...

Lazy Stuffed Peppers via Cheryl Style 

I tried the Lazy Stuffed Peppers recipe again and this time it wasn't a flop! The biggest change was to cook the rice separately and mix it in at the end. 

To be honest, I thought the flavor of this dish was a little bland. Maybe because I used the cheese as a sparse topping instead of a big element. I think if I made it again, I would use sausage (or at least half sausage) instead of ground beef. Jack will try peppers now, but still isn't really a fan of peppers or tomatoes.

Parent Score 3/5 | Toddler Score 3/5

End-of-Summer Juicy Tomato Sandwich

Sometimes you just crave things like tomato sandwiches. They remind me of summers as a kid. The warm toast, the juicy tomato, the cold Miracle Whip. I will always love this sandwich. 

Fruit Smoothie

Jack and I make a smoothie almost every day. One cup of frozen fruit, one cup of juice, blend. Sometimes I add in some yogurt, but it is always a sweet afternoon snack. We have to have it outside on the porch because Jack says it is too cold for drinking inside.

Parent Score 5/5 | Toddler Score 5/5

Pineapple Grilled Salmon via Make the Best of Everything

I was so excited about the idea of this dish. Unfortunately it didn't meet my expectations. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but the flavors of the pineapple didn't translate to the salmon. 

The grilled pineapple, on the other hand, was loved by our entire household. In the future I would just grill the fresh pineapple and skip on the pineapple plank – it made the salmon take forever to cook.

Parent Score 4/5 | Toddler Score 4/5

Fruit Trifle via Taste of Home
I made this dessert for our small group on Sunday night (I forgot to take a finished photo though). I was running short on time, so I substituted cold pudding cups (8) instead of making the pudding. I think the sour cream in this really gave it a nice kick. The kids loved it, but it tasted more like an adult dish and not just pudding with fruit and angel food cake.

Parent Score 5/5 | Toddler Score 5/5

Skinny Shrimp Alfredo Pasta Bake via Damn Delicious 
Every once in awhile I will get it in my head that I will make something with an alfredo sauce, and every time I do this I end up not making alfredo. Daniel and I don't really care for the creamy white sauce (too rich) and I just cant bring myself to put cream cheese in a pasta dish (even though I know it will be delicious)! 

For this dish, I used half a pound of shrimp and half a pound of sauteed chicken. And instead of making a white sauce, I just stirred in mozzarella with a bit of cream until it melted. Not exactly alfredo, but still good. 

Parent Score 4/5 | Toddler Score 4/5 

Crockpot Enchilada Soup via Your Cup of Cake 

I don't make many crockpot dishes, but this one is a win. The only thing I changed was using a chopped up fresh red pepper instead of roasted red peppers and corn from a can instead of frozen. This dish was a big hit. The flavors were perfect and it didn't feel as heavy as eating enchiladas. Jack cleaned his bowl.

Parent Score 5/5 | Toddler Score 5/5

BBQ Chicken with Corn on the Cob and Zucchini on the grill

We have really enjoyed our grill this summer and this was a simple dish to throw on the grill. Everything cooks quickly (about 5 minutes per side).

Parent Score 5/5 | Toddler Score 5/5