Challenge Week One

I started out the week with the intention of prepping a whole bunch of breakfasts and snacks. Let's just be honest and admit that did not happen.  So this week I am winging it, and hoping for the best.  I did make sure I planned ahead and have enough groceries for all the dinners I have planned. 

I did want to have some breakfast left overs, so I decided to try Chrissy Tiegen's French Toast Casserole.  I was excited because what is there not to love about a casserole that has rum in it?  Yes please! This was really quick to prep, but I wish I had read the instructions earlier.  I knew it had to set in the fridge for a few hours, but I didn't realize it was 12 hours!  So I switched this from a breakfast to a dinner.  Another lesson I learned was to read the instructions completely, and then plan ahead don't just skim.  I also made candied bacon to go with it, super easy, just brown sugar and black pepper.  You mix it in a baking dish and press the bacon into the mixture then bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Sunday after we ate breakfast the kids and I decided to head up to my parents property at Lake Conner.  We did a quick Safeway stop to purchase hot dogs for lunch and then we spent the day in the sun relaxing after a long week at camp.  When we got home I was not in the mood to cook and I was already regretting this whole idea of mine.  However I powered through and decided to make the Pioneer Woman's Sloppy Joes from her website.  They are fast to make, and are also Michelle friendly without all the additives of using a spice mix or a canned sloppy joe sauce.  In my hunger I forgot to take a finished picture, but I'm sure you all know what Sloppy Joes look like, just know they are super yummy. And Jason Approved!

Day two was hectic as usual and I was trying again to talk my self out of cooking.  Monday is Jim's day off and I went over the meals I had planned for the week and he asked me to make the enchilada's I had planned.  I started making the sauce from scratch which was much easier than I thought really start to finish took me about 15 minutes.  Last week I had pre-shredded some chicken which came in handy with an unexpected phone call from Karie saying they were trying to figure out what to have for dinner.  I took the second bag out of the freezer, and ta da I had dinner for 6 with leftovers for lunches later in the week.  While they were baking Gavin and I ran to the pool to pick up Michelle from swimming.  I asked Jim and Karie to put the cheese in the shredder on the enchilada's....  Well you can see what happened yourself.  Day two completed and still going strong!

 Day three done!! I have to be a child and say naner naner boo boo, Jim cheated first!!  He went hiking and stopped and Jack in the Box on the way home.  He said it doesn't count because he had money from last week in his wallet, but no way man!  He caved before I did, I feel like that is a major accomplishment. 

So on with the day, I made pancakes and bacon for dinner no biggie. I decided to make some cookies, I have not made chocolate chip cookies in probably 15 years, but in the interest of adulating I decided to tackle it.  I read a lot of different website's and decided at the end of the day to try the Pioneer Woman's chocolate chip cookies.  I don't know where these have been my whole life, she has you brown the butter and let me tell you it was like heaven in a bowl.  Did you know that if you brown butter it starts to smell nutty?  I don't know how or why, but it adds a butter scotch flavor to the cookies that is amazing.  Everyone should try it!



I wish I could give you all a cookie, but by the time this comes out they will all be gone. 

Wednesday night was the best night so far, I didn't cook, I didn't buy dinner, and I didn't cheat.  Karie and I went to the Des Moines farmer market.  I was really cute only a few vendors on a Wednesday night, but there were food trucks.  Dinner was on Karie, and I had a night off.  Yeah!!

Thursday nights dinner was a major Pioneer Woman fail; I know shocking!  I was so excited to make grits and stewed beef, but it was too spicy for us buy about a million.  It was crazy, crazy, hot. next time I would recommend adjusting the spices.

Friday night we had breakfast for dinner -scrambled eggs nothing exciting.  The most important thing is I made it through an entire week without buying food out to dinner or lunch!  It was awesome and I am really proud uf us.

Bow Tie Pasta

One of my favorite 45 minute meals.  I forgot to take pictures when I was cooking, I was actually in a hurry. I was honestly debating just buying dinner, but I already had the chicken thawed out so I flew into the kitchen determined to make dinner in time for us to leave.

Alfredo sauce is pretty easy to make, the Pioneer Woman's lived up to my expectation and then some.  It was really fast and, well if I'm being totally honest, painful.

I browned up the chicken like a champ, no issues there.  Then you are supposed to add some white wine to the pan.  Now I recently bought a caste iron skillet, my first and I honestly forget how much hotter they get.  So I'm adding the wine to this super hot skillet and what happens? Steam!  Of course I didn't just dump in the wine, I was pouring it around the whole pan, when a cloud of steam shouts up and, yup you guessed it, burned my freaking hand.  

Cooking is no joke, my hand hurt for hours.  My pasta however ended up perfect and so tasty, almost worth the pain....  Almost

Gill Girls

Nothing makes me happier than when (almost) all the kids are handing out together cooking, laughing, and watching movies.  My family is such a source of joy to me as I am sure yours is to you.  I love the sounds of a happy house, kids singing, laughter, stupid jokes -you all know what I mean.

Today (July 2nd) is Shelly's birthday, she is 14.  I am not sure where the time has gone.  I am so proud of her faith, drive, and kindness.  She is so much like her sisters, it is uncanny.  She has Christina's quick whit and sense of humor and Karie's musical taste and zest for life.  

So of course if we are having a birthday this means cooking!  Two months ago we had a pretty big party for Michelle's confirmation which was three days of cooking.  Thankfully Michelle decided she wanted a scaled down version for her family birthday dinner.  Another first was instead of buying a cake she wanted to make red velvet cup cakes at home.  Of course this means we needed everyone over to help cook.  

Now I thought this was going to be harder than it actually was, so I enlisted Karie to come help.  She of course brought Gavin and Eleanor so everyone helped.  I think help was the plan, what ended up happening was the three of us drank beers while Michelle cooked.  It was fun though.

 I asked Jim to pick up some red food coloring for me.  He got some food color, it might have been magenta and pink, but he gets credit for the effort.

 
We decided to make my friend Ree's Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork sandwich we again.  This is so easy to make, and it's Jennie proof.  Dump a few things in my Dutch Oven, and bake at 175 degrees overnight.  It doesn't look like much now, but wait until tomorrow.

Michelle's birthday rolled around and we started off by making the cream cheese frosting to finish off the cup cakes.  I didn't really know how easy frosting is to make, and it was so much better than the stuff in the can from the store.  

  Thankfully Karie showed up to help with the prep work and things started happening.  The cupcakes got finished, and then it was on to Chrissy's Cheesy Bacon Jalapeño Corn Bread.  It is easy to put together, and I think this is now my version of corn bread.
   
We got that into the oven and I needed to make the whiskey BBQ sauce glaze.  This is another Pioneer Woman recipe, and it is amazing.  The only thing I add is about a tablespoon of brown sugar to off set the spicy of the jalapeño's that go in.
. 
Now the pork was ready to shred, all in all it cooked for about 12 hours at 175 degrees and it fell apart.  This pork is gonna be good!


The cornbread came out of the oven.....

Karie and Michelle made the sweet tea....

The kitchen is a mess.....


I think however the Gill Girls have pulled everything together and we will have a successful party today!

Three Potatos. Three Ways.

Potatoes are such a versatile side dish. You can mash them, whip them, boil, bake and grill them. You can have them a new way every day of the week. I recently made them three ways: sweet potato fries, russet hasselback potatoes, and garlic red potaoes on the grill.

The sweet potato fries are so easy to make -the hardest part is cutting them all the same width so they cook even. I did a quick google search and found a lot of different recipes, so I combined a bunch and came up with something delicious.

Thats the beauty of fries, you can do what you want with them. My favorite is to toss the fries with olive oil, garlic powder and maybe some cayenne pepper for a kick. I've also tossed them with smoked paprika and plain ol' salt and pepper. Bake around 375 depending on how thick they're cut and level of crispyness you want, for about 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Hasselbeck Potaotes take a lot longer to prepare and cook, but are totally worth it. I'd never heard of them before reading Cravings, and these potatoes totally live up to that name. These potatoes will impress people. They have a great presentation and are super yummy. Again the hardest part is slicing the potato into even slices. My first attempt sucked! 

The recipe said to use chop sticks on either side of the potato while slicing it but, sorry Chrissy Teghan, it doesn't work very well unless your potato has a flat side. I used two steak knives to keep me from cutting through the russet. It was also a little frustrsating making sure all the ingredients made it between each slice, but just keep reminding yourself how delish they're going to be and you won't mind.

The only potatoes I'd done on the grill before were baked potatoes -russets wrapped in foil with some butter. so when I needed a quick side dish and all I could find were a bag of reds, I improvised. I had some help from google again, just to figure out the cooking time. 

Once the potatoes were quarted, I smashed a few cloves of garlic with the side of the knife, sliced some butter, and tossed it all into a foil pack with some basil. It only took about 20 minutes on the grill. 

They were a little under seasoned -some salt would have solved that- but it was a good side for the kabobs we also had that night.

Three different potatoes, three different ways. I think my Irish is showing ...

Enjoy!
Karie

Birthday Pancakes

What the birthday girl wants the birthday girl gets. Kinda.  I saw that Michelle had asked Jim to make her chocolate chip pancakes for her birthday breakfast. Nothing makes me crazier than when he whips out the Bisquick, full of bleached enriched flour; all bad for Michelle.

I got up to run errands and decided to make sure I had everything I needed for homemade pancakes.  One of the first things I learned how to make was homemade pancakes and waffles a after Michelle's diagnosis.  Breakfast for her was generally an Eggo waffle before school if we could get her to eat breakfast at all.  So most of the time now I keep heatly waffles and pancakes in the freezer for breakfast, she throws them in the toaster and breakfast is done.  A much better alternative than the chemical filled Eggos.

I gathered the usual cast of characters to start making breakfast, however I did spring for the Ghiradeli Chocolate Chips as a birthday treat.

I would generally say making pancakes or waffles from scratch takes about 5 minutes longer than making them from a box, but I promise if you have the 5 minutes is it worth it.  I found that taking the time to sift the dry ingredients really does make for fluffier pancakes, some day I might even buy a real sifter instead of my ghetto version.
  
The recipe calls for melted butter, oh delicious heaven is there anything prettier then a bowl full of pretty yellow liquid?

Melted butter, butter milk, flour, baking soda, sugar, and some vinalla is all it takes!

Throw in some chocolate chips, and you have a happy birthday girl!

Mac Attack!

The littlest Gill Girl is obsessed with macaroni and cheese. If I'd let her, she'd have it for breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, lunch, dinner, and probably dessert. Though to be completely honest, I think all the Gill Girls are obsessed with mac too. Is that hereditary? The first recipe we decided to cook after our blog idea was hatched was Chrissy Teghan's Macaroni and Cheese.

It was a true family affair with all parties involved in someway. Jennie and I cooked, Michelle measured ingredients and stole cheese for her and Eleanor, Jason took photos, and Dad pretended he was going to die from our cooking and then loved it -as he always does. 

This recipe is bomb. From the homemade bread crumbs to the ridiculous amount of cheese, it's amazing. And it pairs really well with or beer of choice: Guinness. Haha! 

Mixing the cheese sauce was a process. Add, mix until melted, add a bit more, repeat. And this recipe has three different cheeses. I thought my arm was going to fall off from stiring so much. 

Side note: pre-prep the pasta shells so they are ready when you need them. We were so caught up in making the homemade bread crumbs, which we did first, that we forgot to prep the pasta. We made the most of it though by enjoying a beer and some left over cheese while the pasta cooked. 

Don't rush to mix everything in the baking dish; the direction say to mix the cheese and pasta in the cheese pot first until the pasta is hot again. This was cuts down in the mess and you can make sure it's mixed well before it goes into the baking dish. 

Then top with extra cheese and breadcrumbs, bake until crisp and brown on top. Then sit back and enjoy a little bit of heaven. 

Be prepared for this to be a new family favorite for sure! 

Enjoy! 

Karie

Gill Family Challenge

We have been looking for ways to cut back some in our monthly budget.  One of the ways we can save I think is by not eating out.  With all the time I spend in the car driving around plus working 55 hours a week, most of the time eating out is easiest.  Cutting back on eating out is one of the reasons I wanted to start cooking at home.  So I have gotten my hubby to buy in since this effects him too.  Here are the rules:

1.  No eating out from July 18 - August 18 EXCEPT one date night for Jim and I and one family night out to dinner.

2.  No going to the grocery store and buying a prepackaged dinner's when we don't want to cook.

3.  No lunches out, unless someone else who does not live in our house is buying.

4.  No IOU's for lunch or dinner out to be paid back after 8/18.

5.  No Starbuck's for 30 days.... The ultimate sacrifice for me!  (Gulp)

I feel like this means I need to spend a week eating out.  What this really means is I need to spend a week preparing.  I have to replace my favorite breakfast sandwich I normally buy at Starbucks with a yummy homemade sandwich.  I need to make sure I have plenty of lunch supplies and meals planned with leftovers so I'm not tempted to run out and grab lunch.  Dinner's and dinner prep will have to be done way ahead of time so I can make meals fast when I get home.  Yikes thinking about this is really overwhelming, and I should probably mention that Michelle is firmly set against this idea.  However I feel like if I am really committed to learning to cook and meal prep then I should fully commit for a month to force myself to get into the habit.

Anyone want to join us on this adventure??

Sriracha What? Cheesesteak Hey!

Who doesn't love a great sandwhich?  I love making them they are fast, easy, and yummy! First I need to clarify by fast for me it means anything that takes less than an hour to make.  I would love to master the art of 30 minute meals, I try so hard but anything "fast" takes me at least 45-60 minutes.  My knife and prep skills are that bad, hello America's Worst Cooks.

My cooking adventures started this week started with the Pioneer Woman's Pawhuska Cheesesteak's.  Onions, good! Peppers, good! Roast beef, not necessarily one of my favorites, but I was up for the challenge! 

I've been working on being better with a knife, let's just say it's a work in process.  I was pleased though that at the end of chopping for the most part everything was the same size.  Cooking accomplishment, baby steps right??!!  

I'm getting better and better at sautéing, and I am starting to enjoy the process.  I hardly ever burn anything anymore.  Now before my family chimes in I said hardly.  We discovered Kerry Gold butter last year, despite what you might have been told I did not buy it because it's Irish, I bought it because it was on sale.  It tastes so good I can never go back, I have bricks in the freezer, fridge all over.  Look at the beautiful butter and spices, almost like I know what I'm doing....

Of course being the good student that I am, I did not cook everything in the correct order, whoops, sorry Ree! I promise I do do try to do it the way you say.  I cooked the beef, it's looked beefy, and dinner looked promising.

Now the cheese sauce. I could write an ode to this sauce it was amazing!  It was ewey gooy cheesy deliciousness....  I did have to make a substitution in the sauce, she called for Velveta Cheese, but I substituted Montery Jack.  Again with Michelle's EE (eosinophilic esophagitis) overly processed foods make her sick so I googled substitutes and we had a winner!  *Sigh* I forgot to take a picture so you will just have to admire it in the final picture.  Stay tuned....

I also decided to make the Sweet Potato Fries Karie had been raving about.  I was so excited to make them,  quick prep time yummy side dish it would be easy right??!!  Hmmmm maybe for the average cook, but it took me FOREVER to peel and slice the potato's.  It was a labor of love for my family, I worked so hard, only to be told Jim and Michelle don't like sweet potato's.  Oh well their loss was my gain.

Now your probably reading this wondering what does this have to do with Sriracha?  Let me tell you about my friend Ree's fry sauce. I have never ever tried Sriracha.  I've seen it on tables and at the store but I have never tried it.  Frankly I thought it looked funny, and unappetizing. The guy at Whole Foods assured me this was not the case, and directed me to his favorite brand.  He did tell me to be careful it was an extra garlicky version, and I thought it can't be that bad, it has garlic.  I learned something Mayo + Sriracha = Heaven. It was amazing, I can't wait to find more uses for it in the future.  

Apparently I should have payed attention to the directions and turned the fries, they got a little brown, but the end result was a dinner I was really proud of.  Gavin had some left overs a few days later and gave it his seal of approval also.  Didn't I tell you the cheese sauce looked amazing?

Jen