30 meals in 1 day

ATTENTION WORKING MOMS (this means me, too!) The hardest part I am finding about working nights is that my kids end up eating top ramen, or quesadillas. There are nights that I am at work feeling sad that I didn't have the energy to make something before I left...but NOT any more! There are some pretty cool websites out there that help Mrs. working Mom! Go HERE for recipes and HERE for a fun calender and 'how-to'



So needless to say tomorrow I am going to dig in my two freezers to gather ingredients to start baking for the month, it is actually perfect timing because this week I am working every night except Friday. :)

Cinnamon roll sugar cookies

I wanted to make something different to have for Keagan when she came home from her first day of school, and this was definetively it! The kids loved them, and they were good in a cinnamon roll way :)

**Yes, I fogot to take a picture of them...but go HERE to see Picky Palate's picture.

2 Cups sugar
1 Cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup sour cream
6 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons softened butter, (slice 2 Tablespoons 6 times totaling 12 tablespoons)
1 1/2 Cups packed light brown sugar, divided into 1/4 Cups
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided
Frosting
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
2-4 Tablespoons milk, to thin icing
1. In an electric or stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.
2. In 2 batches, place in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours for best results.
3. Once chilled, cut each disc into thirds and roll into a 1/8 inch thick oval, about 12 inches X 5 inches. Spread each rolled pieces of dough with 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 Cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Start rolling from the long end closest to you, rolling into a log shape. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2 inch pieces of dough then placing onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet.
4. To prepare frosting, beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth, slowly add powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency. Frost cookies then place in refrigerator until ready to serve. These are 100 times better chilled, trust me!!
Makes at least 6 dozen

From Picky Palate

Crunchy peach cobbler

I went to Bakerella looking for a yummy dessert, she had LOTS to choose from, so I tried the peach cobbler one. It was so sweet and yummy, I recommend eating this with vanilla ice cream.


(this picture is from bakerella.com)


Go HERE for the original post and the 'how to'.

Penne Rustica

Last week I was craving some yummy pasta from Macaroni Grill, so I again...went to the world wide web and searched for "macaroni grill pasta". Let me tell you I was NOT dissapointed! This recipe was amazing. So yummy and creamy, almost better than my chicken scampi, almost.


(this picture, like most of my pictures does not do this justice)

Penne Rustica from Macaroni Grill

Gratinata Sauce:
2 Teaspoon Butter
2 Teaspoon chopped garlic
1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 cup marsala wine
1/4 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream

Saute butter, garlic , and rosemary until garlic begins to brown.
Add marsala wine and reduce by one−third. Add remaining ingredients
and reduce by half of original volume. Set aside:|Penne Rustica:
1 Ounce pancetta or bacon
18 each shrimp peeled and devained
12 Ounce grilled chicken breast, sliced
4.5 cups of granita sauce
48 Ounce Penne Pasta, precooked
3 Teaspoon pimentos
6 Ounce butter
1 Teaspoon chopped shallots
1 pinch of salt and pepper
1 cups parmesan cheese
1/2 Teaspoon paprika
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Saute pancette until begins to brown. Add butter, shallots, and shrimp. Cook
until shrimp are evenly pick but still translucent. Add chicken, salt,
pepper, and mix thoroughly. Add granita sauce and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
and simmer until sauce thickens. In a large bowl, combine shrimp and chicken
mixture with precooked pasta. Place this mixture into single serving dishes
or one large casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and pimentos and
sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 475 for 10−15 minutes. Remove and garnish
with fresh rosemary sprig. Serves six.

Cheddar Herb Biscuits

I wanted to try a homemade biscuit recipe for a dinner I was making for friends. I turned on the good'ol computer, typed in 'Cheddar Herb Biscuits' a BIZILION recipes came up, I looked through a few and found this one. They were WAY yummier hot out of the oven then they were at room temp.


(This picture was taken BEFORE baking :)


Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 1/2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups (8 ounces) grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375° F. Mix buttermilk, thyme and rosemary in a small bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add cheese and butter to the flour mix; rub with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine meal. Add buttermilk mixture and stir until soft clumps form. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; press out to thickness of 1/2 inch. Using 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut biscuits. Transfer biscuits to 2 un-greased baking sheets spacing 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes then reverse position of sheets and bake biscuits until golden brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes longer. Transfer biscuits to racks. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Texas Sheet Cake

I used to make this all the time. I love it, it's my favorite cake by far, but when we moved up to almost 8,000 feet (elevation) I could not make it work, so the first order of business (after unpacking the boxes) was to make this cake. Glad I did, ate almost the WHOLE pan! It's just the right sweet and moist and I really cannot say enough good things about this cake :)



Texas Sheet Cake

Grease pan: 15 1/2 by 10 1/2" by 1"/

Sift into bowl: 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons soda, 2 cups sugar.
Bring to boil: 2 stick butter/marg. and 4 Tablespoons cocoa and 1 cup water.
Pout over dry ingredients and stir. Add: 2 eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

After cake comes out of oven, bring to boil:
1 stick butter and 4 Tablespoons cocoa.
Mix in 6 Tablespoons buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts.
Combine and pour on slightly-cooled cake, spreading to cover evenly.

Recipe from my Mom!