What's For Dinner

Islands
Last night our family of 5 ate for $10.79. On Tuesdays kids eat free at Islands with each paying adult. My husband and I split a meal (we're not super cheap - we went at 5pm for the kids' sake and weren't that hungry!), and they still comped us all the kids’ meals! Pretty Cool!

Mandarin Chicken with Jasmine Rice
It's been one of those weeks! Not much cooking has gone on around here, last night was no exception! Trader Joe's Mandarin Chicken (frozen section) was super good and I'll buy it again. Jasmine rice makes all the difference in the world (as opposed to regular white rice).

Snake
Yep, that’s right. Snake! Grammie always has the best ideas to get the children involved in the kitchen. Thank God she does, because I’m not always that patient!
Take pastry dough, fill with turkey, ham, cheese, whatever meats you like. Roll it up, closing up any seams. Beat 3 eegs in separate bowls. Add some food coloring to each bowl. Paint the egg wash on the snake in stripes (the kids loved doing this!). Add green olives for eyes and pop it in the oven at 375 degrees until done. And next thing you know, you’re eating snake!

Honey Glazed Chicken
I just made this and it was AMAZING! And super easy. Here is the recipe.
I also cubed up 2 russet potatoes, tossed them with some olive oil, a touch of butter, sea salt, pepper, dried thyme, and a touch of honey. I roasted them along with the chicken (in a separate dish) and they were fantastic! Steamed green beans as well.

Shrimp Scampi
My Moma made this for me when I was visiting last week and it was amazing!!
You’ve got to try this recipe from Emeril.
She served ours on top of crusty, toasted bread that soaked up all the juice. It was delectable! And I have to admit, I was totally amazed that I didn’t have horrid garlic breath!

Sausage and Peppers
Another tradition I have (I told you my family is CRAZY on traditions!) is to make sausage and peppers when we come home from getting our Christmas tree. I’ve always thought it was festive because of the red and green peppers! I grill brats, sauté green and red bell peppers with onions and served on a toasted, lightly buttered hoagie roll with mustard.

Chili and Corn Bread
My chili recipe isn’t really a recipe – no surprise!! I sauté diced onions until golden, add ground beef and get it brown, add some chopped celery and carrots, cook for a few minutes. Use a little beef broth to deglaze the pan and add tomato sauce. Then add kidney beans (or any other beans you like), some spices of choice. A little secret is to add a touch of allspice. Kinda crazy but adds a little something that most can’t identify. Simmer covered on low for at least 45 min.

• My friend Liberty posted this great recipe for corn bread and it’s amazing!! Mix one box of corn bread mix and the ingredients it calls for with a box of yellow cake mix and the ingredients it calls for. Bake until done! It’s ridiculous!

BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Another holiday tradition for me! Get a roast (any kind will do) and cook it all day in a crock pot with just salt and pepper. After it falls apart, pull it apart and place it in a pan on the stove to cook it some more! I make my mom’s sticky sauce: brown sugar, catsup, mustard, and worchestshire sauce. Cook it on low, adding some water as needed. If it needs more sauce, I add some bbq sauce as well. Cook for about another 1-2 hours. I serve it on Hawaiian rolls with some shredded cheddar cheese. This is great to feed a crowd for the holidays.