Easter Pictures and a Bonus Recipe

We headed down to Brian's parent's house for Easter.  The weather was nice, and Parker was able to have an Easter egg hunt outside.  Dave and Vicki have a beautiful yard so my amateur photography looks pretty darn good.

This Easter, I attempted to dye Easter eggs using natural dyes (beets, blueberry juice, curry, paprika, etc) but I used too much vinegar and the outer layer of shell and color fell off when I rinsed them. So there I was with 12, really ugly hard boiled eggs and did I mention I'm not a big fan of hard boiled eggs?  The only way I like to eat hard boiled eggs is the way my dad made them when we were kids.  Brian looked at me like I was crazy when I made a bowl for breakfast, then he tried a bite and liked it.  Parker and I just shared some of these eggs and he devoured 2 bowls and wanted more! 

Here's the very simple and delicious recipe if you want to give it a try.

Grampy's Smooshed Eggs

1-2 hard boiled eggs, peeled
1 pat of butter
salt and pepper

Slice up or chop eggs and place is a bowl.  Microwave until hot, usually between 30-60 sec.  Drop in the pat of butter.  Using a fork; smash and smoosh the eggs into bite size chunks.  Sprinkle w/ salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Toddler Approved Muffins

Banana Pear Zucchini Muffins (inspired by this recipe)

Wet Ingredients:

2 medium bananas (mashed)                                                                                                                              

½ cup shredded zucchini (if using frozen, thaw and squeeze out excess water)                                          

2 eggs

1 cup fruit juice (I used organic pear juice)                                                                                         

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup wheat germ, oat bran, or oatmeal (if you use oatmeal; coarsely grind in blender, magic bullet, food processor)

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl or Kitchen Aid, mash bananas.  Add remaining wet ingredients and mix until combined. Add all dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fold in nuts. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Makes 24 regular muffins

Freezes well

Mostly Homemade Monday

Frugal By Choice Cheap By Necessity Mostly Homemade Monday Postings:
Parker loves his black beans! But after months of simply tossing beans on his highchair tray, I decided to change things up a bit and use these burgers as a way to add some extra veggies.

Black Bean Burgers (inspired by this recipe)

2 cups black beans (super easy to make your own black beans in the crock-pot. I usually make 5-8 cups and freeze the extras) or 1 can black beans (FYI pretty much all cans are lined w/ BPA)
1 1/2 cups quinoa
1 medium carrot grated
1/2 bell pepper finely diced (I used red, it's sweeter and it was also what I happened to have)
1/2 onion (didn't have one so I used a few tablespoons of dried)
2 eggs
2ish tablespoons salsa
I also added 1/2 cup cooked sweet potato

Mash black beans with fork. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Texture should be sticky, similar to meatloaf. Heat skillet on medium and add a few tablespoons of your favorite oil. For uniform patties, scoop into skillet using 1/2 c. measuring cup or eyeball it like I did. Flatten to desired thickness with spatula and cook 3-5 minutes per side. Gently place on bun or eat sans bun with a bit of salsa.

Mostly Homemade Mondays

Curry Couscous Salad

2 ½ cups couscous
4 cups of chicken stock
½ onion
2-3 carrots
2 t. cumin
1-2 T. yellow curry powder
½-1 cup crasins
Handful of chopped cilantro (optional)
Handful of sliced almonds (optional)

Sauté onion and carrots in a little olive oil. Add chicken stock and bring up to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in cumin, curry, crasins and couscous. After the couscous has absorbed all the water, add cilantro and almonds. Fluff with a fork. Serve hot or cold.

Quiche

If you are like me you always have a few eggs in the fridge and if you are also like me you often find yourself staring into the fridge at 5 PM trying to find something to make for dinner. Here is your answer!

9 inch unbaked pie shell (homemade or frozen) **I usually just skip the crust
A handful or two of grated cheese (any kind)
10-12 eggs
A splash of milk (roughly the same amount you use when making scrambled eggs)
Add any amount of any of the following: green onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, etc.
1-2 handfuls of any of the following: bacon, sausage, ham, etc. (cooked)
Salt & pepper to taste

Whisk eggs and milk together. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Pour mixture into 9 inch round pie shell OR if you are skipping the pie crust simply spray a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes, test by sticking a knife into the center-quiche is done when knife comes out clean. Quiche will puff up in oven, let sit on counter for 5-10 minutes to deflate.

Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe yields 7-8 dozen cookies. I usually roll all the dough into balls, bake some and freeze the rest. If you have a Kitchenaid mixer use it, this dough can be tough to mix together without a little mechanical help.

Cream together:
2 cups margarine or butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
Add:
4 eggs
1 T. vanilla

Mix in:
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
5-6 cups flour
3 cups oatmeal
Stir in:
16 oz. chocolate chips

Roll into golf ball size place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes.

Hashbrown Casserole (H.B.C.)

This is a crowd pleaser! This can also be prepared the night before and simply popped in the oven while you are getting ready in the morning.

1 lb. package of frozen shredded hashbrowns
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 pint sour cream
1 bunch of green onions
handful of bacon bits
Fresh ground pepper

In a large bowl, mix together hashbrowns (easier to mix when potatoes are slightly thawed), cheese, sour cream, and onions. Spread evenly in a 9x13 greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with pepper and bacon bits. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and the top is brown.

Frozen Chocolate Pudding Parfaits

Due to Parker’s dairy allergy I tried to make chocolate pudding with coconut milk, but for some reason it would not set. Brian suggested freezing it and the result was creamy slushy chocolaty goodness! Basically a Jell-O pudding pop in a bowl!

One package instant chocolate pudding mix
Coconut milk, rice milk or for you lucky bastards - milk (amount indicated on pudding package)
Whisk together milk and pudding powder. Pour into individual ramekins or small microwave safe bowls and popped them in the freezer for 2-3 hours. The pudding will be rock hard. Microwave for 20-30 seconds (depending on the power of your microwave)