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Orecchiette and Broccoli Rabe

Did you know that orecchiette ( O-REE-KEY-ETT-AY) means little ears in Italian? This famous pasta is still hand made in Italy today, and it is a favorite of ours becuase the little shells hold sauce very well. I know. The word broccoli is usually an automatic turn-off. But, hear me out. Broccoli rabe is a little longer, and easier to eat for some picky eaters. The taste is much better, too! This meal is 30 minutes from start to finish, and everyone seems to enjoy it!  Orecchiette and Broccoli Rabe 1 pound box orecchiette pasta 1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage 1 pound broccoli rabe 3 tbsp unsalted butter 1/4…
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Pickled Red Onion + Ginger

Canning has been a big part of our family for many generations. It used to be done for necessity, and now it’s more of a hobby and path to healthy, more natural eating. We can mostly at the end of summer; salsa, pickles, tomatoes, tomato juice, spicy vegetables, and whatever else needs canning from our garden. For fun, we made this recipe, and it turned out amazing. The kids eat it like candy, and I’ve used it all week on top of my salads. Pickled Red Onion + Ginger 1 wide mouth pint size Mason jar + lid 1 cup water 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp sugar 1+1/2…
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Chicken Tortilla Soup

Corn season has started a little early this year. It’s been a great growing season for many vegetables since it has been warm, humid, and fairly wet this summer. My husband drives past a corn stand on his way home from Fort Atkinson each week and decided to pick up a dozen ears of fresh corn on the cob. What a treat. The kids LOVE corn!! Here is one way to use up some of the extra corn we have on hand. Trisha’s Chicken Tortilla Soup 3 tbsp butter (unsalted) 1-2 Clove’s garlic 1 yellow onion, chopped 2 tbsp flour 3 (14oz ) cans of chicken stock 4 cups of…
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A New Way to PB+J 

With school starting at the end of August, we are already making preparations for the upcoming year. There are a few ways to make a school safe lunch if your school has a “no-nuts” policy. When you see “no-nuts” it includes: Pine nuts Peanuts Pistachios Walnuts Cashews Hazelnuts Macadamia Almonds Brazil All other nuts I may have missed And anything manufactured in a facility with nuts, most commonly in: oats, chocolate, dried fruits, all desserts made in a professional bakery, processed food from restaurants, breads, some cereals, granola bars, crackers, cookies, chia seeds, flax seeds, baking ingredients. If you’re looking to ensure safety, check the ingredient label on the package.…
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New Fast Snack Finds

Today we were in the Hilldale area and decided to shop at Metcalfes. I enjoy this store because of the classical music, fine cheese and produce departments (It’s true. I love the classical music. It’s relaxing while shopping with two whirling kiddos.), cleanliness, and their desire to reduce waste, reuse bags, and recycle materials and old food. Here are two items we found today in the deli area. Although they are processed (boo) they are nice to have in a pinch, for school, car rides, snack between meals. The nutrition information is not bad, and most importantly, they are nut-free. 1. Garden Veggie Straws – made with real vegetable puree.…
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Summer Snack Plates

It’s Sunday and we are preparing for the week. This means menu planning, grocery lists, and snack ideas. If I don’t have these things organized,my week feels disjointed. Planning around our food allergies reduces stress dramatically. It’s anxiety provoking enough to get the last minute “hey let’s go out for dinner” (Which we LOVE to do), so planning regular meals helps incase we do decide to go out, we can always take our bento box!!  But, 9 times out of ten, I don’t even consider what I will enjoy because I’m too busy thinking about what will be safe for Chloe to eat, and if I trust the kitchen enough…
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Loaded Cornbread

 I thought I’d share a nice snack I made for the kids this week since it’s been a while. Loaded Cornbread Ingredients 1 package of Betty Crocker cornbread mix (nut-free), plus the ingredients listed on the package; egg, butter, milk 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 1 can of organic corn  Directions Pre-heat oven to 400. Prepare a cupcake pan by spraying with non-stick spray or with foil liners. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients, including corn and cheese. Using a 1/4 cup scoop, fill the cupcake tins with one scoop each. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely. I refrigerate mine to use for mid-week…
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4th of July Menu

The 4th of July weekend is probably my second most favorite weekend of the year. It has been a tradition in our family, ever since I can remember, to meet at the lakefront in Milwaukee and watch the fireworks together. The location and attendees has changed a bit over the years, but the tradition continues none the less. This year, we are excited to once again have friends and family over to enjoy the fireworks with some easy-to-get-to seats, and good eats. Speaking of good eats. I’m a dessert person. We were in the middle of making the fruit pizza when I realized I didn’t have a rolling pin. Doug…
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Top 10 Summer Snacks

Two kids at home for summer, full-time, and I find myself buying more food than I ever imagined.  They are 5 and 3, almost 3, how much food could they possibly eat?! A lot. They usually wake up at the crack of dawn ravenous. Carter wakes me up by saying, Maaaaam, hungry. Chloe follows by asking whats for BreafffKist. Adorable. We serve two snacks per day, 10am and 2pm. String Cheese and apple slices Cornbread muffin and banana chunks sprinkled with ferry dust (Quick Bunny Chocolate) Blueberry muffin and strawberry slices Watermelon and feta cheese Hard boiled egg and toast Waffle slices with Sunbutter Avocado and tomato with olive oil…
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20 min Shrimp Scampi

When Justin Timberlake and Megan Trainor are blaring from Pandora, you know there is some serious dancing going on! After dancing at the library yesterday the party came home. We met another group of friends at the library yesterday and it was a ball. Chloe had some pretty fun moves, and they are posted for you to see on Insta. The rain kept us inside and our library kept us busy. The summer reading program has them totally engrossed in reading, both of them!!! Yesterday’s meal was dance friendly; you could easily dance and cook and not ruin anything. Here’s what we did. Shrimp Scampi + Broccoli + Angel Hair…
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Delicious Flavored Water

We are supposed to be drinking water. Everyday. All the time. The number of ounces you should consume is your total weight divided in half. The thought is daunting. How will I even come close? Water is so…..BORING! Below are a few ideas to make your water lightly flavored and fun for summer. Now your water tastes a little sweeter and is pretty to look at! Plus, (if you’re goal oriented like me) it’s kind of fun to drink the water so I can eat the fruit inside my glass! Just like eating the olive last from your dirty martini. Or something like that… Enjoy, stay cool today!!
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Honey Garlic Shrimp

Back to the grind. I’m in the middle of making out our menu for the week, and subsequent grocery shopping list, and found this recipe. Lucky for me, I already have all of these ingredients, so less to shop for!  Now to decide on the Children’s Museum, Zoo, or Olbrich for tomorrow’s morning adventure…. BTW, making steamed broccoli and wild rice for the sides. Honey Garlic Shrimp 1/3 cup honey 1/4 cup soy sauce (I use reduced sodium) 1 Tablespoon minced garlic optional: 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 1 lb medium uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined1 2 teaspoons olive oil optional: chopped green onion for garnish Directions: Whisk the honey,…
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No Bake Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Father’s Day is Sunday and the kids know Doug’s favorite dessert is Cherry Cheesecake. This recipe is easy enough that they can make it for him! Since we are attending our annual summer fundraising event Saturday, I’m a little tight on time for food prep. We are going to keep it real simple. I found this recipe and hope it works! MINI CHERRY CHEESECAKES Ingredients 1/2 C Graham crackers 1/4 C melted butter 1/4 C sugar 8oz cream cheese 1+1/4 C milk 3.4 oz vanilla pudding 1 can cherry pie filling Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 (optional) and prepare cupcake tin with liners. 2. Combine Graham crackers, butter and…
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Crispy Shrimp & Asparagus with seasonal fruit salad

When it’s 90 and humid, the logical thing to do is keep cool by swimming. Especially when you have a pool in your backyard. The kids and I were all ready to take advantage of our pool yesterday. But when we went outside to open up the pool gate, there was a friendly, hairy little critter floating across the pool, no longer living. It was gross. He was big. I think it was a big squirrel. So. Instead of telling the kids about it, which would have turned into screaming from both of them, I just said the pool was too dirty to swim and we would try again tomorrow.…
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