Weekend Feast

Adam and Lauren came this weekend and we ate like kings and queens!

I made this amazing middle-eastern dish called Mujadarra. We had some pork and veggie kebabs with it and and ice cream bombe. Sadly, the bombe didn't quite taste as delicious as the meal and I'd like to blame that on the fact that it was all frozen yogurt and not real ice cream.

The next day we had roasted veggie and swiss focaccia bread, chicken pitas, and spinach. We then went out for real ice cream. Since I couldn't partake, I took pictures instead.

It was an awesome weekend and we LOVED hosting the Searcy-Kingston duo!

Pita Pizzas

Saturday when we returned from our day in St. George, we were pretty worn out and didn't feel much like cooking. Izzy decided to take a turn at cooking and she did a great job! She made pizzas on pita bread!

Here's how she did it:

Take tomato sauce and spread it on a flat pita bread. Top with cheese and various toppings. Bake in a 500 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. Enjoy!

Burger Beef Cups

A Searcy favorite!

1 pound ground turkey (or beef)

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup BBQ sauce (I used Famous Dave's "Sweet and Zesty" and didn't even add the sugar)

2 Tbsp brown sugar, optional

Refrigerator biscuits (I get one can 8 count large, flaky and cut them in half making 16 beef cups)

1 cup grated cheese (I always use colby jack)

Brown turkey and onion in a sauce pan. Add sauce and sugar PLUS salt and pepper to taste.

Grease muffin tins and press biscuit dough into bottom and up sides of each tin.

Scoop out meat mixture into each muffin tin, top with cheese, and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. So yummy!!! Mike insists on serving these with a side of green beans and applesauce- and it tastes so good!

Biscuits

Biscuit making time! Izzy was the chef today- great job, girl! We loved the dog shape the sugar left behind in the tablespoon.

Cookie

We were at the store a few days ago and they had samples of a cookie hybrid that was so delicious, I had to come home and create my own. The beauty of it is that you get the best of both worlds- a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie-type treat. What should we call it?

Chocolate Chip Cookie dough
1.5 C flour
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C butter, room temp
1/3 C shortening
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. In a stand mixer, beat butter, shortening, and sugars until creamy. Mix in egg and vanilla, followed by dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips. Wrap dough in waxed paper and set aside in fridge.

Cake Mix Cookie dough
I box devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients in stand mixer. Wrap dough in waxed paper and set aside in fridge.

Roll both doughs into a log shape (there will be extra chocolate cookie dough, so you could freeze and save for later) and press together, making one large log. Cut off into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 inches wide) and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, rotating pan half-way. Cool on rack. Yum!

Mike's Feast

Mike was so pleased with this meal he made the other day, so he photographed it and now I am posting it for him. Fried rice (thanks to our friend Maribel), topped with fried egg and accompanied by collards (from our garden).

We took the kids to the ever-wonderful "Touch a Truck" event. The kids loved climbing aboard the trucks, especially the Braum's ice cream truck. Who wouldn't?!

Meals on Wheels

Since I've been sick, meals have been flowing into our home. Friends and family have been taking such good care of us in this way (and lots of other ways, too). This is a big deal to me. In case you haven't noticed, food is important to me and knowing that I wouldn't be able to cook for my family was a major stress to me prior to the surgery. And then my friends arranged some meals and those meals have been so delicious and my kids are healthy and eating well AND THAT MAKES ME HAPPY! So, thank you, thank you ALL of you that have brought over food for us- I love you!

(the dinner above was some braised chicken with couscous that my friend Xuan brought over- YUM!)