Who doesn’t love french fries? Crazy people that’s who.

So if  you are a crazy person just stop reading right now.  Then go and find yourself some medication.  Come back once you are sane.  Trust me, you will want to.

I have to confess right here that I had never made french fries from scratch before this. The thought of slicing up all of the potatoes seemed like way too much work when I could just open up a bag of already seasoned fries and dump it out onto my baking sheet. But a couple weeks ago I was making dinner and thought, ‘Oh what the heck, let me try.’
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This is what my children call it.  And really who am I to argue with it.  They are so stingy with their praise that I take it wherever I can get it. Last week when all my kids were sick with the coughing plague they requested I make this.  In fact, my 9 yr old was upset that his siblings had the audacity to eat the bananas and not let them go “bad.”

I have used this recipe since before I had kids.  When I was pregnant with my first child I brought it as a snack for my lamaze class and it recieved rave reviews from everyone. And I don’t just mean the pregnant people who would eat anything.
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When you think of pork chops what is the first thing that comes to mind? Applesauce, right?
or if you are a child of the 70’s the Brady Bunch episode where Peter is imitating Humphrey Bogart and says, “Pork chops and applesauce. That’s swell.”

In fact every single time I make pork chops I have to say this. And every time my kids ask me why I am saying in a weird voice.

So when I found this recipe I thought it was perfect, apples and pork chops cooked together!

I really liked it.  My kid were kind of meh, whatever. They are such party poopers sometimes.
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You should make this.  Right now if possible. 

 
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I have noticed a new trend– families doing Sunday brunch together instead of dinner parties or going out for cocktails.  It is more casual, low-cost, and definitely kid friendly.

We had another family over for brunch and one of my children said, “This is so awesome.  It is like when we stay at the Holiday Inn Express!”  I assume that was meant as the highest of compliments.  It made me think about why brunch is such a fun meal to host, the food choices are endless and varied. 
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I have been neglecting my crockpot lately. I think I have just become tired of the same old recipes I make it in over and over again. 

But then I got this cookbook, Make It Fast, Cook It Slow in the mail from my friend Stephanie O’Dea.  And oh my goodness I have been reinspired to to use my crockpot. (I also broke down and finally bought an immersion blender)

In case you don’t know Stephanie, she was the blogger who decided to use her crockpot every day for an entire year and blog about the experience.  I absolutely love this cookbook.  Not only does Stephanie have the recipes she used during her year long project, she also tells you what she and her family thought of the various dishes.  Her daughter is Celiac, so all of the recipes are gluten free or have gluten free alternatives to the ingredients.

Last week I made the Taco Soup recipe.  It was so good that I hid the leftovers for myself to eat for lunch all week. 

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This is frighteningly good. It tastes like Pumpkin Pie without that pesky crust, or baking. Or time. Or any real effort. Are you the sort of person who remembers at 2:00 that you have a holiday party to attend at 2:30, and you still need to shower, dress, and bring a food item to share? Then this is the recipe for you.

Serve with Gingersnap cookies, or graham crackers if you prefer.

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Let me just come right out and say it.  I am not a huge fan of fish.  I never make it.  Ever.  But after listening to friends go on and on about how much they, and more importantly their children, love tilapia, I had no choice but to try it out on some unsuspecting soulsmy family.   And I will tell you right here… my children ATE FISH.  Not only that, they LOVED it.  Who woulda thought? 

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My children say that this is better than the stuff that comes in the blue box. I think tears welled up in my eyes and my hand involuntarily clutched my chest when they said this. It is such a compliment coming from those who think the most tasty foods are ones that come in colors not naturally occurring in nature.

For this recipe you will need:

1 box elbow macaroni
6T unsalted butter
6T flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cream
(I used 3 cups of half-n-half, which I think is the same thing.)
3/4 tsp salt
ground pepper
3 cups shredded cheddar
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
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Yet another thing that you can make from those bananas that are over ripe and in danger of going bad.

You would think that at this point of my parenting tenure I would be able to properly estimate the number of bananas that my children go through in a given week. But my children like to mix things up, just to keep this parenting thing challenging. Sometimes I buy a big bunch of bananas and NO ONE WANTS TO EAT THEM. Then the next time I buy only a few and all I hear is complaints because THEY WANT TO EAT BANANAS.
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