When I was on vacation with my friends a few weeks ago, the conversation turned to dinner, specifically a lack of inspiration, everyone seemed to be in a rut. So, everyone made a list of quick and easy things they make for dinner at home and we shared it in an effort to gain some new ideas.

One thing that came up was an idea for Salsa Chicken Soup. I love soup, but sometimes when I get an idea for soup, it never quite comes out like I intended (except for the Loaded Potato Soup, I like that stuff when I make it). This one was really simple, and actually tasted like I wanted it to!

We only discussed the ingredients in general, so even though it’s not scientific, here’s what I did:

Salsa Chicken Soup

2-4 Chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cut into bite sized pieces
2 cans chicken broth
1 can sweet corn
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 jars salsa (I used 15 oz ones)
1 can Cream of Chicken soup

Combine all of the above and heat it up! I put it in the crockpot on low for an hour or so.

Serve with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips:

Like many things, this gets even better after about a day.

Perhaps if I make soup often enough, winter will actually arrive since it hasn’t really shown up here, yet!

Do you have any simple soup recipes?

The most difficult part about cooking dinner for me is coming up with new and interesting side dishes.  Especially in the summer when we are likely to have guests eating with us.  There is only so many times you can serve pasta salad or potato salad before you bore even yourself.

I came across this recipe last year sometime and jotted it down on a scrap of paper and stuffed it into the bottomless abyss that is otherwise known as my purse.  I found it again last week and knew it would  the perfect accompaniment to the burgers I was grilling for some friends that night.
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I found these adorable ramekins at the grocery store a few weeks ago.  I am a sucker for this color blue and pretty things in general.  For only $1 each, I could not pass them up.  I knew that I would find something to use them for.  So far I have served grapes in them, hummus, dips of all kinds– the best part of course is that no one is concerned about double dipping since they all have their own individual ramekin.

I have yet to find the cure for the unparalleled horror of having a sibling breathing near your food, but should I discover the answer to that I will be sure to let you know. I am here for you, people.

So Fourth of July came and I had them setting out on the counter and I decided that I would make a red, white and blue treat with them. 

The best part? The recipe is so easy that even your youngest children can make this with minimal help.

To make 10* individual cobblers you will need:

2 21oz canned cherries
1 tube of biscuits
1T melted butter
2T sugar
1tsp cinnamon

*Why 10? The biscuits come 10 to a tube and the 21oz can makes 5. So, uh, do the math! Or better yet, make your child do the math and then pat yourself on the back for helping them keep their mind sharp during their summer vacation. Their teacher will be proud of your efforts!

Divide the cherries up evenly between your ten ramekins.

Whack your tube of biscuits open against your counter until you hear that satisfying pop. Then take the biscuits out, flatten them slightly, and stick one in each ramekin on top of the cherries.

Brush the top with the melted butter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Bake in the 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

 
These taste delicious hot, cold, or any state of cooling from hot to cold. I have already made another batch today since it was easier than listening to the complaints that 10 is not evenly divisible by 7. (See, more summer math work! FTW!)
 

School is quickly coming to an end.  If you are like me, it is coming to an end in the next few days.  Cue the angels singing hallelujah.  

What do you give to your children’s teachers?   I like to make a little something as well as give them a giftcard.  Even thought my daughter insists her teacher loves candles I just don’t think she wants one from every kid in the class.  Unless of course she is going for that Amish theme in her house and shunning electricity.

Coupled with school coming to an end has been my ongoing quest for a recipe to make the cinnamon roasted cashews that I love from Whole Foods.  I could eat them every single day.  And I would if the Whole Foods store wasn’t so far away from me and if they didn’t cost so much money.  For whatever reason, my children want to eat more than a small hand full of nuts for dinner everyday. They are so selfish like that.

As I searched for recipes, some of them were way more complex than what I wanted to do. I had zero desire to put trays of nuts in and out of the oven multiple times. Nor did I want to brush my nuts with egg whites.

(I am resisting the urge to add, That’s what she said.)

And so I came up with this shortcut version of the recipe. It suits me and my short attention span perfectly. Not to mention it is so delicious that I ended up hiding some of it from my children. I just don’t think they appreciated my nuts enough.

(Sometimes I think I am really a 12 year old boy.)

I think that this recipe tastes even better than the version they sell at Whole Foods, if only for the fact that it costs about 1/10th price to make at home.

You will need:

6 cups of Cashews, or really any nut you desire
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2T cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla

Again, this recipe, like most of my recipes, is not an exact science. Add more or less of whatever you like or don’t like. It will turn out perfectly fine. I promise.

Step One:

Put the nuts in a large heavy bottomed pan. Heat them up over high heat, stirring them so that they don’t burn. This will take a few minutes.

Step Two:

Once the nuts are heated thoroughly dump the brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla into the pan.

Step Three:

Stir it while the sugar mixture gets all melty and sticks to the nuts.

Step Four:

Turn off stove and let it cool slightly before you remove the nuts from the pan. Resist the urge to taste them right now unless you want to burn the tastebuds off of your tongue. Trust me on this.

Step Five:

Scoop the nuts out of the pan and into a bowl. If you have allowed them to cool too long and they are stuck in your pan like a massive piece of peanut brittle, simply turn the stove back on for a few minutes to loosen the sugar up. it is much easier than hacking at it with a butter knife. Not that I know anything about that.

Now you can package these nuts up into little decorative containers to give to the teachers. Or you can just eat the nuts yourself and tell yourself that you need it, no, you deserve it, because soon enough the kids are going to be home all day and sometimes you just need to sneak into the pantry and have a little snack to susatin you while you think of ways to burn daylight.

Miles approves.

With the warm weather approaching, or if you live on the face of the sun like I do, the warm weather has already arrived, entertaining demands to be made easier and more casual. Afterall, who wants to slave over a hot stove on a sweltering day? No one that’s who.

This dessert is perfect for the casual entertaining of summer. It is easy, ridiculously so. Your children can make this entirely by themselves. And it is delicious. As a matter of fact, I hid the leftovers so that I could have it all for myself. What? Don’t judge me! You have done the same thing.
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My kids prefer dark meat to the chicken breasts.  I used to think that it was because the dark meat was more moist, but to be honest I now think that it is because they can pick up the legs in their hands and not have to bother with those pesky utensils.

I like to buy chicken legs because they are insanely inexpensive. Also, if you have any children who are picky and like bland food, once the skin is removed after cooking the spiciness disappears. (I am going to admit to you all right now that I had to look up how to spell spiciness. That just doesn’t look right. But then again, neither did any other way I tried to spell it.)

 
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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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