Nicholas's Freezer to Crockpot Meals

One of Nicholas's New Year's resolutions was to try freezer meals. He'd prepped meals for the week on and off through 2015 and wanted to see how it would work to prepare an entire month's worth. Then, we could just pull a meal from the deep freeze, throw it in the crockpot, and on a busy day dinner would be waiting for us.

So, he went searching through the plethora of 30 Meals in 4 Hours posts but - true to his core - he wasn't happy with his choices. He didn't feel like many of the meals were healthy enough or kid-friendly enough or basically anything he'd want to eat.

Instead, he made his own! He dug around his cookbooks and Pinterest until he had a collection of recipes he liked. He spent about six hours at the beginning of January putting all these meals together - not including the time it took him to cook the pork shoulder. Every meal includes a serving for two adults and 2-3 children depending on how big your eaters are.

I shared in a previous post how awesome this has been. We've kept a chart on the fridge we cross off as we eat the meals so we know how much we have left. It has saved us time and money and we have consumed MUCH less pizza. Plus, Nicholas still cooked several meals, we ate out occasionally by ourselves and with my parents, and we had leftovers, which means we still have almost HALF the meals still in the freezer! 

Now, he did say that he might do it in smaller batches next time as certain things go on sale to save money, but I think you'd probably have to do it at least once to know what you're keeping an eye out for as far as sales.

I wanted to post all these recipes in January but Nicholas insisted we actually eat them first so - without further ado - Nicholas's Freezer to Crockpot Collection!

Crockpot Balsamic Glazed Drumsticks (4 meals)

Easy Crockpot Mongolian Beef (2 meals)

Barley Soup (2 meals)

Chickpea Curry (2 meals) 

Chili (2 meals)

Stuffed Shells (2 meals)

Vegetable Pot Pie - Prepare except for eggwash - freeze - defrost before cooking. (2 meals)

Slow Cooker Enchilada Orzo (2 meals)

Sesame Chicken (2 meals) at the end of this list.

Pulled pork (4 meals) - Get a big old pork shoulder (the largest one that will fit in your crockpot); put a spice rub all over it (I use cumin, ancho chile powder, brown sugar, and black pepper, plus a little salt) and let it marinate overnight in a two gallon bag; in the morning, remove shoulder from bag, put it in your crockpot and cook on low for about twelve hours.  About halfway through, use a spoon or ladle to remove as much liquid from the crockpot as you safely can.  when done, remove from crockpot to cutting board or sheet pan and pull with hands, forks or chop with knife.  Eat on white bread or as filling for tacos or as a topping for baked sweet potatoes or a bunch of other ways.

How to make snow cream

When life gives you snow, make snow cream! For those of you who are just getting introduced to snow via the magic of climate change, let me walk you through how to make this delicious icy treat.

First, gather your ingredients: snow (surprise), milk, vanilla, and sugar. Some zealots out there use heavy cream. Then, there is always Paula Deen ready to take it to the next level with sweetened condensed milk. However, I'm a purist and prefer plain old whole milk.

I think it's easier to mix individual servings. In my experience, if you try to make a big batch you inevitably have a ton of quickly melting snow cream and the freezer is of absolutely no help to you. So, scoop your snow into a bowl and sprinkle about two spoons full of sugar and a splash of vanilla to taste. Mix in the milk until you have your desired consistency and ENJOY!

Trust us. We've got lots of snow cream experience. 

4 Reasons Kids Don't Need Cake

Photo Credit: Theresa Thompson via Compfight cc

A school district in Boone County, Kentucky recently received a great deal of media attention. There were no new test scores or viral videos or even school violence. No, the school board got a lot of attention for a new rule.

While revising the district’s wellness policy, the Boone County school district decided to ban food from birthday celebrations.

That’s right. No more cupcakes. No more ice cream. No more frosting or sprinkles or icing.

And, let me tell you, people are in an UPROAR.

Here’s delightful sampling of some of the opinions our local NBC station’s Facebook page:

Post by WPSD-TV.

The opposition seems to have a couple common complaints.

“Let kids be kids!”

I’m not even sure what this means. Childhood is not synonymous with sugar. Happiness and fun and memories are often linked to food but they don’t require it.

I promise you my sons’ memories of Disney World will not revolve around the meals but rather the experiences. Sure, the Dole Whips were delicious but the fun we had riding rides, seeing shows, and laughing together far outweighed any temporary sugar rush.

Birthdays – at EVERY age – can be celebrated without sugar. In fact, I’ve written before about my concerns that too often we use sugar to celebrate whether it be an important milestone or good behavior. I don’t want to teach my kids that the only way to mark a happy occasion is with a sweet treat.

Happiness doesn’t require sugar and a lack of sugar doesn’t mean unhappiness.

Kids are way more resilient and creative than we give them credit for, so the idea that a lack of sugar is some type of “punishment” sells them very, very short. If you’ve ever seen a child play with a cardboard box, you understand what I mean.

“It’s lack of exercise that’s the REAL problem.”

Is the lack of physical activity among today’s kids a problem? Absolutely.

However, we will not even BEGIN to tackle childhood obesity without also seriously altering our nation’s diet – especially the consumption of processed foods high in sugar.

The recommended daily sugar intake for children in preschool and early elementary school is 3 to 4 teaspoons. The average 4- to 8- year old consumes FIVE TIMES THAT AMOUNT IN A DAY.

I don’t care if your child is doing jumping jacks from dawn to dusk consuming that much sugar is a problem. It’s a problem that has to be addressed on every level - at every meal, snack, and – YES – special occasion.

“It didn’t kill me!”

This one is my favorite lines and I hear this often when I express any opinion that is a shift from the traditional knowledge on raising a child.

First of all, I’m aiming for a smidgen higher than merely keeping my kids alive.

I’d like them to not merely survive – but thrive! In almost every area of health, we are failing. We are one of the sickest, overly-medicated, fattest countries on the planets and our kids are expected to be worse off than us.

I know serious change is hard but serious change is what is required if we want to improve our children's future.

”This is all the government’s/Michele Obama’s fault”

The Constitution does not assure you or your children the fundamental right to sugar. I’m sorry. It just doesn’t.

When the federal government decides to use scientific evidence to change the dietary requirements of school lunches, they are WELL within their rights. When you participate in the public school system, you accept that you will not have total and complete control over every aspect of your child’s life when they are inside the walls of the school.

Believe me, I don’t always like that either but I also have to accept that deep, deep down I don’t always know what’s best for my child. I am not expert in elementary curriculum or early childhood education or how the hell you feed 50 5-year-olds in 20 minutes.

And you know what? I don’t want to be.

So, I say "Go for it, Boone County!" Your new rule is a step in the right direction and I hope other school districts follow your lead!

P.S. Why I hate public playgrounds.

What do you think? Should birthday cake be sacred?

Check out our discussion on Facebook.

Post by Sarah Stewart Holland.

5 Ways To Celebrate Bourbon!

Some of us would love to celebrate Bourbon Heritage Month. Heck, some of us like to celebrate bourbon all month long. However, SOME OF US are pregnant and can't celebrate bourbon the right way (which is on the rocks for anyone who would like to know) so ....

I gathered up other delicious ways to celebrate over at HerKentucky. 

Spoiler Alert: Most of them involve chocolate.

Roasted Summer Vegetable Penne

I love to eat. I live to eat. I truly believe it is one of the fundamental joys of life.

Only one problem, I do NOT love to cook. I like to bake. I like to make a warm breakfast for my family. I like to make popsicles and cocktails and all manner of optional treats. 

But cooking? No thanks.

Luckily, I’ve found a solution. Marry a man who cooks! Not just a man who likes to barbecue or who will cook when he feels like it, a man who plans out the week’s menu, goes to the grocery store, and cooks a delicious and nutritious meal most nights of the week. 

My husband is a fantastic cook. In an effort to share this amazing man with all of you (and reduce the amount of resentment you feel towards me!), I’ve convinced him to share some of his recipes - starting with this delicious pasta dish he made last week!

Roasted Summer Vegetable Penne

Ingredients

2 zucchini and/or summer squash, cut up into 1/2” rounds

1 red onion, chopped

1/2 cup loosely packed basil, cut

12 oz penne

1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes

1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Toss vegetables with olive oil and salt and pepper. Lay out flat on cookie sheet.
3. Roast for 25-35 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to directions on the box.
5. Drain pasta and add the now roasted veggies to the pot.
6. Add tomatoes and return to heat. Stir.
7. Season to taste.
8. Add cheese and stir.
9. Garnish with basil. 

Enjoy!

Spicy Chocolate Bourbon Pops

These popsicles were inspired by Kentucky bourbon and Texas heat. I created the recipe last summer for A Southern Fairytale blog but thought they deserved a repost as the temperature starts to rise! 

Ingredients

• 2 cups half and half
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1/4 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Instructions

1. Place chocolate, orange zest, cayenne pepper, bourbon, and dark brown sugar in glass bowl.
2. Bring half and half to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Pour the heated half and half over ingredients. Whisk until chocolate has melted and everything is well combined.
4. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds.
5. Freeze until firm, usually several hours or overnight.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

Yes, that's me. Yes, my love of chocolate chip cookies started early.

Y'all, TODAY is Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. 

If you know me AT ALL, you know this might as well be my birthday. Sure, I have a thing for s'mores, but there is only one dessert that lives in my heart and that dessert is the chocolate chip cookie. It is my favorite food. Period. 

When I was pregnant with Griffin, my blood pressure spiked in the last couple days of my pregnancy. My midwife made it very simple for me. No sugar. No salt. Vegetables and lean meat. Luckily, my blood pressure went down but life without chocolate chip cookies (ESPECIALLY when you are nine months pregnant!) is not really life. Obviously, Griffin agreed because he arrived only a few days after I started the diet. 

I gave birth to my firstborn child. I kissed his sweet face and then I said one thing.

"I want a chocolate chip cookie."

When we completed the Whole30, I felt great. I felt free of sugar and processed food. And yet...the last night of the 30 days I walked into my kitchen and made myself the most perfect, most delicious chocolate chip cookie of all time and felt even better.

My preferred chocolate chip cookie recipe after YEARS of research is Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe adapted by the New York Times. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Jacques Torres

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons

(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)

Sea salt. 

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Is this recipe ridiculous? YES. But is it the best? YES!

In a pinch, you can make a skillet cookie. If you’re feeling healthy, you can make these paleo chocolate chip cookies, which I also love. 

Just celebrate Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! Because if chocolate chip cookies aren’t worth celebrating, NOTHING IS.

Happy Chocolate Cake Day!

What an amazing day! I'll be the first to admit that some of these "holidays" are silly. Do we really need a Humiliation Day? (January 3 in case you were wondering.)

But Chocolate Cake Day!?! THAT I can get behind.

My heart belongs to chocolate chip cookies but chocolate cake is a close second. I like my cake warm from the oven. This is opposed to white cake which I prefer cold from the refrigerator. Know thyself is all I'm saying.

If you're looking for a reason to celebrate, I thought I would share my two absolute most favorite chocolate cake recipes. 

The first one comes from Anne Byrn and her book Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor. This is my FAVORITE cookbook. No joke, I've made every single cake in the entire cookbook. They are all amazing but the Darn Good Chocolate Cake is my favorite

Darn Good Chocolate Cake 

Ingredients:

one 18.25-oz. pkg. plain devil's food or fudge cake mix
one 3.9-oz. pkg. chocolate instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil 
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 

Preparation: 

Place rack in center of oven and heat to 350. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray and dust with flour, shaking out excess. 

Place cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with electric beaters on low speed for one minute. Stop and scrape down bowl. Increase speed to medium and beat for two to three minutes more, scraping down bowl. 

Fold in chocolate chips, making sure to distribute them well. Turn batter into the Bundt pan and bake at 350 for 58 to 62 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and is just starting to pull away from the pan. Place on wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around edge of cake and invert onto a rack to cool for 20 more minutes. Meanwhile, prepare icing (recipe below). 

Ingredients for Martha's Chocolate Icing (for 1-1/2 cups): 

1 cup granulated sugar
5 Tbs. butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

Preparation: 

Place sugar, butter and milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until it comes to a boil--about three to four minutes. Still stirring, let mixture boil for one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in semisweet chocolate chips and stir smooth. Spread icing over a cooled cake or cupcakes, or pour over a Bundt cake. 

Yield: 16 servings 

My other most favorite chocolate cake is Coca Cola Cake. I first had this southern staple at Jestine's Kitchen in Charleston and I've been hooked ever since. Cracker Barrel has a good version but nothing is better than eating it fresh from your own oven. 

Coca-Cola Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Coca-Cola
• 1 ½ cups small marshmallows
• ½ cups butter or margarine
• ½ cups vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cups butter
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 6 tablespoons Coca-Cola
• 1 box (16-ounces) confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:

• TOTAL TIME: 1 hr  15 min
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 45 min

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, sift the sugar and flour.
3. Add marshmallows.
4. In a saucepan, mix the butter, oil, cocoa and Coca-Cola. Bring to a boil and pour over dry ingredients; blend well.
5. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk just before adding to batter along with eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well.
6. Pour into a well-greased 9- by-13-inch pan and bake 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and frost immediately.

Coca-Cola Cake Frosting:

To make frosting, combine the 1/2 cup butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa and 6 tablespoons ofCoca-Cola in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and pour over confectioners' sugar, blending well. Add vanilla extract and pecans. Spread over hot cake. When cool, cut into squares and serve.

Enjoy your celebration!

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