my angel's choice for dinner - salmon patties

My Angel enjoys cooking. He's not great at it yet and he ends up making a H-U-G-E mess but he wants to learn. He enjoys simple cooking...pancakes, meatloaf, baked fish, chilli and his favorite,  

SALMON PATTIES

INGREDIENTS
2 cups canned salmon, drained

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 egg, slightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION
Combine salmon, lemon juice, egg, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs in mixing bowl; mix well. If mixture seems very wet add a little more breadcrumbs. If mixture is too dry to patty, add a little water. Shape into patties.

COOKING

Brown lightly on both sides in hot oil.

pasta e fagioli a.k.a. macaroni & bean soup

INGREDIENTS 

4 small garlic cloves, chopped fine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 celery stalks, sliced thin
8 Tbsp. butter or margarine

2 can navy beans
4 cups water
2-3 cup cooked ditalini (dee-tah-LEE-nee) pasta (any small macaroni can be substituted)
6 oz tomato paste
1 small tomato, chopped (optional)
3-4 Tbsp grated Parmesian cheese
basil, parsley, oregano, salt & pepper to taste

PREPARATION
In crockpot combine cooked pasta, can of beans (do not drain first), water, tomato paste (& tomato). Brown garlic in hot oil. Pour oil & garlic into crockpot. Saute celery in butter until slightly softened (approx 10 minutes). Pour butter & celery into crockpot. Add cheese. Season to taste with Italian spices, salt & pepper. Stir.

COOKING
Cover and cook on med/high for 30-45 minutes, stirring after every 15 minutes.

:: ADDITIONAL NOTES ::
Add more water for a soupier broth. We like garlic… you may find that two cloves is enough. Adding more cheese will make your soup a little thicker. We use 1 tsp. of Italian herbs instead of 1/8 tsp of each separate spice.

simple mom's mousse

Simply adding this

to this

will take this

to this

Be sure to use this

or better yet, this

Now I know some of you only serve meals/desserts that look like this

but I don't have m-u-c-h of this

 

and I don't have any of this

but I still get 
SMILES 
like
t h i s

stir-fry lunch

My Sunshine doesn't like baby corn. My Angel doesn't like mushrooms. Miss Thang doens't like beef. Today's lunch is stir-fry. No, not because I'm mean.

Somehow when I mix sirloin tip steak, a handful of green beans from the garden, a red pepper, baby corn and mushrooms in the wok with teriyaki sauce and serve it mixed with ramen noodles, sesame seeds and chow mein noodles on top my kids love it!

What a blessing to make healthy meal for only $20. that feeds a family of 4 (Baby doesn't enjoy this one with us yet).

After further thought...

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lbs of sirloin tip steak (cut into bite size cubes)
1 very large red pepper (cut into strips)
1-2 handfuls of fresh green beans
1 15oz can of baby corn (drained)
5-7 baby bella mushrooms (stems & caps sliced)
4 packages of beef flavored Ramen Noodles (cooked & drained) leave 1-2 packages of beef flavoring aside, discard the others
teriyaki sauce
sesame seeds & chow mein noodles as desired

COOKING:
Place your sirloin, red pepper, green beans, baby corn and mushrooms in a hot wok (no oil necessary). Add as much or as little teriyaki sauce as your family likes. Cook for about 15 minutes (your green beans will still have a crispness). Add your noodles & beef flavor and cook another 5 minutes. Sesame seeds & chow mein noodles are additional textures we like to add on top after being plated.

NOTES: If you like your green beans a little softer, boil them for a couple minutes first. The handfuls we add are those of a 12 year old so adjust per the size of the hands being used. =)