Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes

This deliciously easy side is a staple for family gatherings! 

I can't tell you how many casserole dishes of these I've made in the past couple years, but I know I bring one to every Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas gathering, plus the many times I bring it to other family gatherings or other communal meals with friends. I've started making mine in the slow cooker so I can have them without heating the kitchen in the summer or a great way to make more room in the oven for busy holiday meals, but it works great in the oven too! 

Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes (Slow Cooker or Oven)

1/2 cup Butter (melted)

1 Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced or your favourite garlicky seasoning (like Johnny's from Costco...yum)

1 can cCondensed Mushroom Soup

1 cup Sour Cream (substitute Greek Yogurt for some or all)

250ml container of Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese

7 cups Frozen Hashbrowns (one of the smaller sized bags)

2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup Corn Flakes

Slow Cooker: I like to brown my onions before tossing them in the slow cooker, but it's not necessary, just adds more flavour to the dish. Combine the melted butter, diced onion, garlic, soup, sour cream, cream cheese together in a saucepan and heat until all the cheese melts and everything mixes together in a gooey sauce. Add Hashbrowns to the slow coker and pour cheesy sauce over. Mix well and cook until potatoes are heated through, about 2-3 hours on high. Top with corn flakes before serving (you can put them under the broiler for a few minutes if you want the top to be golden brown.

Oven: Melt butter in a saucepan, add onions and cook until slightly browned. Add garlic, soup, sour cream, cream cheese together in a sauce pan and heat until all the cheese melts and everything mixes together in a gooey sauce. Mix with hashbrowns and pour into an oven safe dish. Top with corn flakes. Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes until sauce starts bubbling and the top is golden brown.

This recipe freezes really well, perfect for a big cook/freezer meal and makes a great alternative to Mashed Potatoes!

~Adel~

BC Chicken & Homemade Chicken Nuggets

This weekend, I thought it would be fun to go to a new store to do our weekly grocery shop. While the grocery shopping experience was a bust with two major meltdowns in the store (yes I was the meanest mom in the world and wouldn't let them buy popsicles on a very cold day), we managed to learn something new in the process that quite honestly blew my mind and I'm sure I'm not alone, so I thought I'd share what I learned.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that I've been working to reduce additives, chemicals, and sugars - trying to live a more natural & healthy life. It's been a long process of learning to make more from scratch and making healthier choices in the store. I've been slowly changing us over to organic, local, and homegrown/homemade food. 

While we were shopping at Save On Foods, we saw some local chicken farmers called the Chicken Squad working to dispel some myths about the chicken farming industry. I don't know about you, but I've always understood that the meat & poultry available in my local store is full of hormones and steroids and that the chickens are force fed to get really fat. This has influenced my decision to buy mostly organic, thinking it was the healthiest choice for my family. I've been researching and learning about where my food really comes from and discovered that I've been given some misleading information. Did you know that the use of steroids and hormones has been banned in Canada since the 1960's? Really! I had no idea. This discovery has really made me think and I'm reconsidering my choice to not purchase regular chicken from the store.

The Chicken Squad even made a great little movie trailer to help spread the word (check it out at chickensquad.ca)! Lady & Bug thought the action packed trailer was funny, especially the growing chicken! Bug even asked me if we could do that at home (of course I said no!). Instead I managed to calm the popsicle meltdowns with the promise that we would go home with our chicken and make our own Chicken Nuggets.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

4 Chicken Breasts
1 Egg
3 Tbsp Milk

1 Sleeve of Crackers (your favourite of course)

1 Tbsp Flour

1 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1/8 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut chicken breasts into 1-2" bit sized pieces.

In a shallow bowl, combine egg and milk. Beat well to mix.


Crunch up crackers using a food processor or a plastic bag and a rolling pin. Add Flour, thyme, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, pepper & salt and mix well. This recipe works best if crackers have been crushed very fine (like cornmeal).

Coat a few chicken pieces at a time in egg mixture and then toss into a bag with the cracker mixture. Twist bag at the top and shake to coat. Place chicken on a baking sheet at least 1/2" apart and repeat until all the chicken has been coated with the cracker mixture. Bake for 10 minutes at 350F. Turn chicken over and bake for 5-10 more minutes until chicken reaches at least 165F internal temperature.


Yum! Lady & Bug (and Daddy Ladybug) approved.

Thanks BC Chicken Farmers for helping our family learn something new and for all your hard work so that we could have some really yummy chicken to make nuggets.

~Adel~

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Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Pockets

Daddy Ladybug loves all things convenience. He especially loves the food of his childhood, so today I decided to try my hand at Pizza Pockets.

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Pockets

2 1/2 cups Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

2/3 cups Regular or Butter Flavoured Shortening

1/2 cup Cold Water (more or less as needed)

1 cup Pizza Sauce, divided in 2 (make your own!)

1/2 cup Pizza Pepperoni, chopped in small chunks

1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 egg, beaten

Make pastry crust by mixing flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in shortening until it is the consistency of oatmeal and slowly add cold water 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing with hands, until the dough sticks together but not sticky. Roll out to about 1/4" thickness and cut 5" circles. Should make about 12 circles.

In a separate bowl, add 1/2 cup of pizza sauce to bowl, saving remaining sauce for dipping. Mix in pepperoni, mozzarella, parmesan and seasoning.

Spoon 1 Tbsp of filling into the middle of each circle, fold in half and crimp edges together with a fork, fingers, or a pastry pocket maker, ensuring edges are well sealed. (note: It's easy to want to overfill, but I've learned that adding more than a Tbsp of filling makes it run out or be difficult to seal well) 

Place filled pockets on a greased baking sheet and brush tops with beaten egg. Bake for 20 minutes at 375F until tops start to become golden.

Heat remaining 1/2 cup of pizza sauce and serve on the side as a dip.

A great homemade lunch option, or make a double or triple batch and freeze partially cooked (about 15 minutes) and cook in the microwave to heat up for a quick snack. Great for kids, hungry teens, and Daddy Ladybug's post-hockey starvation!

~Adel~

Cherry Cola Cooler

I love cherry coke so when I see an easy dessert that claims to be just like it, I have to try it out! Cherry Cola Coolers (Kraft).They weren't lying. I don't have pretty cupware like they do, but here's my attempt at something delicious and easy, a perfect sunny afternoon dessert. Next time I'm going to make a double batch and fill those cups up! It really tastes like cherry cola, jello with a little fizz! 

1 cup Cola

1 cup Boiling Water

1 package Cherry Flavoured Jelly Powder

Pre-made sweetened Whip Cream (they called for cool whip...I'd rather have the real thing)

Fresh Cherries

In a bowl, add cola. In a separate bowl, mix jelly powder and boiling water. Pour into bowl and mix well with cola (important not to do it the other way around or you will get LOTS of foam). Pour into serving dishes and let cool in a fridge for about 1 hour before serving. Top with whip cream and cherries.

(makes 4 servings)

My version of Kraft's "What's Cooking" Summer '14 recipe - Cherry Cola Coolers

YUMMY!

~Adel~

10 Great Meals for Camping with Kids

It's officially the kick off to the camping season this year. The line of campers impatiently waiting to escape the city is growing with each hour, so if you're caught in traffic, here's something for you! 

Camping food seems to get a free pass when it comes to nutrition, it's fun, tasty and easy. In my experience, you can get kids to eat more if they help make it, so this is a great chance for them to be involved. The best part is that there's usually little work involved for the cook! A fire, a stick, a grill, and some tin foil are about all you'll need!

If you're not out camping, your backyard BBQ works just fine.

I've put together some ideas that I remember from my childhood, years of working at summer camp, and things I've tried as an adult (but wish my parents knew about it when I was a kid).

Eggs in a Bag

1 small zipper freezer bag

Boiling water & pot with lid

2 eggs per person

omelette toppings (cheese, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms)

salt & pepper

Add 2 eggs and desired toppings to a zippered freezer bag (not sandwich - too thin). Close baggie and place in boiling water and cover for 8-12 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. Season with salt & pepper as desired and pour out of baggie onto a plate or eat right out of the bag.

A quick and easy breakfast.

Pancakes
1 cup Flour
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt

Combine this mix in a plastic zipper bag and take with you.
Add:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Milk
2 Tbsp Oil

Stir until moist but lumpy. Cook for 2 minutes/side on a hot griddle or skillet.

Serve with Syrup, fresh berries or whip cream for a delicious breakfast!

Piggies in a Bannock Blanket

Make 1 Bannock Recipe (see below) and wrap Bannock around smoked link sausage or hot dog wieners. Using a stick or a grill over fire, cook until meat starts to bubble and dough becomes golden brown (and probably some black) and puffy. Meat should be cooked through.

Serve with Ketchup or Mustard as dipping sauce.

Walking Tacos

 nacho cheese or corn chips (individual bags)

cheese

chili or taco beef or refried beans

tomatoes & lettuce

sour cream, salsa & guacamole

Before opening crush the chips a bit & cut off the top part of the bag. 

Top with meat, cheese and any other toppings you'd like and use a fork or fingers to eat!

Bannock Mix

2 cups Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 cup Powdered Milk
*Add 1 cup Water when making

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a zipper bag and you've got a great bread option when camping. All you have to do is add the water, mix well and fry in a couple Tbsp of oil or fat or roast on a stick over an open flame. Top with Jam, peanut butter, cheese, butter, honey, or your favourite bread topping for a delicious easy camping bread.

Baked Potato  
Poke holes with a fork in a baking potato (russet is great). Wrap in foil and place over hot coals for 30-50 minutes (depending on size).

Let sit for 5 minutes and serve with bacon bits, tomato, green onions, cheese, chili, sour cream, butter, mustard...anything you want!

Hobo Packets

Combine your favourite ingredients in a double layer of aluminum foil (don't forget to use cooking spray) and cook over hot coals for 20-40 minutes (depending on the size and ingredients).

Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Traditional Hobo Packets include meat, potatoes, onion, carrots, butter & salt/pepper.
Be creative and use ingredient like ground beef patties, steak, chicken, sausage, carrots, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, bacon bits, eggs, peas, broccoli, cheese, pineapple, mango, lemons, limes and any seasoning or sauces you'd like!

Campfire Mac & Cheese

1/ 2 cup Partially cooked macaroni
1 tsp butter
1 Tbsp Milk
1/4 cup Cheese, grated

Combine ingredients in an individual foil pie plate and mix well. Cover with a double layer of foil and cook over hot coals for 10 minutes. Stir well and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Pina Colada Banana Boats

Cut a V in the top of a ripe banana and scoop our some of the flesh. Line the V with marshmallows and top with crushed pineapple, coconut flakes and dark chocolate chips.

Wrap in aluminum foil and cook over hot coals for 10-15 minutes until marshmallows are melted.

Eat with a spoon.

Nutella S'mores

Graham Crackers

Jumbo Marshmallows

Nutella

Spread nutella on two graham crackers. Toast marshmallows over fire with a stick until golden and melty. Sandwich melty marshmallow between nutella'd graham crackers and serve warm.

Watch out for the  gooey deliciousness that squeezes out the sides!

So if you're still trying to figure out what to make this long weekend, here's 10 great ideas that my kids love and I'm sure yours will too.

Happy Camping!

~Adel~

Want more camping ideas? Check out my Camping with Kids page!