Unfussy: Sloppy Joes

A recent Sloppy Joes recipe from Jamie Oliver made me realize that I haven't made these for the kids in many, many years. Like they were toddlers the last time we had them. So, I used his recipe as a loose framework and whipped up dinner. I may or may not have been chuckling in the grocery while buying ingredients and wondering which kid would hate this dish more. 

Hilariously, the "unpicky kid" experiment is proving that while Mads is a glorious veggie eater, she is actually more picky than Erik when it comes to new things... interesting. 

Here's my version of sloppy joes, although next time I would add shredded or finely diced carrot and maybe reduce the brown sugar by a tablespoon. 

Sloppy Joes

1 pound lean ground pork 

1 small shallot, peeled and diced

1 can organic tomato sauce

2 Tbs. malt vinegar

2 Tbs. dark brown sugar

1 Tbs. honey

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. chili powder

1 can organic kidney beans, drained and rinsed

salt, garlic powder and freshly ground pepper, to taste

slice baguette to serve

Brown and drain pork with diced shallot. Then add next six ingredients and bring to simmer until sauce thickens a bit. Add beans, season to taste, and cook until sauce is reduced to your liking. Serve on slice baguette along with a side of veg. 

Unfussy: Rice Pudding

Mads was a no on this, and Erik was a thumbs-up on the rice pudding but not on the cherries.

Leftover Rice, Rice Pudding 

1 c. cooked rice
1.5 c. milk
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
dash salt
1/2 c. dried cherries (or other dried fruit)

Mix all ingredients except the dried fruit in a saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling, turn down to low to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add dried fruit just before you reduce the heat. 

Ready!

Let the lunch-making begin! We're ready for September 2nd. We love our Easy Lunchboxes (http://www.easylunchboxes.com/) that I learned about five years ago from my friend Erin, and they are available on Amazon right here. I use my silicone heart-shaped cupcake molds (too fussy otherwise) for separating items like cheese, meat, crackers, and veggies in the large section of the boxes sometimes.

Erik likes his as "Lunchable-type" meals, where Madeline is pretty happy with a PB&J or a salad. We like the Mini Dippers containers for sauces and dressing in the lunchbox containers since they are not leakproof. One of my favorite dipping containers are simply reused dressing containers from Starbucks salads (also used to nuts and dried fruit in their Protein Boxes). 

We always use reusable snack containers of various types too, are trying the Fuel brand this year. And, we've got some Wrap-N-Mat wraps for sandwiches that were a gift... we'll see if those work for us. I might pare down a bit more, but I'm looking forward to taking baby steps to involve the kids in making their own lunches on a more regular basis this year! Here we go!! 

Unfussy: Chicken Parmesan - ATK style

I love Americas' Test Kitchen. Watched an episode last night with great tips to make perfect chicken parm. And, since my children need more variety in their diets so they don't grow up to picky little snits... Voila!

It was great, and Erik the pickiest deemed it amazing.

Basically, halve two boneless skinless chicken breasts, pound between saran, then coat with an egg mixture of one egg and enough flour to make a runny paste. Then bread in a mix of 1/2 cup panko and 3/4 cup parmesan. Fry for 1.5 mins per side, two per pan, then place on cookie sheet. Top with a mix of mozzarella and fontina (or shredded Italian blend cheese), and broil until melted.

Serve topped with your own sauce simmered with a bit of olive oil, herbs, and one large can of crushed tomatoes (garlic, S & P, and about 1/2 tsp. sugar) until thickened. Yum.

Tender, moist chicken, light & crisp breading, flavorful, soft cheese topping, and delicious sauce that doesn't make the breading soggy.

Gramma Irene's Pancakes

Thanks to Anna for posting this today, we had a delicious breakfast of buttermilk pancakes this morning. Yes, there is no sugar in these at all. I'm so glad that I had a quart of buttermilk in the fridge for a muffin recipe that I was planning to make.

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup oil


It makes "the right amount for two people" (which means 6 generously-sized 4-inch pancakes), and they are fabulous. 

Or, the 12-cake version:
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil 

You can also add pureed, steamed sweet potato or beet for orange or pink pancakes (just add some cinnamon too). 

Pie, Pie, Me oh my!

Six pies ready for Earl and Tricia's wedding... three cherry, two apple, and one blueberry. Made with Grammy and a bit of help from Mads today too.

Six are in the freezer to bake the morning of, but we had to bake a couple - one for mom to take home and a cherry to keep. Delish!