A fun new dinner that we had this week.

Inside-Out Chicken Pot Pie

I wanted the traditional version for dinner, but didn't feel like taking the time. I made the filling part in a skillet on the stove and then made some biscuits, split them and then topped them with the filling. The biscuits were frozen store-bought.

The filling consisted of mixed vegetables, cream of chicken soup, one soup-can of water, 4 oz. cubed velveeta, a hand-full of garden rotini, and cube (cooked and seasoned) chicken.

I thought it was quite yummy. The filling was faster to cook than the biscuits were though, we got stuck waiting on those at the end.

Pumpkin pretzels

Julie helped me make these while she was the only one around. They didn't quite turn out at cute as I had hoped. They were yummy though. I only did six, then got lazy and just coated the pretzels.

Worm Burgers

Since preschool started, Julie has wanted to bring the snack. It's finally her turn. And since it's October, we went with a Halloween-ish snack. (Even though they went to the fire station today.) These taste pretty good too.

Layered Enchilada Bake

This is on the Kraft website also. I really like it. I like Mexican in general though. I didn't have a seasoning packet, so I made my own with chili powder and cumin and other spices. I like the black beans in it too. I have been trying to incorporate more beans in my cooking. This was good. Also, the mixture would make a great dip for tortilla chips.

End of August

The last couple of days I have tried three recipes from Kraft. Two dinners and one dessert. Sorry, I don't have pictures. I didn't plan on converting this blog.

The first dinner was Velveeta cheesy chicken and rice. Quite good. I would put the broccoli in a little sooner, mine was still a little crunchy (some people may like that texture though) and I felt it was a little too much velveeta. Just a little strong. It cooked up quick though. And was stove-top so the kitchen didn't get too hot.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
2 C instant white rice, uncooked
1/2 lb (8oz) velveeta, cut into cubes
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

Cook chicken on MH 5 min. or until done
stir in broth, bring to boil
Add rice, velveeta, broccoli; cover. Remove from heat and let sit 10 min. Stir until velveeta is completely melted and mixture is well blended.



Tonight we tried Velveeta tex-mex beef and potatoes. I think I liked this one a little more than the above. It has directions for using the oven or the stove-top. I used the stove.

1 lb ground beef
1 red pepper chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg (1 1/4 oz) taco bell seasoning (I used my own concoction)
1/2 C water
4 C frozen, cubed Southern-style hash browns
1 pkg (10oz) frozen corn (I used a can.)
1/2 lb (8oz) velveeta, cubed


Heat oven to 350. Brown meat w/peppers and onions. Drain grease. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Add potatoes, corn, velveeta; mix well. Spoon into 9X13 dish. Bake for 20 min., stir. Bake uncovered 15 min. until heated through.

On the stove:After adding taco seasoning, cover. Cook 5-7 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in velveeta, cook uncovered stirring occasionally.


And Dessert. These haven't been sampled yet on account of needing to cool overnight. Probably will try them for breakfast.

Chocolate-Peanut butter Cookie bars

1 pkg chocolate cake mix
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding
1/2 C butter (1 stick) melted
1/2 C cold milk
6 squares S/S Baker's chocolate, chopped, divided (I just used S/S chocolate chips:1C)
1C dry roasted peanuts, divided
1C creamy peanut butter


Heat oven to 350. Line 9X13 pan w/foil and spray. Mix first 4 ingredients until well blended, quite thick. Press half mixture into pan.
Bake 10 min.
Sprinkle half of EACH of the chocolate and nuts over and top w/ peanut butter
Cover w/ remaining cake mixture. Then the remainder of chocolate and nuts
Press gently w/ spatula (mine was quite the mess) Bake 15 min. and cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate for 4 hours before cutting into bars.

Bummer that we are stuck waiting.

The Finale

We had our last (official) cooking class today. They love it so much though, we will have them sporadically whenever I feel like it.
Today they made themselves a three-course lunch.
We started with "cheesy biscuits". These were quite tasty but probably not very healthy. The main ingredients are cheese and butter.


Then is was on to "Blueberry biscuits". These are stuffed with pie filling. Also tasty, but my kids didn't like the blueberry part. Go figure. That leaves me to eat them all. I am very full.


Sorry; my food photos need help. Just imagine what they would look like with a "food stylist".

Our third thing was a drink. It was chocolate, banana milk. Not a shake, just a nice blended drink. I don't have any pictures of it though. It just looked like chocolate milk. Only it tasted better, different.

Fancy Fruit Tarts

The kids have been putting these off due to their fruit content. I bought store crusts and wish I hadn't. I should have just made my own real quick, but oh well. These were just a little stiff.


It's pie crust with a dab of yogurt in the bottom and then the fruit. We used apples and grapes because that's what we had. I'm sure you can use anything. We added the cool whip to the top ourselves. The kids enjoyed using the cookie cutters though.

Bitsy Banana Bites

These are kind of like little banana bread muffins. Quite tasty.

Not a lot else to say about this one. Let me know if you need the recipe.

Cookies & Cream Pudding Pops

I don't have any pictures of this one, my camera was elsewhere. It's a Kraft recipe and very yummy.

It's chocolate pudding with crushed up oreos and some cool whip mixed in. Then you put it in little cups (I used old yogurt cups) and then freeze it. We haven't tasted it just yet, well not frozen anyway. But the non-frozen version was good.

So, that's our most recent cooking class.

Pink Princess Pudding

This one is so fast. And I'll include the recipe since that was requested.


1 small package vanilla instant pudding
1 tsp vanilla
Pink food coloring (mine was technically red)
decorating Sugars or sprinkles (optional)
Raspberries, maraschino cherries, or sliced strawberries

make the pudding as directed and add the vanilla and food coloring (2 drops). Chill and serve with optional garnishes as desired. Makes 4 servings.


The kids loved this one and ate it all. Nolan even wanted cherries on his.

Angel Cloud Cakes

Another day of cooking. I am helping the less and less. I have to make sure they read temperatures right and ingredients. They picked to make these cute cupcakes. I was supposed to use angel food cake mix, but forgot to buy that kind. We just used yellow. They are not fans of the coconut on the top.



It is hard for me to let them make messes. But I have to remember a little mess is okay. For instance, today it was extremely difficult for me to let the fill the cupcake cups. I'll admit, I filled a few myself to hurry things along.

Here's the final cupcake.

Pretty Princess Puffs

We had an impromptu session on Saturday. Why not? The kids were bugging me all about it. This is a recipe they wanted on our menu, but they have to be in the oven for a full hour, so I would not add them. We did them anyway. I guess they are like a meringue or something. Mostly eggs and some sugar. They felt like Styrofoam.


I guess they turned out okay. They were gone before bedtime.

We're Getting Started

I've decided we are going to go ahead and get started with our cooking classes. I have folders for the kids to make their own cook books and keep handouts in. If you decide you have a child to try it out, please contact me. My kids are asking me daily. They love the aprons and hats that go along with the class.

Almost done.

This is what we added in for fun.

This afternoon we will discuss safety when using the stove top. Go over measuring. The menu is rice krispie treats. Adding color or sprinkles as they want. They also have to read the recipe, so I hope the treats taste right. Just kidding, I'll be helping on that part. I don't think K sight words include common words from recipes. I'll try to post pictures this evening or tomorrow. (I really want these treats for the field trip we are taking tomorrow. I learned last fall they are great for eating in the car.)

Summer Activity

We are going to be having a beginner cooking class for kids this summer!!
It will include 10 class sessions from mid-June through mid-July.
It will be held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1:30-2:30 pm.
We are very excited, the chef hats and aprons I ordered came a couple pf days ago.
The cost is $25 for the entire ten classes.
Please contact me if you have a child that would enjoy this with us.
896-2985
I will post menus and pictures from classes on this blog once we get started.

**If this time is not good for you, I have thought about also doing a morning class. If mornings are better, please contact me.