My Suburban Kitchen

Delicious Recipes to Keep my Family of Four Happy and Full

{Guest Post} WTCW from Kreative Creationz

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Happy Wednesday!

Each month, I have 1-2 guest bloggers come in and share their meal ideas for What to Cook Wednesday!  Today, Kendra from Kreative Creationz is here!
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Hello, everybody! I’m Kendra and I blog at Kreative Creationz. I love blogging about creative beauty, cooking, crafting, and everyday life. Shannah has given me the opportunity to share seven meals that I will be cooking for dinner for my family this week. Please, enjoy!

{The First Year Blog} {Your Home Based Mom} {I Gotta Try That} {Half Baked Harvest}

Sunday: Gardener’s pie is loaded with veggies and potatoes and it is a great way to fill up a family for a Sunday evening dinner. Absolutely delicious!

Monday: I love cooking simple meals at the beginning of the week. This green bean and rice casserole is perfect!

Tuesday: This week we are having crockpot Mexican beef. Crockpot recipes are the greatest because I won’t have to spend all day in the kitchen and I end up with a great meal for the family.

Wednesday: Lately, I’ve been trying to eat a little healthier. An Asian veggie noodle bowl with grilled steak will help keep me on track to my weight loss goals.

 

{The Pin Junkie}{My Turn For Us} {Kreative Creationz}

Thursday: Oven-blackened turkey breast is a great go-to meal for getting ready to wind down the end of the week.

Friday: Cold Colorado winters always have me wanting a hot bowl of soup. Southwest chicken soup is a great way to end the work week and to stay warm.

Saturday: After having a busy week, potato skins will be our Saturday meal. Easy to make and tasty to eat.

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Thanks, Kendra! Love all your selections.

Interested in sharing your meal ideas on WTCW?  Drop me an email to sign up!

{Guest Post} Tarte Au Citron from With a Blast

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The birthday extravaganza continues! This afternoon, welcome Linda from With a Blast!  Thanks so much Linda for being here!
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Hi there to all Shannah’s readers !
My name is Linda and I blog over at With A Blast . I live in South-Africa and every now and then I will share one of our country’s traditional dishes as well as a whole lot of other recipes, some my own, others from all over the world. I also like to try my hand at all kinds of Crafts – feel free to drop in at any time.
I would like to thank Shannah for the opportunity to share a recipe on Just Us Four . Shannah, have a great time during your birthday week !
The recipe I am sharing today is a shortcrust pastry case filled with a citrussy, creamy custard.

Tarte Au Citron

PASTRY CASE:
1 Roll Frozen Shortcrust Pastry, defrosted
1 Egg, beaten
FILLING:
4 Extra-Large Eggs
1 1/2 cups Caster Sugar
150ml Fresh Cream  {double cream}
2 Limes, juice and finely grated zest
1 Lemon, juice and finely grated zest
Icing Sugar
TO SERVE:
Orange slices
Whipped Cream
Mint sprigs, to garnish
1.) Pre-heat your oven to 190 deg C (375 deg F) – Spray a 20cm (8 inch) pie dish with cooking Oil.
2.) Roll out the Pastry to about half it’s original thickness – line the pie dish, leave a 1cm (1/2 inch) edge above the dish. Prick the base a few times using a fork – line the Pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Chill the Pastry case in the refrigerator for 15 minutes – remove and bake blind 15 minutes, remove from oven, scoop out the baking beans and paper – Brush the inside of the Pastry with the beaten Egg and return to the oven – bake another 5 minutes until pale golden.
3.) Remove the baked case and reduce the oven temperature to 150 deg C (300 deg F).
4.) To prepare the filling – beat together the Eggs and Caster Sugar until creamy – Stir in the Cream, Lime- and Lemon juice and zests – pour the filling into the baked Pastry case.
5.) Carefully place in the oven and bake 30 – 40 minutes until just set.
6.) Remove from oven and cool completely before chilling.
Before serving, dust a thick layer of Icing Sugar over the tart – Serve with a slice or two of Orange and Whipped Cream, add a Mint sprig to garnish.
Hope you enjoy this very refreshing citrus tart.
Linda

With A Blast

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This looks so good! Thanks so much for being here today, Linda!

{Guest Post} Sloppy Joes from Plucky’s Second Thought

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Welcome to my birthday week guest posting extravaganza. Today, we have an awesome recipe from Jess who blogs over at Plucky’s Second Thought.

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Hello all! I’m Jess from Plucky’s Second Thought! At Plucky’s Second Thought I try to post really easy crafts and recipes that anyone could complete and accomplish. Yep, you don’t have to be Martha Stewart or Rachael Ray to attempt anything on my blog! I was asked to Guest Blog on Shannah’s Blog to help her out, and I couldn’t say no because I was really excited to share my Homemade Sloppy Joe recipe! 🙂
What’s the best thing about this recipe?  You know everything that is going into this dish!  There are NO hidden ingredients/chemicals that you tend to find in store bought Sloppy Joe sauces!
Please enjoy this delicious recipe, and I’m sure it’s going to become your family’s favorite like it has mine! 🙂
Ingredients:
• olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 and 1/4 lbs ground beef
• 1 and 1/3 c ketchup
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 heaping tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp chile powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2/3 c water
• hamburger bun

Directions:
• In a large skillet sauté onion and pepper in olive oil over medium-low heat.
• Once tender, remove from skillet.
• Then brown beef over medium heat; drain grease.
• Add sautéed vegetables back in pan along with ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, spices, salt, pepper, and water.
• Bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes or until water is absorbed, stirring often.
• Serve on hamburger buns.
source: http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/easy-sloppy-joes/

WTCW #86

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Can you believe January is almost over?  I am shocked at how fast the month has flown by.  I guess it is all the fun I have been having 🙂

I’m excited to share some new recipes with you as part of What to Cook Wednesday!

Sunday:  Lasagna is one of those dishes that is so versatile.  Rosemary chicken lasagna is such a great new twist on a classic dish.

Monday:  I love pasta.  It is a total weakness of mine.  Avocado alfredo pasta with spicy shrimp definitely sounds like a perfect way to get my pasta fix.

Tuesday:  On weeknights, sometimes sandwiches and wraps are the easiest way to get dinner on the table.  Cashew chicken salad wraps are a great way to have a tasty meal quickly.

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WTCW #85

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SURPRISE!  I bet you didn’t expect to wake up and find a whole new blog design, did you?  We’re still working on a few of the little things so let’s consider this sort of a “soft reveal”.  The big celebration will come when it is all completed and ready for prime time.  Pardon the dust until then 🙂  {Oh, and a HUGE thank you to Monica from Designer Blogs for all the work she has put in!  If you need a new blog design, I highly recommend her!}

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Wednesdays are always fun for me!  I love doing this feature and it really helps me stay on track with my own weekly menu planning for our household.

Do you do a weekly menu plan?  Do you try out recipes featured here?  I’d love to hear all about it!


Sunday:  The colder weather has me craving lots of comfort food.  Pot au feu offers an easy cooking lesson with the reward of a hearty winter meal.

Monday:  Soups are another food I turn to frequently during the winter.  They are filling and {generally} offer a lot of nutrition for little calories.  This winter minestrone was added to my list the moment I saw it.

Tuesday:  Did you eat your black eyed peas on New Year’s Day?  If not, we’ve got you covered this week with black eyed pea and sausage stew.

Wednesday:  Nothing says comfort like a grilled cheese.  Throw in some caramelized onions and bbq pork and you’ve upgraded a basic sandwich to a delight!

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Dinner Done with #CookClassico

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One of my personal goals this year is to become healthier.  This includes eating out less and focusing more on healthy, home cooked meals.

There are a few ingredients that, when kept on hand in the pantry, can make this goal a lot less easier.  One of those items is canned tomatoes.

When I was in the store the other day, I noticed that Classico {makers of the yummy pasta sauce} has started making canned tomatoes too!  They can be found at Walmart and 100% fresh…free from preservatives too!  You can get even more details on these new canned tomatoes by visiting the Classico Canned Tomatoes website.
From crushed tomatoes to tomato puree to whole peeled pear tomatoes, there was a great selection to choose from.  I picked up the whole peeled tomatoes to make a family favorite: chicken curry with chickpeas.
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What to Cook Wednesday (WTCW) #84

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Welcome to the first WTCW of 2013 from me!  I hope the new year is treating you well so far.  I dove head first into some pretty hefty healthy eating goals which {so far} are going well.  You’ll see a few of those healthier recipes appear here each week I am sure 🙂

Want to see some of your own {or your favorite recipes of others} here?
Each month, I am opening WTCW posts up to guest bloggers.  Interested?  Email me at justusfourpartners {at} gmail {dot} com and I’ll send you all the info you need!

Now, how about we talk food?

Sunday:  I haven’t done much cooking with lamb but I love the sound of lamb and potato enchilada casserole.

Monday:  Let’s go meatless with super kid friendly chili bean tacos.

Tuesday:  Baked potatoes have become great blank slates for lots of different kind of meals.  Cheeseburger stuffed baked potatoes eliminate the need to make a side of fries!

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WTCW #81

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I hope you are enjoying some of the guest posts for What to Cook Wednesday over the past few weeks! There are more to come! 
{If you are interested in doing one, please email me at justusfourpartners@gmail.com for more info}

Let’s get to some recipes, shall we?

Sunday: I love malt vinegar. If you are hunting for the bottle at your local Five Guys, it is probably on my table. So, of course, when I saw malt vinegar chicken, it had to go on my list!

Monday: Want a healthy option for dinner in between indulgent eating at various holiday events? Check out this layered Mexican casserole.

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Cooking with Kids

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 4.28.11
I love to cook. With 2 children, I don’t always have the time to really get in the kitchen and COOK but I try to whenever possible. I was reading Gina’s Skinny Taste one day and her recipe for that day was homemade chicken nuggets. Light bulb…why not spend some time in the kitchen sharing with my daughter one of the activities I love most?!
Being 3.5 years old (the .5 is very important since most of her friends are already 4), I actually didn’t get to do very much because H insisted that these were her chicken nuggets. I was just there for the “hot things” according to her.
 
 
I was a little surprised because I was just sure she was going to run away screaming at the first touch of raw chicken (husband definitely would have!) but I think drying it in the paper towel before giving it to her helped with that.
 
She rolled every nugget and placed them ever so carefully on the baking tray. Once they were ready for the oven, she seemed a little reluctant to give up all of that hard work (please excuse the earphones – no explanation for why she decided to put them. Maybe chicken is loud?).
 
We watched the oven intently waiting for the fruits of her labor to cook. Of course, there were lots of “are they ready yet” because she is 3 (3.5). Finally…
 
I’m thinking dinner at this point (cooking with kids is FUN but sloooowwww) and H says “Let’s cook something else, mamma”. Cue dessert preparations.
Awhile back, a friend made these delicious chocolate chip oatmeal bars and shared them with my family. Since that day, my husband asks for them almost weekly. It is a pretty simply combination of prepared cookie dough, oats, chocolate chips and caramel ice cream sauce (I prefer a salted caramel version).
H loves to stir things.
The caramel sauce goes over the layered cookie dough and chocolate chips. I put the layered part together because H stirred for a good 10 minutes.
Sadly, we didn’t get any pictures of the final products (the caramel sauce goes over the layered bars and then an additional layer of cookie dough goes on top before baking), because someone else decided that he needed attention.
 
Yep, that is food…all over him! E is just starting on finger foods so he ends up wearing a little more of it than he actually eats. See how he is holding his spoon? He was banging it asking for more! The picture taking was abandoned so he could end up where he obviously needed to be.

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