Category Archives: Nico in the Kitchen

Jan 5

December’s Tasty Treats

December was quite a month. I didn’t cook as much as I wanted too, but I did get a few photos to share.

Cherry pie has become James’ favorite dessert. I think I’m making 2-3 a month now.

I made a couple batches of Chocolate Chip Cookies in December too.

I tried making a Chocolate Cream Pie from scratch as one of my practice pies for Christmas. It was very rich.

Thade wanted to make a cake from scratch. I thought it sounded like a great idea, we grabbed the cook-book, and found what he wanted to make. Cake baking with Thade was fun, and we worked on fractions too.

I also taught him how to make Chocolate Ganache. We whipped it with a little powdered sugar to make icing for the Marbled cake.

It turned out fantastic. Thade is becoming quite the baker.

I’ve been making a big Sunday dinner to finish off the weekend. I like to spend Sunday cooking in the kitchen.

We needed another batch of cookies for after-school snacks and school lunches too.

I had some of the leftover pie for breakfast.

I tested out a batch of Sugar cookies. I hadn’t made them in quite awhile. They were pretty good, but they needed icing and sprinkles too.

James spotted a recipe for microwave brownies in a mug, and it was just what I had been looking for. It took just a couple of minutes to make, and it was egg free too.

We made lots of cookies for Santa this year. We made three different kinds, so we could have some to share with the family too.

The kids decorated iced Sugar cookies for Santa. It was fun and messy.

I made homemade Cinnamon Rolls for Christmas morning. I made them the day before, an let them rise in the fridge over night.

My mother in law brought along some of her awesome homemade fudge for Christmas. Her peanut butter fudge is the best.

One of my goals for the new year is to cut out fast food even more. I’m making homemade “fast food” at home. These are panko chicken sandwiches, and they are crazy good.

I’ve been making homemade bread a few times a month too. They freeze well for future meals.

I raided the Christmas candy and made some cookies for New Year’s eve. The family really liked them.

This month we have Thade’s birthday to celebrate, and I’ll need to make some cake pops for his class. It looks like another month that I’ll be busy in the kitchen.

 

Jan 1

January’s Monthly Menu

Happy New Year! And hello 2013! I’m ready to start off a new year, and keep up with my menu planning. In 2013 I’m making trimming the grocery budget/take-out budget even more, so I’ll be in the kitchen a little bit more too. I hope to sneak in a few new recipes, and make lots of snacks for school lunches too. First things first, here’s January’s monthly dinner menu.

  • 1/1/13: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 1/2/13: Chicken Noodles, Mashed Potatoes,  and Homemade Rolls
  • 1/3/13: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Re-fried Beans, and Cheese Dip
  • 1/4/13: Hamburgers and Chips
  • 1/5/13: Chicken Chow Mien, Rice, and Chow Mien Noodles
  • 1/6/13: Panko Fried Chicken, Corn, Mashed Potatoes, Biscuits, and Cherry Pie
  • 1/7/13: Beef & Broccoli stir-fry, Rice, and Coconut Cake
  • 1/8/13: Salmon Cakes, Salad, and Homemade Breadsticks
  • 1/9/13: Panko Chicken Sandwiches and Chips
  • 1/10/13: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 1/11/13: Chicken Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Rolls, and Apple Pie a la mode
  • 1/12/13: Homemade Waffles, Bacon, and Cinnamon Rolls
  • 1/13/13: Steaks, Green Beans, and Baked Potatoes
  • 1/14/13: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 1/16/13: Chicken Chow Mien, Rice, and Chow Mien Noodles
  • 1/15/13: Tostadas, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 1/17/13: Panko Popcorn Chicken, Corn, and Mashed Potatoes
  • 1/18/13: Chili, Saltines, and Cinnamon Rolls
  • 1/19/13: Panko Chicken Sandwiches and Chips
  • 1/20/13: Pot Roast with Potatoes, Homemade Rolls, and Pumpkin Pie
  • 1/21/13: Chicken Burritos,Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
  • 1/22/13: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 1/23/13: Panko Chicken Sandwiches and Chips
  • 1/24/13: Nacho Bar
  • 1/25/13: Panko Fried Chicken, Green Beans, Spaghetti, and Homemade Bread
  • 1/26/13: Hamburgers and Chips
  • 1/27/13: Chicken Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Rolls, and Cherry Pie
  • 1/28/13: Sloppy Joe’s, Potato Chips, and Butterscotch Haystacks
  • 1/29/13: Homemade Pizza and Chocolate Bundt Cake
  • 1/30/13: Spaghetti and Homemade Breadsticks
  • 1/31/13: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans

I had better re-stock the house, I haven’t been to the store since Christmas eve. Hello January, and hello 2013.

 

 

 

 

Dec 7

November’s Tasty Treats

There has been a lot of cooking going on. November was a crazy month, but it was a tasty month too. With Thanksgiving all done, I’ve already got my Christmas menu planned. I can’t wait to get started on the desserts and homemade croissants too. Before I get ahead of myself, here are a few of the tasty treats that I made in November.

Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream has become a tasty favorite.

James surprised me with Donuts.

I made a few practice pies and a few batches of dinner rolls too.

I made an apple pie (or two, or three), it was pretty tasty.

It also makes a great breakfast.

I made one more Cherry pie. I wanted to make one last practice pie before Thanksgiving.

Chocolate chip cookies, these are a favorite after-school treat.

I started baking pies the day before Thanksgiving. This one is pumpkin.

We had a tasty Thanksgiving dinner. We had ham and turkey, and lots of trimmings too.

There were lots of Thanksgiving desserts. Apple pie, pumpkin pie, coconut cream pie, and chocolate cream pie.

Coconut cream pie and pumpkin pie for breakfast. Seriously, best day-after-thanksgiving breakfast.

I made another batch of Butter Rolls, I let these proof for an hour extra, and they turned out so pretty.

After all of that pie, we needed some more cake.

I’m ready to start baking for Christmas. I have lots of desserts and cookies planned. I can’t wait to get started.