Category Archives: Nico in the Kitchen

Feb 11

Lunch Menu 2/1-2/13

Yesterday I posted about my troubles with lunch, and it’s true. Lunch is the meal where my mind draws a blank, and I’m ready to head to the nearest Wendy’s and hit up the drive-thru. This month the drive-thru isn’t an option, so I’m planning lunches just like I plan my dinner menu. So far it has worked out really well.

If I have a plan in mind, and a little bit of time, I can get a tasty lunch on the table just in time for my hubby’s lunch hour. I am taking a little help from leftovers, and I had some kid-friendly meals on hand to make on the snow days. Here is my lunch menu from February 1st, all the way to the 13th, maybe you’ll spot a few family favorites.

  • 2/1/2011: Pizza Sandwiches (the kids love this meal)
  • 2/2/2011: Beef Stew and Homemade Bread (leftovers made in the Crock Pot)
  • 2/3/2011: Steak and Hominy (I froze leftover cooked steaks for a fast lunch)
  • 2/4/2011: Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, and Black Olives ( pasta is my friend)
  • 2/5/2011: Hot Dogs and Chips for the guy’s, I had Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup
  • 2/6/2011: Tacos, Tortilla Chips and Salsa ( the chips and salsa carried over to Super Bowl dinner)
  • 2/7/2011: Panko Chicken Tenders and Hominy (leftovers from the Super Bowl party)
  • 2/8/2011: Tacos, Pulled Pork Tacos, Bean & Cheese Quesadillas, Tortilla Chips and Salsa ( I raided the fridge and served up all of the leftovers from the week’s tasty Mexican dishes)
  • 2/9/2011: Hot Dogs and Chips for the guy’s, I finished off the Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup
  • 2/10/2011:Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Black Olives
  • 2/11/2011: Bean & Cheese Quesadillas, Tortilla Chips and Salsa
  • 2/12/2011: Grilled Chicken, Green Beans, and Couscous ( I love couscous, let’s see what the family thinks)
  • 2/13/2011: Chicken Chow Mien, Chow Mien Noodles, and Rice

I’ll be planning and sharing the rest of the menu for the month. So far so good on avoiding the drive-thru, but we still have a few weeks to go.

Feb 9

Snowed In Again

We had a tiny break in the weather, and Thade was able to go back to school on Monday and Tuesday. Dylan was still stuck at home on Monday, he was still feeling sick. At pick-up time yesterday the snow arrived again.

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And it kept snowing,

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and snowing,

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but finally just before lunch the snow tapered off.

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School was canceled again too, and I think this makes 9 snow days for us in the last 2 months. I seriously doubt that school will be back in session tomorrow. Dylan was really bummed, he was finally feeling better, and anxious to go back to pre-school, but it was closed too.

So to cheer up the little guys, I thought that chocolate cupcakes and chocolate milk were in order.

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They were yummy!

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And really messy,

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and I think they cheered up the grumpy little guys just a bit.

Feb 4

January’s Tasty Treats

I was in the kitchen a bit in January, mostly making savory dishes, but I did get in a few sweets. At end of the month it was Thade’s birthday, so that kept the kitchen hopping.

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For our belated Christmas celebrations I made a few batches of cookies.

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To kick off the “year of the pie” I tried out a new crust recipe, and made a Cherry Pie.

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My hubby needed cookies for work, so I made a batch of Cakerdoodles. I might have kept a dozen home for the kiddos and me too.

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Thade wanted Cake Pops for treats at school. I made a batch of Chocolate ones, and they were pretty tasty. I still have a batch frozen in the freezer just in case there is a Cake Pop emergency over here.

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For Thade’s Harry Potter themed birthday party I served a lot of different treats, and had a lot of foodie-crafts for the kiddos to make too. We made magical pretzel wands, and they were delicious.

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I also served Chex Mix, but I called it Hagrid’s Hasty Mix to keep with the party theme. I’ll be making this for the Super Bowl too, I guess I’ll have to come up with a Green Bay Packers name for the Chex Mix then.

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Now this last one isn’t handmade, but it is tasty and fun. I set up a Professor Snape’s Magical Potion station at the party, and all of the kiddos made magical potions to take home. It was a lot of fun, and I had enough cauldrons for the kids to take home extras.

I have already been busy in the kitchen this first week of February. Being snowed in has left me a lot of time to spend cooking in the kitchen. I hope to have lots of tasty pictures up soon.

Jan 14

Football Food

With the Packers in the play-offs tomorrow, I’m making my guys a bunch of Football food to snack on during the game. I ran to the store today for all of the supplies, and I am ready to get started.

I’ll be serving:

  • A veggie tray with dip. I’ve got Carrots, Celery, Black Olives, and Broccoli Florets too.
  • Cheese and Crackers, Summer Sausage, and Pepperoni (the little guy’s favorite)
  • Tortilla Chips, Salsa, and Guacamole (that’s my favorite)
  • Little Smokies I make mine in the mini-crock pot smothered with BBQ sauce
  • Maybe a few desserts too

It looks like the game is going to be on late too, so we’ll just enjoy these tasty snacks for dinner. Fun meal for the kiddos, and extra easy for me.

So what are a few of your favorite Football foods? Feel free to share some recipes too, I just might add them to our line-up. Have a great weekend, and go Packers!