Hello! Yes,I'm Still Here! Well, Kind Of...

First let me apologize for the lack of recipes the past few weeks. We were traveling for my site Have Kid Will Travel, then the long Labor Day weekend snuck up and we were off again and when we returned home I got hit really hard with a nasty cold. Ugh.

But, beyond that, I have been making some changes. If you follow me at Iowa Geek you may have noticed a new category on that site. Yep, Fab Food Friday will be returning to its original home at Iowa Geek. I'm still in the process of making changes, getting the feed set up and the categories just right, so I'm not taking down this site... Yet.

But all new recipes will be appearing at Iowa Geek under the Fab Food Friday category. Click here for the direct link. Watch here for new RSS links and changes!

Kids Pizza Party (And Win One of Your Own!)

What do kids furniture and pizza parties have in common? Visit my other site, Iowa Geek, to find out!


Contest open to residents of US & Canada
Contest ends August 16, 2009
Contest sponsored by AllChildrensFurniture.com
For contest information and rules visit Iowa Geek!

This post will remain at the top of my page until the contest ends. For newer posts please scroll down. Or sign up for my emails or RSS feed to "get it while it's hot"!

Ginger Chicken with Rice Noodles

My girls are big fans of Chinese and Asian influenced foods. I'm not sure if it's because of the chopsticks or what, but the mere mention of "Chinese" for dinner makes them giddy.

This recipe was very easy to make and is quite good served cold, too. If you happen to be grilling chicken the same week you make it, just grill a couple extra, cut them and heat in a saute pan before adding to the noodles. Also, I can't always find rice noodles- it depends on where I'm shopping. I substitute angel hair pasta and get great results.

I pulled this recipe out of a magazine quite a while back... I think it was Fitness.

• 4 tablespoons finely chopped scallion
• 3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 4-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 4 ounces dried rice noodles
• 2 limes
• 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 4 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
• 4 tablespoons chopped peanuts

In a small bowl, combine scallion, ginger, 6 garlic cloves, olive oil, and salt. Coat chicken breasts with mixture and place on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once.

Slice chicken diagonally; keep warm. Cook noodles in a large saucepan in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes until tender; drain. Shred 2 teaspoons lime peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons lime juice into a bowl. Add sugar and remaining 2 garlic cloves; stir until sugar dissolves. Add noodles, carrot, cilantro and peanuts; toss. Spoon onto plates; arrange chicken on top.

Pillsbury simply... The Peanut Butter Version

A couple weeks ago I share my thoughts on the new Pillsbury® simply chocolate chip cookies. Last week we decided to try the peanut butter ones.

Like the chocolate chip, they are all natural ingredients:* wheat flour * brown sugar * water * eggs * baking powder * salt * pure vanilla extract * all natural semisweet chocolate chips * peanut butter * sugar * skim milk and contain no trans fats, no high fructose corn syrup and not artificial colors or preservatives. In other words, they are just what you would make if you were making cookies.

We all worked hard...

I rolled the dough into balls.

Caelan rolled the balls in sugar.











Brenna did the "signature" criss-cross












And after a short baking time we had hot, fresh peanut butter cookies.

I liked them more than the chocolate chip ones!

Want to try new Pillsbury® simply... cookies? I have one coupon left. First comment gets it! If you're not the lucky first comment you can visit the Pillsbury simply... website for a $1 coupon instantly!

Bluelight Savings This Weekend

This post was sponsored by Kmart. All the opinions are mine.

I remember Kmart Bluelight Specials from my childhood. There you were, shopping beside your mom (or having a family photo taken in the “studio” they set up special that week) when, suddenly, a voice would crackle over the loudspeaker announcing a Blue Light Special. At the sound of that voice all activity would stop to hear the location and the item. And then carts would turn and people would begin to walk toward the blue light flashing on the other side of the store.

I wasn’t aware that Kmart had done away with the Blue Light Specials until I heard they were bringing it back. This Saturday, August 1, 2009, the Kmart Bluelight Specials return. And I’m kinda pumped about it because included in that is patio furniture and grills. Oh how we need new patio furniture!

What else will there be? I don’t know, but over 40 items will host the blue light. Personally I’d like to see the Kenmore 8-piece Stainless Steel Cooking Set with the blue light hovering over it.

Can’t get to the store? Be sure to check Kmart.com for online deals and follow @kmartdealsnnews on Twitter for updates and special deals.

Basic Quiche

I'm a huge fan of quiche. It's one of the most versatile meals I make. It works for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner... Another plus is that you can add veggies or meat to it easily. And my girls love quiche- we call it "cheese pie". Two of the greatest things in the world: cheese & pie. And the leftovers re-heat really well. I love when we have quiche for dinner because it means left-over quiche for breakfast!

Another reason I love this recipe is that it's a great "make & take" if you're taking a meal to someone who just had a baby, has a sick child, etc. Quiche, a bagged salad and some cookies and you've got a meal.

This is my favorite quiche recipe. It uses Gruyère, which is a bit spendy, but you can use Swiss, Emmental or Mont Saint-Benoît.

I pulled this recipe out of a magazine years ago; I'm not sure which one.

1 T olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced (not being an onion person I use dried, chopped onions, about 2-3 T)
3/4 t kosher salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 c fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
4 eggs
3/4 c half & half (I mostly use skim milk; it's what I have on hand and it works)
8 oz Gruyère, grated
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1 store bought frozen deep dish pie crust, or you favorite homemade crust

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, over medium low heat, heat the oil. Add the onions, 1/2 t of the salt and 1/4 t of the pepper. Cover and cook until the onions are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. (Skip this step if you aren't using fresh onions.) Add the parsley and cook, covered, for 2 more minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and half & half or milk. Stir in cheese, nutmeg, the remaining salt & pepper and the onion mixture. Place the piecrust on a foil lined baking sheet. Scrape the egg mixture into piecrust- it will be full. Bake until the filling is set and an inserted knife comes out clean; about 40 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Technically this makes 4 servings. Serve with a salad.

If you want to add ham or browned sausage add it to the egg mixture after you add the cheese.

How to Eat Cheap in College

OK, I'm gonna admit that I know absolutely nothing about going away to college. I lived at home while completing my cosmetology degree. But what I do know about is being poor and saving money on food.

First, the staple for any young broke adult: Ramen Noodles. I know, I know. Oss out the flavor packets and try a little mix of soy sauce, peanut butter and rice wine you have a nice peanut sauce. Toss in some chicken and it’s actually quite good. Or try adding a bit of olive oil, pepper, parmeasan and broccoli.

Next: cereal. Buy the store brand. It’s usually the same as the name brand, just different packaging. And it's cheaper in a bag.

Thinking pizza? Forget the frozen & don’t order take-out. Get some whole pitas or English muffins (both can be used with the peanut butter I mentioned earlier), some tomato paste, dried Oregano, toppings and cheese. Voila! Personal pizzas!

Fruits & veggies: if you have the storage buy canned or frozen. Fresh costs more and is more likely to go bad if you forget about it.

Of course there are a few things you may need beyond food. Like a mini-fridge, a microwave and a toaster oven. Of course you want to make sure your roommate doesn’t have them, too. Sears CampusReady can help with that. It’s a reloadable Sears gift card. The cards come in pairs- one for the student, one for the parent. The cards must be purchased in store but can be refilled online. It’s a great way to get the things you need and stay within your budget.

Sears also has CampusReady on Facebook, a great app to help you let people know what you need, design your room and get to know your roommate. It’s a fun and easy app to use. I played around with it for a while- and I’m not even going to college!