by TT Jr. on May 14th, 2012 | Recipes, Spreads & Sauces
I love bagels. I just love them, specifically toasted. And with cream cheese. They are so delicious when they are still hot and the cream cheese starts to melt on them. My favorite flavor is salt bagels, and they are delicious with plain cream cheese, but sometimes that gets a little boring. So, I decided to make a vegetable cream cheese to see how it tasted with my mom's yummy salt bagels. It tasted like heaven on a hot bagel. The sweet crunchy carrots with the tangy, slightly spicy chives against the salty, hot, soft, crunchy bagel is incredible.
A
by TT on April 26th, 2012 | Recipes, Spreads & Sauces
In an attempt to broaden my 14 year old's seafood palate, I decided to cook tuna last week. Unfortunately, the fish counter that I visited had none available, so I went with her current favorite fish, salmon, and jumbo shrimp. Shrimp is a type of seafood that she doesn't like, but the rest of us do. I figured if I got her to try it again, it may start to be a seafood item that she likes. She adores coconut, so I thought some
coconut shrimp might do the trick.
Apparently, the lure of a coconut coating isn't enough
by TT on June 30th, 2009 | Breakfast Dishes, Recipes
Although the most frequently requested breakfast in our house is a batch of
scones, the schedule of my mornings doesn't allow for that on weekdays or busy weekends. However, I always have time to make homemade pancakes.
This pancake recipe is so simple you never will need to buy boxed pancake mix again. With only seven ingredients that are baking staples, they are quite simple to make. The pancakes have a delicious vanilla flavor, and the batter can be made thicker or thinner depending on your preference.
To make this breakfast more appealing to all eaters, add-ins can be incorporated after
by TT on June 23rd, 2009 | Appetizers, Recipes
I have to admit I'm a little behind in posting this recipe. Smoky & Swiss Fondue was my husband and my late night Monday dinner. . .last week. However, it's been one of those weeks that seems extra long. Let's just say that what was supposed to be two separate weeks of business travel for my husband became one two-week trip due to a cancelled flight caused by rainstorms at O'Hare last Friday. So, with many end of the year school activities and four kids missing said husband over the weekend, I had other things occupying my time that were
by TT on June 19th, 2009 | Healthy Cooking, Recipes, Side Dishes
When we had coconut shrimp for dinner the other night, the kids and I debated what we could serve with it. Steamed broccoli or grilled squash didn't seem to make good pairings. So, we decided to go with a stirfry.
I have learned that in order for a stirfry to sell itself, it should have at least one ingredient that is preferred by each of the kids. If each knows that a favorite vegetable is in the stirfry, typically he or she will "suffer" through the other undesirable parts of it. Of course, it still requires some compromise, as not all
by TT on June 17th, 2009 | Main Dishes, Recipes
Sometimes a weekend can provide a nice assortment of enjoyable moments. Take this past Saturday for example. With only one child at home in the morning, we started the day by getting a few small work projects done, while our daughter proudly made breakfast. After retrieving our son from an overnight stay, we headed to the mall for some shopping. The next stop was the grocery store, at which the four of us planned that night's dinner. During the afternoon the kids hung out with friends while my husband and I took a walk and worked on dinner. An enjoyable
by TT on June 15th, 2009 | Appetizers, Healthy Cooking, Recipes, Side Dishes
Our 11 year old daughter and my husband have been working together on a small container garden. Most of the plants are herbs and have been growing slowly. However, this weekend our daughter noticed that the cilantro was getting quite big and could be used for cooking.
This prompted the big question, "What can we make with cilantro?" After explaining that cilantro is a common ingredient in Mexican or Spanish dishes, she and I decided to make sort sort of homemade salsa.
In an attempt to make this dish more appealing for her, so that she would get to sample the fruits
