Fruit and Cheese Kabobs

Got a picky eater? Just put their food on a stick! My son loves it when I make him Kabobs. Here are a few pictures of the Fruit and Cheese Kabob that I made him for lunch.

Breakfast on the Grill

Before going on the grill

We actually had this for dinner a few nights ago. We are going camping at the end of the month and I wanted to give this meal a trial run before I make it while camping. It was really yummy! And it should be a cinch to make while camping.

1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks
3 cups cubed French bread
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 slices Canadian bacon, quartered

Drain the pineapple and reserve 2 tablespoons of juice.
Place bread in a large bowl, drizzle with butter and toss to coat. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over bread mixture and toss to coat.
Transfer bread mixture to a double thickness of greased heavy-duty foil. Add Canadian bacon and pineapple; drizzle with reserved pineapple juice.
Fold foil around bread mixture and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until heated through.

After being grilled. See how the pineapple and bacon started caramelizing? Mmm yummy!

Meatballs and Gravy

This recipe is a tweaked version of a recipe from Holly at 2 Kids and Tired Cooks. I just changed a few minor things in her original recipe to match my family's tastes.

Gravy:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can consommé beef soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 can water

Mix all the ingredients in a slow cooker.

Meatballs:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk, maybe a little less.

flour
oil

Mix everything, except flour and oil, together with your hands, really well. Form into balls, roll in flour.
Heat oil over medium heat. Brown the meatballs and drain.
Add to the soup mixture in the slow cooker. Cook on low, 6-8 hours. Serve over cooked, wide, egg noodles.

Popcorn Snack Mix

I put this together to add to our snack bucket. It appears to be a hit with my son. It makes a lot so you can either cut the recipe by half or share it with some neighbors or friends. (Unless you have a larger family than mine, in that case, I suppose it might not make too much.)

2 bags microwave popcorn
2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar
1 tablespoon baking cocoa
1 cup Honey Bees graham crackers (or bear shaped or whatever shape you have/find....)
1 cup pretzel sticks, broken
1/2 cup M&M's

Place popcorn in large bowl. Combine cinnamon-sugar and cocoa; sprinkle over popcorn and toss to coat. Stir in graham cracker snacks, pretzels and M&M's. Store in airtight container.

Walking Tacos

A few years ago when we were at the Strawberry Festival I ate a Walking Taco, a bag of Fritos into which taco meat and toppings were added. You just grab a fork and eat straight out of the bag. I loved it and looked forward all year to going back to the Strawberry Festival the next year so I could buy another one. Only, no body was selling them the next year. I was so disappointed!

We eat taco salad very frequently in our home and recently I decided to have some fun and make the Walking Tacos likes I'd had at the Strawberry Festival. All I did was cut open the bags and add our usual taco meat and toppings. It was a little different and therefore a little fun. You can either cut the bag like the picture above or just open it at the top, like they did at the festival.

Nutmeg Streusel Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour, divided
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg

In a large bowl, combine 1-1/3 cups flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly and reserve 1/2 cup for streusel topping. In the same bowl, add remaining ingredients; stir until just moistened. Spoon into greased muffin pans and sprinkle with reserved streusel mixture.
Bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes or until lightly browned.



Notes: I love a good streusel topping so I added a bit more brown sugar and some oats to my reserved portion before sprinkling it on the muffins.

Grilled Ham and Jack Cheese Sandwich

Doesn't that just look so good? Just look at that cheese and ranch dressing dripping out! I'm gonna go make me another one right now...

You must try these sandwiches! They are unbelievably delicious! I'd already eaten half of mine before I remembered to take a picture so I could share this amazing sandwich with all of you.

Butter
8 slices Texas toast
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
16 thin slices deli ham
4 slices red onion
4 tablespoons ranch salad dressing
4 slices pepper Jack cheese

Butter one side of each slice of Texas toast. On the unbuttered sides of four slices, layer cheddar cheese, half the ham, onion, and remaining ham; spread with ranch dressing. Top with pepper Jack cheese and remaining toast, butter side up.
Cook sandwiches on a hot griddle for 3-4 minutes on each side or until toast is browned and cheese is melted.
Make 4 sandwiches.

We always serve these with Root Beer Floats and Steak Fries. A favorite meal at our home.

Corn Dog Muffins

Shortly before lunch time Red asked me to make him some more muffins. My first thought was, I have to make lunch not muffins. Then I decided to whip up a batch of these muffins. I served them along side some watermelon slices and Red was very pleased with his lunch.
This is the sort of thing that grosses me out but my son will just eat up.

1 batch of corn bread muffin batter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
5 hot dogs, chopped

Mix the brown sugar, corn and hot dogs into the corn bread batter. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 14-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Note: I sometimes forget to add the brown sugar and Red still gobbles them up so I suppose if you want to omit the brown sugar you can.

Alternate recipe using boxed mix:
2 packages (8-1/2 oz each) corn bread muffin mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
5 hot dogs, chopped

Combine corn bread mix and brown sugar. Combine eggs and milk; stir into dry ingredients until moistened. Stir in corn and hot dogs.
Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 14-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve immediately or refrigerate.

I was trying to get some pictures when a certain baby just could not resist any longer and stuck her fingers right in.