Bread and Cheese

On the rare night we get the kids in bed late and have a later dinner just to ourselves ... we often have bread and cheese.

Italian bread and usually Muenster cheese, although we've moved to Provolone now. Tonight, we had Raspberry-Jalapeno jam to go with it. Not a bad jam.

Baked Potatoes

A family favorite - even Jack, who has not liked potatoes in the past ate his tonight.

Bake potatoes in the microwave (I know, they're better wrapped in foil and left in the oven - maybe another [less busy] day)

Serve with:
ham or other meat
steamed broccoli
sauted onions
sauted mushrooms
shredded cheese
butter
sour cream
and anything else you might like

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I've made them before, using my Betty Crocker cookbook, but these meatballs were from the frozen section of the grocery store. However, I did add shredded zucchini to the jar of ready-made sauce so I didn't have to serve another vegetable with dinner.

It seems that anything with meat is a hit now that we only have meat every other day or so. And with kids, spaghetti noodles are always a hit (then a rather sticky mess, but hey, dinner is fun).

Taco Salads

The Taco Salads were just regular salad with some taco-seasoned tofu, olives, avocado, tomato and shredded cheese. A little variation to my usual salad

Steaks and more

On the grill:
steaks (No Name brand)

On the grill, on greased tinfoil:
sliced zucchini, mushrooms and onions
Pierogies

Yum!

Vegetarian White Chili

Today's concoction ...

In the crock pot, on low for 8 hours:

1 can butter beans

1 can northern beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can chicken broth

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

2 t. minced garlic

2 t. ground cumin

2 t. parsley

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1/2 t. chili powder

Verdict:

Good! Leesha and her friend both had seconds. Jack and Maggie ate some too.

Debut Stuffed Peppers

I've never eaten stuffed peppers, so here are my ...

Debut Stuffed Peppers

2 peppers; tops, seeds, etc. cut out

Mix separately:

1/2 c. cooked, mashed squash

1/4 c. chopped sweet onion

1/4 c. chopped mushrooms

1/4 c. chopped broccoli

2 slices of bread, torn

1 egg

pepper

Stuff mixture into peppers

Place in shallow ceramic dish, cover with foil

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes

cover with cheese and bake an additional 15 minutes

Verdict:

Needs more flavor. Salt and more cheese improved them. Without a doubt, meat would add to the flavor as well.