Everybody’s On Board

It’s very rare in this household that every single person under this roof enjoys the same meal.  This is mostly because my dangerously picky 5-year-old won’t touch anything that doesn’t resemble grilled cheese, yogurt, or fruit.  He enjoys pizza just as much as he likes grilled cheese, so it just made sense to put it all together and make a little grilled pizza sandwich…aka: pizzadillas.  I have to be really careful about what I call some of our meals for fear he won’t go near his plate.  {And for those of you about to tell me how awful my parenting is, I’ll save you the key strokes….I already know.} Yes…we created his picky behaviors by catering to his taste buds in the early years and now we’re paying for it.  It was a MUCH different story with our second child.  He will eat absolutely ANYTHING we put in front of him.  One out of two isn’t so bad, I guess ;) 

Anyway, you can believe that I was shouting from the rooftops when EVERYONE in my house happily devoured these painfully simple little grilled pizza sandwiches.  Even my picky little man enjoyed several helpings.  This is one of those too-easy-to-pass-up kinda meals….easy prep, quick cook time, and simple to clean.  When I’m limited on time in the kitchen, this is one of my go-to-make-everybody-happy dishes.  I’m sure you can see why :)

 

PIZZADILLAS

Flour Tortillas

Shredded cheese {we used mozzarella, but you can use any cheese you prefer!}

Pizza sauce {we used Prego}

Pepperoni slices

Dried oregano {to taste}

Red pepper flakes {optional, to taste}

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 of a medium onion, chopped

 

 

First up, chop your onion and your garlic.  Depending on your taste preference, you can add as much…or little…of these as you like.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan and heat {medium/high heat}.  Sautee the garlic and onion until soft…about 5 minutes.  Add about a cup & a half of the pizza sauce to the pan and stir to combine.  Heat on low and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside. 

Now take a couple of tortillas and brush one side of each tortilla with olive oil.

Now spread on a little bit of the pizza sauce/garlic/onion mix onto one of the tortillas…as much…or as little…as you prefer.  Sprinkle on some oregano and red pepper flakes if you’re crazy like that.  I left both out when making them for the boys.  Ummmm….I left the onion and garlic out, too and just used the pizza sauce on theirs.  Keep it simple.

Now get a little generous with the mozzarella.  Or cheese of your choice.  We LOVE mozzarella.

Then add the pepperoni slices.

Now cover the pepperoni slices with another tortilla and brush olive oil on top.  Place in a well greased skillet and cook on medium/high heat until lightly brown on both sides. {About 3-5 minutes per side}

 

Gooey…tasty…DELICIOUS.  And easy as all get out.  And the best part about it?!  The WHOLE family was on board with this one!!!!

14 Out Of 15 Kids Can’t Be Wrong…

If the kids are tellin’ me it’s good, there’s gotta be some truth to it because kids DON’T lie!!!  I say that from personal experience of course.  “I don’t like your outfit Mrs. Carroll,” & “Those pants don’t fit you,” & “Why does your hair look like that?” are all VERY honest statements that I’ve definitely heard over the last 9 years working with kids.  Bless their hearts.  They aren’t trying to be mean, they’re just tellin’ you like it is!  Don’t you wish we could all be like that sometimes?!  ANYWAY…I made a crock pot full of this applesauce last week and my kids LOVED it.  Infact, one of my sweet girls said, “I don’t like it Mrs. Carroll.  I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE it!!!!!”.  I love her ;)  So if the kids are sayin’ it’s YUM & they ask for seconds, then it MUST be good!!!

HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE

8 medium red apples {cored, peeled, sliced}

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Peel and core the apples.  I like to cut mine into little bite sized chunks because they’re easier to mash when it’s time.  Place apples, water, sugar, & cinnamon in a crock pot and set on high.  Cover with lid.  Once the apples get soft and mushy, use a potato masher to smash them.  After a couple of hours cooking, I like to add a little more sugar to top it off :)  No shocker there.  Keep mashing every so often until you get your desired consistency.  Cook on high for about 3 hours and then set to low and cook for 2-3 more hours. 

Seriously.  It’s DElicious!!!  And it’s something the kids LOVE to make!  The best part about this recipe is that it makes everything smell like fall…and I LOVE that!  If I were making this at home, I SO would’ve poured a GIANT heaping on top of my Blue Bell vanilla ice cream.  O.M.G.  I think I’ll go and make some more right now!  M-m-m-m-m-m-m-m….

Kids In The Kitchen

I don’t know how you feel about havin’ kids in the kitchen when you cook, but mine are typically hanging on my legs, tugging on my shirt, or tryin’ to tear the pots & pans off the stove while I’m cookin’ away.  I HAVE to let my boys have their own time in the kitchen because I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want them to turn out like Bobby & Jamie Deen {Paula Deen’s boys}.  Sons cookin’ for their momma?!  SOLD!!!  Of course, my kids are FAR from cookin’ up four course meals, but when it comes to dessert, my oldest is all over it.  And I LOVE to let him help…as messy as it may get.  This was the PERFECT sweet treat to make with Little Man…he LOVED every part of it…and so did I!!!

TASTE THE RAINBOW CUPCAKES

1 box of cake mix {white or vanilla, prepare as directed}

Gel Food Coloring {I used Betty Crocker}

As you can see, not too many ingredients.  Easy enough, right?!  Well…it is definitely EASY, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about the TIME it takes to get these cupcakes “just right” :)

Prepare cake mix as directed.  Meanwhile, set aside 4-5 small bowls.  Evenly distribute the cake batter into the bowls.  Add several drops of food coloring to each bowl.  There’s no science to this, just add as many drops as it takes for you to get the color you want!  My little kitchen helper was more than happy to help :)

  

I let Little Man choose the colors and he chose 5 of ‘em.  We also turned this little kitchen project into a fun lesson on colors!  HA!!  Okay, so he knows all of his colors, but Dora & Diego have been teaching him some of his colors in Spanish, and he was tryin’ hard to repeat those back to us as he mixed and stirred.  The gel food coloring is the BEST because it helps your batter to stay the same consistency without getting runny. 

Now comes the fun :)  Remember…this part is definitely time consuming.  Little Man decided to take a hike once it came to portioning out the batter.  Line your cupcake pan with liners {a little detail I FORGOT!!!} and layer the batter by color.  I did one color at a time until the batter was gone and I used about 1-1 1/2 tsp. of each color in each liner.  Then pop ‘em in the oven and bake as directed.

Now, because I forgot the liners…and left the cupcakes in 10 minutes too long…my cupcakes turned out a little “browner” than I would’ve liked….but they were still YUM!!! 

Remove and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes before frosting.  And if you’re feeling really saucy, let the kids add sprinkles for an extra little fun factor :)

  

There’s nothing extraordinary about the taste…they’re just regular ol’ cupcakes after all…but the surprise on Little Man’s face when he bit into it and found a rainbow of flavor was priceless :)

 

Put this on your list of things to try in the kitchen with your little cutie{s}.  There’s nothin’ I love more than makin’ memories in the kitchen with my boys :)