Kid friendly recipes

I realized that cooking is such a big part of my life, but I have never posted any of my own recipes. This needs to be remedied immediately. The following are two awesome recipes that will make anyone really popular making kid food. Enjoy!

Chicken Strips 
 (*yes...I realize I am a vegetarian, but someone's kids need to enjoy these.)


1 Pound chicken breast
Buttermilk (enough to cover)
To Taste Sriracha Sauce
To Taste Salt
To Taste Pepper
1 Package of crackers (any type will do, I prefer Water Biscuits)

Slice the chicken breasts into bite sized strips & place into a glass bowl. Cover chicken breasts with buttermilk & Sriracha Sauce. Cover the bowl with tinfoil & refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Crumble the crackers into small crumbs. Gently remove the small pieces of chicken from the buttermilk mixture, coat them with cracker crumbs, & place on a greased baking sheet. Once all of the chicken pieces have been coated put the baking sheet into the oven & bake until the chicken pieces are cooked all the way through (use a knife to pierce the center of a thick piece- make sure the juices run clear & the center is not pink). Serve hot & enjoy.


Kids Quiche
This recipe came about one day when I was a nanny. The older boy, Alex, had the opportunity to go out shopping with his daddy one morning & Michael, the younger boy, needed something fun to distract him while big brother was out. It has many variations- anything that you would like to place in quiche really, but here is the basic gist. Michael enjoyed helping me stuff each muffin cup with all of our choice of fillings. It's a fun way to engage your children & encourage them to learn to cook.

1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Red (or Yellow) Bell Pepper
1 medium sized onion
5-10 Small Mushrooms (of choice)
1 Package of crackers (any type will do, I prefer Ritz)
Butter (softened)
Grated Cheese
Eggs
Milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Grease a muffin pan. Whip together Eggs & Milk in a bowl. Crumble the crackers & kneed in a small amount of softened butter. Gently press the cracker mixture into the bottom of the muffin pan cups. Fill each cup with your sliced veggies, cheese, meats, herbs, etc... & top with egg mixture to just below the top of the cup. Transfer the pan to the oven & bake until the egg has reached a firm texture. Top each cup with more grated cheese & replace into the oven to melt the cheese. Remove from the oven & cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.  I love to eat these with salsa. Yumm...

Enjoy!

twenty-seven

Yesterday I celebrated yet another year of life- twenty-seven. Balls. It seems that no matter how you try to ward them off they just keep coming. Twenty-six had it's ups and downs, but in the grand scheme of things it was actually a beautiful year. Life changed often & at times drastically, but I have been surrounded by wonderful people through it all. Twenty-seven is bound to bring more life with it & I am excited for whatever this year has to offer.

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of my first date with my amazing boyfriend. He took me to dinner followed by browsing through a bookstore & going to see "True Grit" (such a romantic movie...). Life with him is fabulous & I could not ask for a better partner in crime to live out the years with. He makes me smile.

Cheers.