What's For Dinner? (Teaching Topic 2/15)

Last week we talked about creating an environment in our homes through our "stuff", and how we value the people there. This week it was all about one of my favorite subjects...food! Food has the power to connect one generation to another, through the memories associated with certain recipes, and the way it can bring us all to the same place at the same time...the dinner table.

Getting organized in our grocery habits is about more than just being efficient and cost-effective, it is about having a plan so that (there's that phrase again...) we can use the opportunity of dinner to grow closer to our kids and establish our own traditions. At my house, I ask two questions during dinner: what was the best part of your day and what was the worst thing. It gives every member a chance to contribute to the conversation and feel like a valued part of the family. There are Dinner Table Games that you can play. You can involve your kids in the meal preparation and improve the chances that they will eat what you are serving.

Some practical helps we discussed were planning menus for the week, freezing meals ahead to help us when life's little challenges come up, different resources to tap into. I'm proud to tell you that I just wrote out menus for the next week after checking what food I already had on hand to work with, made a grocery list, and clipped coupons. Now I just need to get to the grocery store...

Some of my own favorite tips are:

• Freeze leftovers in individual meal sizes. Perfect for my husband's lunch or those nights when we all feel like something different.
• Make a double batch of taco meat or sloppy joes and freeze on a cookie sheet by the scoop, then put in a ziploc bag when frozen. Only use what you need. (I do this with cookie dough, too, but have a tendency to eat the frozen cookie dough balls...)
• Planned leftovers...making a roast one day and turning it into a soup or sandwich fixin's the next day; making BBQ chicken breasts on the grill and using the leftovers for salad or quesadillas.
• Always have supplies for your favorite go-to meal on hand. Ours, or at least mine, is a box of pancake mix and syrup. I usually have a jar of canned potatoes too, so I can make a quick breakfast for dinner meal.

I like to have a plan, but not necessarily a daily one to follow. Some days we might not feel like eating what is on the schedule, and that's alright. The goal is to not stress out about dinner, not to be tied to a rigid schedule. Statistics and studies show that the act of simply eating dinner together does all kinds of good, from kids reading better in school to teens having a lower incidence of drug use and teen pregnancy. We teach our kids our faith and customs through the family dinner table as well. 

I hope you are inspired to reach out to your family and others through food...whether it is inviting company over for a meal, packing up a meal for someone in need, or nurturing your own family. Can't wait to hear your cooking stories!

Some Favorite Recipes:

Mushroom Hamburgers (from Jamie Jewell)

1 pound ground beef
4 T cream of mushroom soup  (reserve the rest of the soup for the sauce)
2/3 c. dry bread crumbs
2 T minced onions
1 T minced parsley
1 egg

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Shape into patties and brown in skillet.  While browning, add 1/4 c water to the rest of the soup. Pour over patties and cook for 10 minutes.  (This is really good served over rice.)

Puff Pizza  (from Michele Dutkiewicz)


3 cans (7.5 oz each) buttermilk biscuits
1.5 cups (14 ounces) spaghetti or pizza sauce
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 clove garlic, pressed
Optional toppings: onions, olives, pepperoni, muchrooms, bacon, ham

Preheat oven to 375; in a bowl, quarter biscuits with scissors.  Stir in 1 cup of sauce and 2 cups of cheese.  Press garlic clove with garlic press and add to biscuit mixture.  Add optional ingredients if desired; mix to combine.  Spread mixture into 9x13 inch glass or stone dish.  Pour remaining sauce and cheese over top.  Could add toppings at that time also.  Bake for 30 minutes or until sides are golden brown

Taco Pie (from Michele Dutkiewicz)

8 oz grated cheddar cheese
1 8 oz. pkg crescent roll
1 lb. ground turkey
1 T beef bouillion granules
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz. tomato paste
3/4 c water
1 pkg taco seasoning

Press crescent rolls into greased pan.  Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.  Brown meat, add bouillion, water, taco seasoning, and all other ingredients except cheese.  Simmer.  Spread 1/2 of meat mix on crescent roll.  Layer 1/2 of cheese, then meat, then cheese.  Bake at 400 an additional 10 minutes until cheese melts.

Busy Woman Pepper Steak  (from Angie Karklus)


2 lb. beef stew meat
2 cans Campbell's French Onion Soup
3 green peppers, cut in strips
15 oz can tomatoes

Place all ingredients into slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Stir in instant ric the last 10 minutes to thicken.

Baked Linguini with Meat Sauce (from Becky Thomas and Southern Living :)


2 lbs ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 - 28 oz crushed tomatoes
1-  8 oz  tomato sauce
1 - 6 oz tomato paste
1 t salt
2 t sugar
8 oz linguine
1 - 16 oz sour cream
1 - 8 oz cream cheese
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Cook beef and garlic in dutch oven.  Stir in tomatoes and the next 4 ingredients; simmer for 30 minutes.  Set mixture aside.  Cook pasta and drain.  Place pasta in lightly greased 13 x 9 dish.  Stir together sour cream, cream cheese, and onions; spread over pasta.  Top with meat sauce.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake until the cheese  melts.  Let stand 5 minutes.