Idea Queen Tips & News

One of our grocery store chains around here is pretty well known for their nice selection of meats. It’s always fresh, and they do an excellent job with the variety too. So when I’m in need of meat (which I always am, normally I start supper with some form of meat and go from there), I’ll go to this particular store.

The other day after getting the basics (chicken breast, roast, hamburger, hot sausage in various forms, steak, and a few other specialty items), I spotted turkey breasts. You know, like raw. Not sliced into sandwich meat and packaged or even a whole turkey, but just the breasts like you would see chicken. This looked fun to me.

I got to thinking about why we don’t cook with turkey more often. Is it because after Thanksgiving we just don’t want anything to do with it? Or is it because it’s best in lunch meat form? But then again, why are we just limiting ourselves to two very boring recipes? Well, I had to grab what I spotted at the store because I was going to try out something NEW which I’m just sure would be fantastic.

Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of recipes for turkey breasts out there, and in our massive collection I’ve only gathered a handful thus far. One in particular, though, really looked good to me. Of the small handful of turkey recipes, this happens to be the only one that uses turkey breasts. Lucky for me it sounds good. We haven’t tried it just yet, but you can see it here: Cranberry Apple Turkey Breast

Enjoy!

While I’ve been on a major kick trying new recipes out left and right, it’s always nice to fall back to our regular menu as well. I thought I would take a day and post our tried and true favorites that have been posted on the blog over the past few years.

Beef Stroganoff
Always a favorite, even if it’s not the traditional form. Think of it as the Hamburger Helper version, only made from scratch and large enough to actually feed the entire family.

Pizza
What family doesn’t eat this on a regular basis? Although I think we make it at home MUCH more than we order it. Everyone loves what has been dubbed the “mountain pizza”.

Tacos
If you are making the meat right, you’ll have a hard time guessing it’s not from your favorite taco joint. In fact, when we actually do go out to a taco restaurant, my oldest orders something like nachos because he knows the best tacos are at home.

Steak
I love steak, so this is one of those at least once a month meals. I hate messing with a grill, so it’s always cooked on the stove with a flat griddle-like pan. Of course, you have to make mashed potatoes with them too.

Hot Wings
I’ve been known, on many occasions, to make a meal out of hot wings.  Actually, what I do is cook up all the chicken and only put the hot sauce on mine. I LOVE hot wings and have no problem making them a main meal!

Cold Veggie Pizza
This use to be something I made all the time, but as the kids have gotten older they’ve started protesting vegetables as a main dish. It’s still something I make from time to time, but has been reduced to a side dish or something that’s made along side another dish such as pasta (my daughter loves veggies and hates pasta, where my son is just the opposite, so this dish works perfect with pasta).

Chicken Fried Rice
Here’s another recipe I use to make A LOT, but haven’t made in awhile. Probably because it’s a whole lot of work putting all the “pieces” together. Plus we haven’t had chicken leftovers in awhile. But I’m thinking it’s  time to make chicken followed by this recipe.

That’s about it for our specific meal ideas, but you can always see more on Idea Queen under “Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas“.

Before I jump into the recipe, let me first tell you a story. I know I’m probably among the minority here, but I’m just sick to death of the fundraising companies taking advantage of the schools. The last fundraiser our PTO did was for butter braids, despite my protest they were charging WAY too much. The butter braids were being sold for $12, and the company was giving only $5 of that to the school (IF we sold over a certain amount, which I don’t believe we did, so ended up with LESS). Yes, the company’s profit from those simple breads was at least $7 per, while the school got only $5.

I thought these prices were just beyond insane, and my ranting only increased when I saw very similar butter braids at the local grocery store for $4.50. My jaw dropped, and I was even more disgusted.

So I went on a quest to find an even cheaper way to do these tasty treats. I’m just going to make my own! Now I will warn you though - you need a bread machine to mix the dough. I’m sure you could do it by hand, but it’s SO much easier to have a bread machine. (Again, if you don’t have one, see this post)

First you’ll need my awesome cinnamon roll recipe (and by “my” I mean I’ve claimed this, not invented it. This recipe was given to me awhile back). Here’s the dough for the base of the bread:

Butter Braid Bread Base

3/4 c water
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
3 c flour
6 Tbs sugar
1/4 c butter (softened)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs dry milk
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Add to bread machine and set on “dough” cycle. Cut dough in half to make two breads. Roll each out into a rectangle. Add your fillings (see below for options) in the center of each dough, leaving space on the edges. Cut 1 inch strips on the sides from edge to center. Fold in and tuck under strips to give a braided appearance (see picture here, although I tuck mine under a little more than what’s pictured).

Let rise for 45 minutes. Bake at 375 for 15- 20 minutes or until light brown. Add frosting or glaze (see options below).
Now for all the options. You can use any combination of the following, but to make them just like the butter braids you see in stores, I’ve tried to organize them a bit.

—————————
Option 1

Filling Options for Cream Cheese Frosting:

- Apple Pie Filling
- Cherry Pie Filling
- Blueberry Pie Filling
- Peach Pie Filling

Basically any type of pie fillings will do, and those listed above are best with the cream cheese frosting on the top.

Cream Cheese Frosting

4oz Cream Cheese
2 Tbs Butter
3 Tbs Powdered Sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt cream cheese and butter together. Add vanilla and powdered sugar.

———————————–
Option 2

Fillings for Glaze:

- Cinnamon (1/4 c melted butter, 1/3 c brown sugar,1 tsp cinnamon)
- Jam or Jelly

Glaze Recipe

1 c powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
3-4 Tbs milk

Mix together, adding milk as needed.
That’s it! The fun part of this recipe is trying out different fillings and toppings for the bread and coming up with completely different breads each time.

My kids are a big fan of cinnamon rolls, and I haven’t been able to eat one that’s not homemade since I was given this recipe. It is for the bread machine, so if you don’t have one, see this post on why it’s a must in your kitchen.

Cinnamon Rolls

3/4 c water
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
3 c flour
6 Tbs sugar
1/4 c butter (softened)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs dry milk
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Filling:
1/4 c butter (melted)
1/3 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Optional - 1/2 c raisins

Topping:
1 c powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
3-4 Tbs milk

Add first ingredients to bread machine, using dough setting. Roll out onto large pan in a rectangle, spreading the filling over. Roll up from short side, then cut in 1 inch rolls (by now you should have what looks like a cinnamon roll).

Place on greased pan (I like to use my stone pizza pan) and let rise for 45 mins. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Drizzle topping over hot cinnamon rolls and let cool.

My kids LOVE this recipe and you can do a lot of different things with it. Right now I’m experimenting with butter braids using this recipe as a base and looking for fun fillings to go with it.

So if you haven’t gotten the hint already, I love my bread machine. LOVE IT. And I have loved it for quite a few years. I don’t know what we ever did without it, and sometimes I think I use it more than the microwave.

Just in case you aren’t sure if you need one or not, let me give you a run down of some of the things we’ve made in the last few months alone.

1. Bread
Duh, right? Yes, we make bread in the bread machine. But we make lots of it on a regular basis. Which if that alone isn’t a good reason for you, think of this - we’ve given loaves of bread for gifts before, and they loved it. We also eat bread minus the nasty preservatives in store bought (did you know there’s high fructose corn syrup in it? So much for “in moderation” when it’s even in bread of all things!).

2. Bread Sticks
You know the tasty little things that go good with pasta. Yup, we make those in a bread machine. Well, the dough to be exact. The dough setting has come in handy more than once.

3. Cinnamon Rolls
Same as the bread sticks - they are made with the dough cycle. Super easy and a lot less hassle. This one happens to be a favorite of my son. Let me tell you what, you’ve never had a REAL cinnamon roll until you’ve had one fresh out of the oven. YUM!

4. Pizza Dough
There’s quite a few different recipes for pizza dough lurking around the internet, and all of them work quite nicely with the bread machine. Takes all the hassle out of really good homemade dough and you don’t even have to use the powdered packets. Good stuff.

5. Jelly & Jam
I’ve become quite fond of homemade jams, and it is SO EASY with the bread machine. There is no watching and stirring for an hour or more - just dump the ingredients in and walk away. Put it on homemade bread and it doesn’t get any better than that.

6. Buns/Rolls
Ever since we latched on to the awesome roll recipe, its been used just about every time we have sandwiches or a family gathering. Since this one recipe makes 6 huge buns, we’ve been making two meals out of them. One night is usually tenderloins and the next is hot sausage sandwiches. And these rolls/buns are REALLY good with each.

So there you go - six different types of foods, one machine. Pretty handy, eh? As I type this, I’m snacking on a really good French Bread I made in the bread machine. It will go good with tonight’s dinner too.

If you don’t have one, I highly recommend the Sunbeam Bread Machine. It’s the brand I’ve been using for several years, so I wouldn’t trust anything else at this point. You will be amazed with how much you use this and how little it actually costs!

If you need some recipes, here’s a whole bunch of bread recipes at RecipeForMom.com.

Have fun!

Looking for new recipes? Then drop by our sister site, RecipesForMom.com!

A few months ago we started redesigning the site and adding new recipes, and we’re still going strong! Currently you’ll find over 800 recipes available on the site, organized by both type of meal and main ingredient. So no matter what you are in the mood for, you’ll be sure to find a recipe that suits you and your family.

Enjoy!

While I don’t use my crockpot that often, I’ve found it works well for nights when I’m short on time and also for chicken breasts in general. This isn’t the first time we’ve blogged about a crockpot chicken meal, but I’ve yet to make the same dish twice. (See the other two recipes here and here).

I’m officially calling this the “whatever I’ve got on hand chicken and noodles” recipe, because obviously I use whatever I’ve got. This time we used chicken breasts, garlic flakes, garlic salt, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup (a family size can), and cream of mushroom soup. No veggies this time, although I probably should have.

I started the chicken around noon, dumping in all the ingredients plus a can of water, setting it on high. I stirred here and there, but for the most part left it alone for 4 hours.

After the chicken was pretty much cooked around 4pm (and just before I had to leave for conferences),  the egg noodles were dumped in and I turned it down to low. Those noodles WILL soak up a lot of that water, so don’t worry if it looks a little watery. After an hour or two, everything should be well cooked and ready to dish up.

I love this recipe because it doesn’t matter what you add, plus it’s perfect for when you are gone just before supper needs to be made and throws off any normal schedule you might have.

Enjoy!

Last week I decided to make hot wings as a main dish, and thought onion bread in the bread machine would have made a nice side for it. Unfortunately, as par for the course around here, I was missing just ONE ingredient from every onion bread recipe I could find. Out of three or four, I was either missing onion soup mix, sour cream, or cottage cheese. So when I went to the store you better believe I bought all three!

The recipe I ended up using was the one which used the onion soup mix, because it sounded the easiest and probably was going to be the best. Sure enough it was good, and everyone really enjoyed it. We even had some left overs for the kids to take to school the next day for lunch, and a few bites for me to munch on during the day as well.

This onion bread recipe was a little strange to me, since there was an option of using dry milk. I’ve heard of options in breads before, but not something that would seem like a vital ingredient. I didn’t use it though, because I used milk instead of water. I would think if you are going to use water, then the dry milk would probably be a good thing to add (and actually I used milk MADE from dry milk because I don’t keep milk on hand anymore…I just make what I need on the spot so we aren’t dumping out milk every week or two).

Either way it was a nice “sponge-like” bread that went well with our meal and for snacking. It didn’t have an over powering onion flavor either, so the kids loved it.

Still don’t have a bread machine? *GASP!* You need one. Really. I can’t even begin to tell you how often we use ours. Why, just in the last week or two I’ve made buns for two meals, three loafs of bread, and cinnamon rolls. A few weeks ago I even made jam. So YES they are a WONDERFUL tool to have in the kitchen. I highly recommend the Sunbeam Bread Machine from Amazon. It’s the same one I have just bigger, and the price is awesome. Get it now!

Happy baking!

Even after cooking a roast all day last weekend, I was still in the mood to cook and really (REALLY), hungry for chocolate pie. And doesn’t it always seem like you can have all but ONE ingredient for whatever you’re craving? Seems to be the norm around here, and I’ve gone to the store a half a dozen times this week just to get ONE item. *SIGH*. But at least I got my pie.

The recipe I used was the Chocolate Cream Pie from our recipe site. Even though I had chocolate pudding mix, I had no whipped cream or pie crust, so I was going to have to go up to the store regardless. This recipe didn’t use pudding mix, but rather chocolate chips (which I had as well) and whipping cream. I almost didn’t use it because it looked like a little too much work and I was being very lazy after making that big meal, but I gave it a shot anyway.

I was surprised it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be, and it took me probably the same amount of time it would have to make a pie from a pudding mix. And this pie - HOLY COW - it was DELICIOUS! It really lived up to it’s name because it was so creamy, and had that “made from scratch” taste to it.

This is for sure a recipe we’ll be making again since I’ve just absolutely fallen in love with it!

We’ve gotten into a new habit around here, and that’s reading off the school lunch menu at the beginning of every month. The kids decide what they will and will not eat, and I make a note of when each kid is taking lunch (and more often it’s been both of them on the same days…hmmmm….).

I started sending just basic turkey sandwiches with a small bag of chips (you know the kind - the ones that come in those big packs of 8-20), plus a juice box and some dessert like item (Oreo dippers, for example). But now that there are several days in a row each kid is taking lunch, I had to come up with some variety.

Here’s what’s on the menu for our cold school lunches this week:

- Summer sausage
I spotted this at the store and thought my eldest son would love the idea. He loves basic items like meat and bread when they are alone. It’s sometimes bazaar watching him eat - he’ll take a sandwich apart, eat first the meat, then the bread.

Sliced up this usually makes for a good snack with cheese and crackers, but as part of his meal it works nicely too. I imagine the girl will want to take it too one day once she sees big brother doing it.

- Homemade Bread
I love my bread maker more than any other kitchen appliance. Don’t have one? GASP! Well then I HIGHLY recommend this Sunbeam Bread Machine available at Amazon. Mine is slightly smaller, but it works just fine. I’ve owned it for at least 5 years if not more, using it ALL THE TIME (every single week, in fact, for something). You can’t go wrong with the Sunbeam brand, since they are the cheapest and are good quality.

That said, we’ve got some homemade breads in the works for lunches this month. My kids love homemade bread, so I can’t go wrong with adding it to their lunches. In fact, it works quite nicely when added with the summer sausage. There’s several of our favorite bread recipes on the Bread Machine Recipe page on Idea Queen.

- Beef Sticks and String Cheese
At the store the other day I happened to see a nice package (packaged fresh by the store, that is…no Walmart junk here!) of beef sticks and string cheese. Now my oldest doesn’t like cheese at all and will refuse it if he can, but he will eat string cheese (yeah, figure that one out!). My daughter, who will eat almost anything except tomato based pasta dishes, will end up with a few of these in her lunch as well. Again, the bread works well when added to this.

- Sandwich and Chips
Since we still have turkey and lots of chips, they’ll get a few “traditional lunches” this month in addition to the “cool stuff” mentioned above. Oh and you can’t forget the juice - that will be in every lunch regardless. I figure they get too much dairy as it is (I don’t think I know how to cook without butter or cheese, and even manage to slip that cheese in some dishes when the boy isn’t looking), and the juice adds fruit to the meal.

There’s several more recipes on the School Lunch Ideas page at Idea Queen you can check out as well. This list is only the ideas we have for the next few weeks…be watching for more soon!