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In My Kitchen – July 2017

Summer is in full swing now and it’s chaotic here!  The boys have swim practice every weekday, a couple days are doubled up on practices (summer swim team and year round swim team).  I’m having trouble keeping my head above water.

I still manage to get to the gym 3-4 days a week and when we get home after the gym or swim practice and have a late lunch it’s nearly two in the afternoon.  We are all tired and cranky sometimes!

Despite all that craziness our kitchen has still been busy, perhaps adding to my fatigue.  Let’s start with the aforementioned swim schedule.  Between practices the boys need a snack so I keep busy packing snacks.  They also have meets two nights a week so I have to pack dinners too.  Here’s a glimpse of a few of the things I’ve been packing.  Luckily they only have one more night meet (that being said they still have City Meet this coming weekend and State Meet the next weekend).

SwimMealsCollage

The garden also keeps me busy.  While it is wonderful having fresh produce, it is quite a bit of work.  I don’t keep up with the weeding as well as I should but oh well!  The month started out squash/zucchini heavy and by the end of June we were getting more tomatoes, watermelon, eggplant, jalapenos and peperoncini.

GardenHaulCollage

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Spicy Chipotle Peanut Butter Cookies

Spicy Chipotle Peanut Butter Cookies

I kind of have a thing for spicy and sweet paired together.  I’ve posted recipes for spicy chocolate almonds and double dark chocolate chipotle cookies to name a few.

Earlier this week I posted a salty and sweet popcorn.  While salty and sweet is a great combo, I think I may like spicy and sweet even more.

The idea for this particular cookie came from a show.  I can’t really remember which one, the boys and I watch our share of Food Network and the Cooking Channel!

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Easy Homemade Brownies

Easy Brownies

Brownies are one of the easiest things you can possibly bake.  It just takes one bowl and one pan.  Clean up is easy, even easier if you lick the spatula and bowl  before  you wash them!  This is a classic brownie recipe.  It’s the recipe I grew up on.

I find this recipe to be great for kids, it’s that easy.  You can melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave so you don’t even need to worry about little ones trying to use a double boiler on the stove.

Easy Brownies

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Dark Chocolate Coconut Ice Pops

Dark Chocolate Coconut Ice Pops

Here in the South it may be spring by the calendar year, but based on weather some may call it summer.  We’ve already had a few days that hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32C).  That means it’s time for frozen treats.

We have a couple sets of ice pop molds and the boys are always begging to use them.  Now is the time of year when I say “yes” more often!  There are so many different things you can put in your ice pops.  Anything from pudding creations, fruit and yogurt, puréed fruit and juice, alcohol for the grown ups…

This time around I  did one of the easiest possible combinations.  It requires only two ingredients.  Does it get any easier?  I think not!

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Chef in Training

This past Sunday Jack planned and helped cook brunch.  He has always been very curious in the kitchen and really wants to start doing more.  At eight years old he is now old enough to take on more tasks so it was his turn to shine.

It started with the planning.  He really wanted to make quiche, not a big surprise since all three boys LOVE quiche.  Jack, however, doesn’t care for a pastry crust.  I asked him which crust he wanted (pastry, shredded potato or quinoa) and he said he wanted something different.  I suggested we could try a cauliflower crust and he was very excited about that.  He also decided he wanted his quiche to have bacon, sharp cheddar and broccoli.

Jack then announced he wanted scrambled eggs with the quiche.  This is when Mama had to push him in another direction.  I let him know we didn’t really need two egg dishes in one meal!  He decided it was time to plan the dessert.  His first choice was a fruit tart.  That would be his favorite brunch sweet treat.  Once again I pushed him in another direction.  As his instructor I didn’t really want to go over teaching  him to make pastry and custard, plus the quiche. Continue reading