Perfectly Pink Pasta w/ Fried Polenta

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I got a fun box in the mail from Prego, it contained some ingredients and a challenge to make a family meal for under $10. I received a jar of their yummy new 100% natural pasta sauce, a bag of dry penne noodles, a can of green beans, and a jar of parmesean cheese. Here's what I came up with. Not too bad for $10, definitely cheaper than going out to eat and a lot more nutritious! Their new sauce is surprisingly yummy! We are very picky about our pasta sauce and this one's a winner! What's your family's favorite pasta dish? Perfectly Pink Pasta w/ Fried Polenta & herbed cream cheese

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
16 oz. Penne Pasta
16 oz. ready-made polenta (I used Frieda's Sun-Dried Tomato & Garlic)
26 oz jar 100% natural Prego “Chunky Garden” Sauce

8 oz. (1 package) Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 c. Water
1/2 c. corn starch
Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Oregano
Basil
Parmesean (for garnish)

Pasta Directions:
Cook penne according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, chop chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and roll in cornstarch. This gives the chicken an AWESOME texture--a little crispy but not fried. This is my favorite way to cook chicken! Add a little garlic salt and any other spices you want (I used a little oregano and basil). Drizzle about 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken.

Cook until browned and completely cooked, stirring occasionally (about 7 minutes).

Add entire jar of pasta sauce and 1/2 c. water. Reduce heat to medium, Stir well.
In a microwave safe bowl, heat 5 ounces of the cream cheese for 45 seconds, until very soft. Add to pasta mixture and stir well. Turn heat to low or completely off.

After pasta is cooked, drain and add to chicken mixture. Serve garnished with parmesean.

Polenta Directions:

If you've never used ready-made polenta before, it's divine! You'll find it in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, often with the health foods.

Slice polenta into 1/2" round slices. Put about 4 Tbs. olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add polenta slices and fry until golden brown, flip and brown the other side. While the polenta is cooking, mix the remaining 3 oz. cream cheese (the other 5 oz. were for the pasta sauce) with a few italian herbs (I used oregano and basil). Put cream cheese mixture in a small ziploc baggie.

When polenta is done, remove from pan and let cool for a minute or two. Snip end off ziploc baggie and pipe a cream cheese swirl on each polenta piece. Serve with the pasta and enjoy!

Cornucopia Lunch

Can you believe Thanksgiving is only three weeks away?! Anytime is a great time to talk about being thankful, these are an easy lunch and a great conversation starter about how much we are blessed. Just fill it with whatever ingredients your kids like to much on for lunch! Below is also a history of the cornucopia and a few activity ideas. Have fun!

Cornucopia Lunch
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Tortillas
2 Spaghetti noodles, uncooked (or toothpicks)
Filling ingredients (We used ham slices, cheese, baby corn, and carrots)
Ranch dressing to dip, optional

Directions:
Cut tortillas in half. Roll one half up to form a horn shape (see video tutorial). Secure with a piece of raw spaghetti noodle or toothpick.

Fill with your favorite lunch ingredients. Add some ranch dressing for dipping, if desired. Serve and enjoy a lunch chat about being thankful!

Activity Ideas:
You can download a cornucopia coloring and cut out activity here.

After lunch, you can make a cornucopia from a piece of brown construction paper or a brown shopping bag. Let the kids cut out things from old magazines that they are thankful for and fill their "cornucopia"

Cornucopia Information (from You're History!):

Derived from the Latin Cornu = horn, Copia = abundance.
The cornucopia is a horn-shaped container overflowing with fruit, nuts, and vegetables. Its origin as a symbol of abundance comes from Greek mythology. Zeus was raised on goat’s milk by Amalthea. In gratitude, he gave her a goat’s horn that had the poser to grant the wishes of whoever possessed it. Zeus also set the image of a goat into the night sky, as the constellation Capricorn. Since the 5th century BCE, gods and goddesses, especially Fortuna, goddess of luck and fate, would be depicted carrying a cornucopia.
Today the “Horn of Plenty” is a symbol of the abundance of the harvest, most often associated in America with the Thanksgiving holiday. No longer is it a genuine goat’s horn, but rather a large, cone-shaped wicker basket. Though the material may have changed, the meaning of the cornucopia has persisted throughout the centuries, and many a horn of plenty graces the center of the Thanksgiving dinner table.

my notes: in some versions, Zeus broke off her horn by accident and he blessed and returned it because he felt bad.

Scarecrow Cookies

Big C had Scarecrow Day at school today. I saw these on Family Fun and we whipped up a batch. They're easy and super-cute! As you can see, we changed a few ingredients to fit what we had on hand.:) So, have fun using up all that trick-or-treat candy & Happy Halloween!
Scarecrow Cookies
Ingredients:
round Cookies (I made sugar cookies and cut them out with a drinking glass)
1 can White frosting
Assorted sugar wafers (about 2 1/2 inches long)
Candy corn
M & M's candies or Chocolate chips
Bran cereal (such as All-Bran) or Shredded Wheat
Licorice Strings

Directions:
Frost the top of each cookie. Cut a sugar wafer in half. Add a dollop of frosting to the top edge of the cookie and stick a wafer half to it for a hat top. Place a whole sugar wafer just below the hat top for a brim. Add a small licorice piece for hat trim. Press pieces of Shredded Wheat hair into the frosting around the hat. For the face, press on a candy corn nose, M & M eyes, and a licorice string mouth.

Tricky Witches' Brooms

I saw these adorable edible broomsticks garnishing some cupcakes in Woman's Day and thought: "Those look easy, what if I make some up and trick the kids by replacing their utensils at dinner??! Will it magically make their vegetables disappear??....":)

So, I wrote this little poem, placed them at their plates at dinner and was met with a lot of giggles. The vegetables? Somehow the spooks made them disappear! They also thought it was funny they got to eat with their fingers after the broomsticks were gobbled up. Here's the poem cards ready to print, just print, cut, and have some spooky dinnertime fun. Enjoy!
Here's the poem in case you can't download the .pdf file:
It’s Halloween time,
and the spooks are about!
They love to play tricks,
so you better watch out!
They’ve taken your fork,
your knife and spoon, too!
But they left you witches’ brooms
to sweep up your food!
(ok, "food" doesn't really rhyme with "too" but hey, I'm a busy lady!;))

Tricky Witches' Brooms

Ingredients:
Pretzel Sticks
Shredded Wheat Cereal
Candy Melts or chocolate chips (any color, I just happened to have orange around)
Wax Paper

Directions:
Spread a sheet of wax paper on your counter or table. In a small bowl, melt Candy Melts in microwave for 60 seconds, stir well until smooth. Break apart Shredded Wheat cereal into sections, dip one end in Candy Melts. Place a pretzel stick on the chocolate. Let dry on wax paper until Candy Melts have hardened (about 20 minutes). Peel off and serve!

...just in case you ever wonder what we eat around here (besides silly treats:)), we had Chicken Tikka Masala, Naan, mixed veggies, & rice. Yum!:)

Sarah asked for my Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. It is THE BEST!! My friend Camie scored this one from their favorite Indian restaurant in St. Louis (correct me if I'm wrong, Camie!:)).
Chicken Tikka Masala
1 C. plain yogurt (I use low-fat)
1 T. lemon juice
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. black pepper
1 T. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. salt
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 long skewers
1 T. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 C. half and half (I often use Fat Free half and half)
¼ c. fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice and 2 tsp. cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 1 tsp. salt. Stir in chicken, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. preheat grill and lightly oil grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 tsp. cumin, paprika, and 1 tsp. salt. Stir in tomato sauce and half and half. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with basmati rice.

Mini Cookie Cups

These are just as easy to make as chocolate chip cookies and you can fill them with all sorts of delicious things! These are especially great if you need a quick, fun school party treat or special dessert. I included our favorite cookie dough recipe, but you can use store-bought or any other flavor cookie dough.:) These are perfect for mini-ice cream sundaes (we had them after church:)). They hold a heaping Tablespoon sized scoop--a great size for a fun after-dinner dessert.

Mini-Cookie Cups
Ingredients:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (our very favorite recipe is below)
Mini-muffin pan (or if you want big cups, use a cupcake pan)
Non-stick cooking spray
Filling ingredients (the possibilities are endless!:))

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Turn muffin pan upside down and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Roll cookie dough into 1" balls and place on the top of every other muffin section. Spread dough gently down the sides of the muffin section. Here's a quick video tutorial:

Bake at 350 for about 7 minutes until barely browned. Remove from oven and completely cool. I used a little too much dough, so if you do the same, gently cut apart the cookie cups while still warm.

When cool, remove from pan and trim if desired. Fill and serve! They keep well in the freezer, so make up a bunch and you'll have some on hand for the next time you need something fun and a little fancy!:)

We put some candy pumpkins in a few:
We tried chocolate puddin' cups. Yum!:
PERFECT Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 sticks Butter
1 tsp. Baking Soda
¾ C. Granulated Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
¾ C. Brown Sugar
1 ½ C. Chocolate Chips
1 Egg
1 Tbs. Vanilla
2 ¼ C. Flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whip butter until creamy, then add sugar and beat. Add Salt, vanilla & egg. Sift flour and soda then add to mixture. Bake 8-11 minutes until edges are barely brown.

Backwards, Crazy Dinner

We got a little silly yesterday....we've been talking about letter "B" so I decided to have a "backwards" dinner. You could do this for April Fools' or any time you need to have a little fun. I printed this little sign and the girls took it to the bathroom mirror to read. Then, we proceeded to have:
Meatloaf in Mugs:
(I baked them in a cupcake pan for about 30 minutes then put them in mugs. I was afraid the mugs would be too hot if I baked the meatloves in them. This worked great! My favorite meatloaf recipe is here.).
Ice Cream Cone Potatoes w/ Pea & Carrot Sprinkles:
(make your favorite mashed potatoes, put them in a ziploc baggie, snip the end and squirt into ice cream cones. Put a few cooked peas and carrots on the top for "sprinkles". I also put some peas and carrots in the bottom of the cone).
Peach & Honey Smoothies on a plate:
(I just threw some frozen peaches, vanilla protein powder, skim milk, and honey in the blender).

So, if you're feeling wild, have some fun with the family and have dinner a little Backwards! Happy Cooking!

Crazy Cool Sandwiches

We've never featured another blogger before, but I am in love with all of Kellie from Little Nummie's sandwich ideas! Here are a few of our favorites, but she had a ton on her site and adds to it regularly! Happy Sandwiching!:)

Sheepdog:
Cut corners off sandwich, tip up to resemble ears. Spread peanut butter (or cream cheese) on top of sandwich, top with popcorn, olive eyes, and a fruit snack tongue.

Lion:
Use diagram below to see how to cut it out. Mane is shredded carrot and facial features are raisins.

Please Tell us about yourself: My name is Kellie Strickland and I am a stay at home mom of three beautiful little girls. They are 5, 4, and 2. They really keep me busy!! I am also a pastor's wife and in the beginning stages of planting a church in Boston, MA. YAY!! We will be moving there in July of '09 which we are ridiculously excited about!! Little Nummies has been somewhat of an experiment for me. I started the Little Nummies blog to share the photos of my creations instead of cluttering my own blog up with the pics. The response has been so exciting!!

Hedgie the Hedgehog:
Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut a heart shape out of a sandwich. Break a handful of pretzel sticks in half and stick them into the back of the cut out shape (as shown). Use shorter sticks for the ones right behind the eyes. Take 3 regular chocolate chips and using peanut butter for the glue, glue them on for the eyes and nose.

Where do you get your inspiration?: I got tired of making my kids the same 'ole stuff for lunch everyday. I noticed that they ate more when they were eating creations. It all just kind of evolved from there. A lot of the food out there for kids is great, but most of the creative food were in cupcake or sugar form. I wanted to create fun new ways to make sandwiches, which is what the average mom makes for their kids on an everyday basis. I wanted to create a place where the food was fun, simple, basic, and with lots of substitution ideas so that you felt comfortable enough to get in the kitchen and start playing with your food!!

Mr. Hoot:
Make any sandwich you would like and then cut the sides off as shown. Take the pieces and flip them backwards to make them fit as shown. Cut a large marshmallow in half for the base of the eyes. Cut a raisin in half for the eyes, and another raisin for the beak.

Daily Blogs: I have my main blog kelliestrickland.wordpress.com which is really my outlet during the day. I have my daily loves which consist of my friends, and new blogland friends. I LOVE the creative, vintage, handmade, crafty blogs which give me lots of ideas for decorating and creating.

Jack-0-Lantern:
Cut a Jack O’Lantern face out of a slice of bread. I used a simple knife to cut out the shapes. Spread whatever you want on another slice of bread. I used Peanut Butter and Honey. Seemed irredescant and to sort of glow. Use what your child will eat though!! Next, stack the cut out piece of bread on top. How easy is that?!? Tips: if sending them in a lunchbox for school, use a little peanut butter or cream cheese to adhere the decorations and embellishments.