comfort food Archives - Look What Mom Found

Potato, Mushroom & Sausage Bake Recipe

October 24, 2014 by Melissa

It’s takes a drastic weather change to come up with new meal ideas. The cool weather that crept up on us the past couple of weeks brought on thoughts of layered casseroles, hearty soups, warm breads and sinful desserts. This latest meal, Potato, Mushroom and Sausage Bake hit the spot on a particular windy and rainy day.

Shopping for ingredients is always fun but going out to the store in the rain isn’t what I wanted to do. I scoured my fridge and pantry for those just right items to warm up our bellies.

Sausage of all kinds is one of our favorite meats. We grill it, saute it, crumble it on pizza and even roast it over the campfire. It made sense to create a meal surrounding it. Jimmy Dean Sausage is a staple in our house so with a roll of their Premium Pork Regular Sausage (Sage Sausage would be great too) and basic ingredients I made a meal that the family loved.

Potato, Mushroom & Sausage Bake

Ingredients

Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage Roll
3 lbs potatoes, cut into 2″ cubes
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 lb baby Portobello mushrooms
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 red wine vinegar
1/4 water
1 cup finely chopped granny smith apple
salt, pepper, garlic powder as needed

Directions

In a large stock pot over medium heat cook & crumble Jimmy Dean sausage.
Remove & drain sausage and set aside. Wipe pan of excess liquid or fat. In same pan saute celery, onions, mushrooms and thyme till just tender.
Remove veggies and set aside.
In same pot, add potatoes, salt, pepper, garlic powder & water, cover pot and cook for 10 minutes over low heat.
Add red wine vinegar to deglaze pan and scrape up bits cooked onto pan. Stir in sausage, veggies and apple.
Transfer to large casserole dish and bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes at 350°.
Top should be golden brown and crisp.
Serve with steamed veggies of choice for a balanced dinner with the family.

****Don’t leave out the apple. It provides a touch of sweet and tart that goes perfectly with the saltiness of the sausage.

This served our family of 5 with some leftover. I had the best lunch the next day. This is a great make ahead meal. Do all the steps except baking. Bring to a potluck dinner, new family in the neighborhood or double the recipe to have another meal on hand for those busy holiday shopping days. In fact we keep cooked sausage in our fridge most of the time. It’s a simple way to create a healthy but quick pasta dish or bulk up an omelette for breakfast and of course as our favorite pizza topping.

Shop for Jimmy Dean Sausage at Safeway and don’t forget to grab this coupon and other valuable Hillshire Brands coupons from the Just For U center. Save money on your favorite brands such as Hillshire Farm, Ball Park and State Fair.

Here are some MORE Hillshire Brand meals to give you some inspiration for tasty, wholesome and delicious meals.

Smoked Sausage with Peppers
Fried Rice
Kielbasa with Apples and Potatoes
Sausage Sliders with Broccoli Slaw
Easy Sausage Jambalaya
Chicago Style HotDogs
Mummy Dogs
Corn and Sausage Chowder

What kind of hearty meals do you prepare for your family in the cooler seasons?

Vanilla Brown Sugar French Toast

October 16, 2014 by Melissa

Breakfast for dinner is like the greatest idea ever. No one ever moans and groans about that. The thought of gooey syrup or loaded up eggs makes everyone in our house smile. One day this week when my dinner plans fell through we went to plan B, French Toast. But we gave it a spin making it Vanilla Brown Sugar French Toast with the addition of Bailey’s coffee creamer.

We happened to have a sliced loaf of country bread leftover from the weekend. That’s something that never happens. I said breakfast for dinner and the kids immediately say pancakes or waffles. They prefer sweet breakfast for sure. I mentioned French Toast and got YES’s all around.

I turned to Shae and said it’s time to make dinner. She cracked the eggs, whisked them up, dunked the bread and sprinkled the cinnamon. She was the last to eat because she wanted to be sure she made dinner not just her serving. She’s not too eager to use the spatula right now. She got a little burn a week ago and it tore down her confidence in the kitchen a little. We have to build up those skills a little more again.

French Toast is always one of those meals that gets eaten so quickly. It takes just a little syrup or honey or powdered sugar to make it perfect. This one was doctored up with my coffee creamer. I don’t use it very often so I thought it would make a tasty addition to the egg mix instead of milk. I now want to try this with all different kinds of creamers.

Vanilla Brown Sugar French Toast

Ingredients

Hearty Sliced Bread
4-6 eggs
1/4 cup flavored creamer
cinnamon
butter for pan

Directions

In a large skillet melt a teaspoon of butter over medium heat.
In a wide bowl whisk together eggs and creamer.
Dunk bread in egg mixture and place in hot skillet. Fit 2-3 slices in pan but don’t overcrowd.
Sprinkle cinnamon on bread in the pan.
Flip over to brown second side of bread. Continue through loaf of bread, adding more butter as needed.
Serve with butter, syrup or honey and powdered sugar.

Having the right bread is key for this recipe. It doesn’t work as well with super soft breads as you won’t get a really good crisp. Don’t skip the butter either.[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:14]
Come join me and my co-hosts, Paula at Frosted Fingers, Sara at Sensibly Sara, Kate of Busy Bee Kate & Jeannette of EcoIncognito each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

You’ll find these and many more ideas for healthful and unique food fun on the #KidsintheKitchen Pinterest Board.

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sweet & Spicy Garlic Chili Chicken #recipe

October 9, 2014 by Melissa

It was a hot and humid day and I had no desire to man the grill to cook dinner. The house was cool because the air was cranked down to 70 degrees so the kitchen felt very good to cook a meal. I’d been craving Chinese food for days but instead of ordering I created. Our favorite General Tso’s Chicken inspired this Sweet & Spicy Garlic Chili Chicken.

I had 8 small chicken breasts from Five Star Home Foods to use and I wanted something that was different from our normal meals. I also knew I had to make lots of adjustments to the heat level for different members of the family. Rob loves lots of spice and heat. Sabreena and I can deal with some heat but Shaun and Shae have more tame palates. The sauce on the side provides the kick that Rob likes. Doing a separate sauce lets each person add just as much as they want.

Sweet & Spicy Garlic Chili Chicken

Ingredients

2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 2″ pieces
1 tsp Sesame oil
2 TBLS Soy Sauce
3 TBLS Chili Garlic sauce (Huy Fong Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce is my go to)
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup chopped carrots
scallions
jalapenos
cooking oil for frying

Spicy Chili Sauce

1/3 cup chili garlic sauce
2 TBLS honey (or more)
1 tsp soy sauce

Directions

In a large bowl thoroughly mix together the chicken, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili sauce, garlic, black pepper, vinegar and ginger and set aside for at least 2 hours.

In a small bowl mix together the chili garlic sauce, honey and soy sauce. Set aside so the flavors come together. *Add more or less honey to adjust the heat level to your preference.

To cook the chicken bring 2 inches of canola or peanut oil to a medium high temperature, 350 degrees. Drain the marinated chicken and coat pieces in cornstarch, shaking off to remove excess.

Fry the chicken pieces and carrots in small batches till just cooked, turning to brown on all sides then set aside while remaining chicken cooks. I kept mine on a plate in the oven at low heat.

Serve over rice with chopped scallions and thinly sliced jalapenos and spicy chili sauce on top or as a dipping sauce on the side.

I’ve been wanting to make this again. I actually crave it, think about it.

As with any recipe adjust seasonings to your preference. Recipes (except for baking) should never be the final say on a dish. Use it as a guide to create something you and your family will love and want to make again and again.

For the best recipes start with quality ingredients. Using Five Star Home Foods for the past 3 months has inspired many new recipes.

Shepherds Pie Dinner with Manwich Thick & Chunky

September 22, 2014 by Melissa

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Manwich for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Family meal time is important. It’s often the only time in a day that we all come together to reconnect after busy days at work and school. Coming together around the table lets us talk about not just our days but about family matters, events coming up and of course to share laughs. Making sure we have hearty, healthy and delicious meals encourages more time gathered around the table. One of my latest meal creations came from the help of Manwich with this Turkey Manwich Shepherds Pie.

I’ll be honest the idea of a Manwich sloppy joe sandwich is not my favorite. Strictly due to the mess involved I avoid making them and serving them. What I do enjoy is the slight bbq tangy flavor that comes from the sauce so I knew I had to recreate a family favorite with a Manwich twist. I turned to Manwich because I trust them to provide easy weeknight meals without artificial flavors or preservatives.

Over the last 2 weeks the temperatures dropped, it’s definitely not summer any more. The cooler nights invite more comforting meals and to my family there isn’t much more comforting and belly filling than shepards pie. My regular recipe is very simple but I knew I could kick it up TONS with the addition of Manwich Thick and Chunky. The texture was just right for this recipe.

Manwich Shepards Pie

Ingredients

3lbs homemade mashed potatoes
1 1/3 lb ground lean turkey or beef
1/2 chopped onion
salt & pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 cup frozen corn
Manwich Thick and Chunky
shredded cheese optional

Directions

Start with a creamy delicious homemade mashed potato base. Mine consists of 3lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes, 3 tbls butter, 3 tbls sour cream, 3 tbls cream cheese and warm milk.

In a large skillet over medium heat cook down your onions and ground meat, season with salt, pepper & oregano. Add frozen corn and Manwich Thick and Chunky and stir to combine.

Preheat your oven for 350°.

In a large casserole dish spread your prepared mashed potatoes and top with the meat mixture. Sprinkle some shredded cheese on top for extra flavor.

Bake in a 350° for 30-40 minutes until the dish is hot and bubbly. Serve alongside steamed broccoli or your own favorite veggie.

The meal was well received. I already knew the kids loved sloppy joe sandwiches but I didn’t expect such rave reviews. I really liked this dish too and will be adding it into our winter meal rotation. I’ve even going to check out the other Manwich recipes because I already know it’s good for so many other things.

Panko Crusted Cod #recipe #fivestarhomefoods

August 6, 2014 by Melissa

One of the very first dishes I made with my Five Star Home Foods delivery was Panko Crusted Cod. I’m not one to fry my food, like ever so I baked this dish. Fish is one of those meals that everyone eats, but unfortunately I don’t make very often. I’m picky about my fish, I don’t like strong flavors or oily textures so I stick with mild white fish. I do like the heartier texture that comes with cod so this recipe worked out well.

The meats from Five Star Home Foods is individually packed. This makes it great to take out just what you need for a meal. We’ve found ourselves recently with no kids in the house so making dinner for just Rob and I was very simple. I served the fish with brown rice and Cascadian Farms Organic Edamame (also from Five Star Home Foods) and a homemade tomato & roasted red pepper salsa on the top.

Panko Crusted Baked Cod

Ingredients

2lbs of Cod filets
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a greased rack on top. Oil your rack to avoid sticking.

Using paper towels, thoroughly dry your fish pieces.

Mix breadcrumbs and seasonings in wide dish.

Lightly brush fish with olive oil and dredge through breadcrumb mixture pressing it onto the fish.

Place on prepared rack over baking sheet.

Bake for 24-28 minutes till breading is crisp and fish is flaky.

Top with a mix of tomatoes, red peppers, drizzle of oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

I also topped the brown rice with basil pesto for added flavor.

Our pieces were all different sizes. While this works well for our family I couldn’t serve this to guests. I wish the filets were more uniform in size so it guaranteed a more concise cooking time. I took out the smaller pieces early so not to overcook them.

Learn more about Five Star Home Foods and their home delivery options in the Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland area.

Spinach and Cheese Bites #Recipe #kidsinthekitchen

June 12, 2014 by Melissa

Finding new lunch and snack ideas for the kids over the summer is on my to-do list. We wasted no time. The first day of summer break and we were experimenting in the kitchen with classics like pizza dough and not so favorites like spinach. My kids eat what I serve but I want them to enjoy the food I make so we made these Spinach & Cheese Bites extra kid friendly with lots of cheese.

Enjoy right from the oven, room temperature or warmed up from the freezer. This batch makes 24 bites(muffin size).

Spinach and Cheese Bites

Ingredients
1lb pizza dough homemade or packaged. (crescent rolls would work to)
1lb frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1tbls olive oil
2 tsp garlic
1 tsp onion powder
1tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4oz softened cream cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
pinch (or more) red pepper flakes

Directions

Roll out small balls of pizza dough and spread them into each well of 2 muffin tins. Set aside to rest.

In a medium-hot skillet add olive oil and spinach. Break up to cook away all the moisture. Add garlic, onion powder and salt & pepper. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 400°

In a large bowl stir together your cooled spinach mixture, cheeses, pepper flakes and more salt and pepper to taste.

Add spoonful of spinach to each muffin well on top of the pizza dough.

Bake for 15-18 minutes till cheese is bubbly and dough is golden brown.

The kids ate these with NO hesitation and actually said they were delicious. Win for MOM!
Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah of Play to Learn with Sarah, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

You’ll find so many more ideas on the #KidsintheKitchen Pinterest Board.

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

An InLinkz Link-up

Mac and Cheese Muffins #kidsinthekitchen #recipe

May 8, 2014 by Melissa

I hate to admit this but Shae prefers boxed mac and cheese to my homemade kind.The rest of the family prefers mine so most of the time she’s out voted. Sometimes when time is of the essence I have to rely on the boxed kind even though I don’t like it very much. I found a way to kick up the flavor and presentation but using one of my favorite methods, muffin shaped food.

Adding prepared mac and cheese, and some other yummy ingredients, to muffin tins creates something magical. The Mac and Cheese Muffins come out with a crispy crust and creamy inside, making them very different from their boxed beginnings.

These Green Onion Mac and Cheese Muffins turned out incredibly good. I’m going to add green onions more often because they add a great fresh onion taste without the harsh bite white onions tend to do.

Ingredients

2 boxes of box mac and cheese
1 cup shredded cheese (we used mexican blend and mozzerella)
1 cup milk
2 tbls softened butter
4 stalks of green onions chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten
bread crumbs
*any chopped meat of choice

Directions
Preheat oven to 375° and coat your muffin tins (12 cups)with cooking spray.

Prepare your macaroni according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Have you child add in all of the ingredients plus the cheese packets except bread crumbs and mix, mix, mix.

Taste to be sure it tastes the way you like it and adding meat or veggies if you choose.

Now it’s time to spoon your mixture into the muffin tins. Fill them all the way till almost overflowing. Top with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes till bubbly and browned.

We enjoyed along side of Italian sausage and peppers.

Shae loved that she did most of the work!
Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah of Play to Learn with Sarah, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

You’ll find so many more ideas on the #KidsintheKitchen Pinterest Board.

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

An InLinkz Link-up

Italian Meatloaf Muffins #recipe

May 6, 2014 by Melissa

Everything tastes better in the form of a muffin. Muffins are cute, a great portion size and appealing to all ages. That’s why I love making meals in muffin form like these Italian Meatloaf Muffins.

It’s Thursday, that means Shaun has basketball clinic from 3:15-5:15 then Lacrosse practice from 6:00-7″30. By the time we get home and he gets the stink showered off of him it’s bedtime. These days call for dinner in the car. If you know me you know I don’t do fast food for dinner. Maybe it’s guilt from too many years of drive-thru dinners or just knowing I shouldn’t be so lazy and just make a good dinner.

Meatloaf muffins are easy to make, quick to cook and can be eaten on the go. I made these right before I picked Shaun up from practice so they were still warm but I’ve made them in the morning, packed them up and had them in stored for trouble-free meals later.

Start with your favorite meatloaf recipe but I’ll share mine. My kids actually really love it. It’s something they actually cheer for when I tell them it’s for dinner.

Ingredients
1 1/2lbs ground meat of choice. I prefer traditional meatloaf mix and loathe all ground turkey.
1 1/2 cups of finely shredded/chopped veggies of choice. This time I used carrots, garlic, red & orange peppers & onions. sautéing before adding to meat adds great flavor
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1tsp freshly cracked pepper
1tsp kosher salt
1 egg
*1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1TBLS dried
*2TBLS chopped fresh oregano or 2tsp dried

Directions
Using your hands mix the all ingredients but don’t overmix. You should still see the ground meat texture.
Fill 12 muffin cups with the meatloaf mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes till cooked through.
Top with shredded mozzarella and a side of marinara or favorite pasta sauce.

*There are many variations of meatloaf you can make just by switching the ingredients that go into your ground meat & veggie mixture
Mexican-add cumin and garlic, top with salsa and shredded cheddar
Greek-add oregano and mint, top with crumbled feta and cucumber yogurt sauce
BBQ-add chopped chipotle peppers and top with favorite bbq sauce

Brown Paper Bag Microwave Popcorn #kidsinthekitchen

February 27, 2014 by Melissa

I’ve said it on numerous occasion, My Kids Love To Snack? We definitely encourage healthy snacking by providing plenty of fruits and veggies but there is not denying those cravings for a a salty crunchy eat from a bag kinda snack. How about Brown Bag Microwave Popcorn.

We love love love popcorn. The kids know to bring home a fresh full tub when they leave the movies. I buy the big wholesale club container of kernels so we can make my own in the air popper and sometimes we have a few microwave bags in the pantry. BUT this is definitely a better to enjoy popcorn fresher, healthier and easier then all those other choices above.

You’ll need 2 things

brown paper bag
popcorn kernels

Directions

Simply add 1/4 of popcorn kernels to a brown bag and close with a couple folds tightly creased.

Place in your microwave and cook for 2 – 2 1/2 minutes, laying down or standing up is fine. Our first bag was bit burnt at 2 1/2 minutes. Our second bag was better but still had a burnt aroma at 2:20. The magic number for us is 2:10.

Now it’s time to remove your bag from the microwave, add toppings, shake and enjoy.

The kids have been using a cheddar cheese popcorn topping but I like mine a little more simple. I like to add a big pinch of kosher salt and a few sprays of “fake butter”.

This is something the kids (depending on their age) can do pretty much on their own or with just a little help.

The bag doesn’t get hot to the touch.
There isn’t a huge scalding burst of steam coming out of the bag.
The measurements and ingredient list is so easy.
Clean up is done in a snap.
Serving size is perfect for one.

I’m loving this version of popcorn so much. I find it to be slightly crunchier than traditional air popped and the bag isn’t gross and greasy so eating right from it is convenient and clean. Try it and let me know how it turns out for you.
Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah of Play to Learn with Sarah, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

You’ll find so many more ideas on the #KidsintheKitchen Pinterest Board.

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

Homemade Baked Soft Pretzels #kidsinthekitchen

January 23, 2014 by Melissa

With all the snow we had this week i vowed it would be a a baking week. Shae said “YAY” and Rob said “Nope, not for you”. Her poor little spirit was crushed. Ok, it really wasn’t, she knew he was kidding. I decided on a couple of things but this is what turn out successful. Baked Soft Pretzels.

Soft Baked Pretzels were made and they will be made again and again and again. They were THAT good. The whole process wasn’t hard. As with just about any recipe where dough is used it’s a long process but so worth it. Next time we are doubling.

We followed Alton Brown’s Homemade Soft Pretzel recipe from 2007 to a tee, no adjustments, no modifications, just as he posts it here. Watch Shae roll out and shape the pretzels all on her own. We ate them while they were still hot with spicy brown mustard and honey mustard.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah of Play to Learn with Sarah, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

You’ll find so many more ideas on the #KidsintheKitchen Pinterest Board.
Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

What kind of hearty meals do you prepare for your family in the cooler seasons?

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