What's Cooking?

Glad you asked! This month we made some old favorites. And some new.

Jasmine made Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Chicken and Broccoli. It was really good. It came in a two pack with what Kayla made.

Kayla made Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac.  I didn't care for this one that much which was disappointing after having the chicken one. I think we were divided with four liking this and four not. When someone makes something that the others don't care for, we make sure the cook understands it's not because of anything he or she did, and it's not personal. We all like and dislike different things. No one is allowed to say rude things about the food, but they may say they don't care for it and say why.

Kayla did like the cheeseburger mac and had two or three helpings.

Adam made meatshell pie.

Meatshell Potato Pie 

1 can tomato soup

1 lb ground beef

1 egg slightly beaten

½ c bread crumbs

2 c mashed potatoes

¼ c shredded cheese

cooked bacon crumbled

Mix ½ can soup, beef, egg and bread crumbs. Press firmly into a 9" pie pan. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Frost with potatoes. Top with remainder of soup, cheese and bacon. Bake 10 minutes more.

Jessica made crockpot beef and broccoli from a recipe  someone shared on facebook.

Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips
1 cup beef consumme
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar 
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cooled sauce from the crock pot after being cooked
Fresh broccoli florets (as many as desired)
Hot cooked rice

Directions
1. Place beef in a crock pot.
2. In a small bowl, combine consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic. Pour over beef. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. In a cup, stir cornstarch and sauce form the crock pot until smooth. Add to crock pot. Stir well to combine. (If your sauce is not thickening, try bringing your sauce to a boil on the stovetop with the corn starch mixture. Boil until your desired consistency is reached).
4. Add broccoli to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
5. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).
6. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Tyler made one of his favorite to make--Mexican pancakes. Yep, these first ones got a little too brown.

Ty's Mexican Pancake Roll Ups

16 four-inch sausage links

1 ½ cup salsa

1 ½ cup Bisquick mix

½ cup yellow cornmeal

1 ¼ cup milk

1 tsp chili powder

8 oz can whole kernel corn drained

Heat up sausages and keep warm.

Heat up salsa and keep warm.

Heat griddle or skillet. Spray or grease. Mix all ingredients except salsa and sausages. Stir until blended. Pour batter by 1/4c onto hot griddle.

Cook until edges are brown. Flip & cook until golden brown.

Roll pancake around sausage link. Serve with salsa.

Kaleb made foil wrapped chicken which he's made before and likes making.

Foil Wrapped Taco Chicken

Boneless chicken breast (or half) per person

Taco seasoning

Potatoes peeled and thinly sliced (a half of large or whole small per person)

Salsa

Shredded Mexican cheese

Sour cream

Preheat oven 400F. Place serving of potato slices on a large piece of foil for each person. Cut the chicken into strips and put one portion on each foil on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. (Per individual taste) Add one tablespoon of salsa and shredded cheese to each. Wrap the foil over the chicken mixture. Place on cookie sheet and bake 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Release steam and let stand five minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Everyone working together made a simple fudge recipe. It was very sugary and rich, and they loved it!

5 Minute Fudge

Ingredients 
1 2/3 cups white sugar 
2/3 cup evaporated milk 
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 (6 ounce) packages milk chocolate chips 
16 large marshmallows 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1 cup chopped nuts (we left these out)

Directions
1.Combine sugar, milk, butter and salt in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. 
2.Add in chocolate chips; cook until melted. 
3.Remove from heat; stir in marshmallows, vanilla and nuts. Mix well. 
4.Pour into a 8-inch pan. 
Cool cut into squares.

We made several other snack type recipes we saw on facebook. Posting recipes seems to be the thing to do now online. Some work out. Some don't.

He Made It

One hour before graduation.

Almost ready

Waiting to walk in

Procession in. It got too dark to take pictures by time he went up for his diploma. I think I have it on video, but it's not ready to post yet.

At home before Project Graduation. Project Graduation is an attempt to keep seniors from doing something crazy on grad night. They have to be at the gym by 11:00 to take part in all-night activities. The doors are locked at 11:00 p.m., and no one leaves until 4:30 a.m.

There were some difficult years, but he made it. He's really made an effort to turn things around the last 2-3 years. I wish we could go back and do a few of the earlier years over. Not that I'd do any better, though.  It looks different from this end than when we were in the middle of it. He has great things ahead of him.

We've had several graduations in a row-- Tyler 2009, Jessica 2010, Jeff 2011, Adam 2013. Jessica should graduate college next spring. But the next high school graduation won't be until 2019 when Jasmine graduates and then 2023 when the twins graduate.

One week until we sail. Please pray everyone stays healthy and injury free. Cars included. Mine is getting a $500 repair tomorrow I didn't even know it needed. Seems like we've done a lot of those lately, but it's a 2001 with 229,000+ miles on it.

Tomorrow the twins have field day. I am not sure they are taking part. It is up to the teachers, but the twins have been pushing the limits a lot lately, and the teachers have threatened to take field day and the end of the year parties.

Jasmine has a middle school dance with a Hawaiian theme tomorrow evening. She is taking finals for the first time this week and Monday. We've pulled her out Tuesday and half of Wednesday to head to Orlando to meet a bloggy friend in person.

While we are on the cruise we won't have any Internet. So I'll have a lot of photos to post when we get back.

Hopefully I'll have photos from Jasmine's dance. I am chaperoning to get the rest of my volunteer hours in. And at this age she wants me there, so I'm taking advantage of that.

Have a great weekend!

Memorial Day

 We had beautiful weather today. We took the jet ski out for the first time this year. There was quite a bit of drama with that which included an oil filter in wrong and a dead battery so I got to buy a new battery.

Tyler had the day off work. He's back to work Tues at 6:30 a.m. I hope the good weather continues because if it rains, he may not work. Most of their work is outside--weedwacking and fixing signs and such.

Tyler on the tube.

Jasmine and Kaleb on the tube.

Kaleb

Jessica

Adam had to work today but he got to come to the bay for quite a while first.

Kaleb

Adam on our new turtle.

Ready to pull someone on the tube. Our spotter sits backwards so he/she can see when someone falls off and tap me.

Rick grilling.

Hunter, his mom and his niece joined us at the bay.

Kayla joined us on the jet ski.

Jessica and Hunter

Jasmine gives Kaleb a ride.

I wasn't sure what they were up to.

Adam headed out to work.

Jessica

Rick fighting, er cutting, the watermelon. I was the only non watermelon eating person in the whole group.

Kaleb

Jasmine

Tyler

Kayla

I don't think anyone really wants to go back to school tomorrow. I know I do not want to get up at 5:05 a.m. But only a few days left. Right now the house is looking very clutters because there  is Disney (for the two who are going) packing, cruise packing and mission camp packing going on. We still have Adam's graduation, Jasmine's middle school Aloha dance, the twins' field day and all the end of the year parties to go. Anyone done already?