Side dish #22: Travel tubs

As we anticipate another long trip in February (yay for mid-winter break!), I know I will definitely be pulling these out again!

Everyone has old wipe containers I am sure! I get a new one every time we get our big box of wipes from Amazon (Amazon Mom is the best!) Anyways, over Christmas break we took a trip up to ohio and so I made up these tubs to organize Alex's toys on the trip. I made fun little picture on the front because I knew that these would probably become a permanent fixture on trips! I would pull one out at a time and let him play with the toys. Once he was done with it, I would try to collect as much as possible and put it back in the big basket and give him something else to play with. I had a bag of books too and since he had to be mostly still, he enjoyed reading them more than usual! :) Of course we also traveled with a huge container of animal crackers, gold fish and cheerios. With all of this we survived our trip and feel up to try some more! (Indy and Chicago here we come!)

Recipe #236: Southwestern Hamburger

Today was a horrible day, but fortunately Will's mom left some hamburgers for us. There is something about a good hamburger that makes things seem okay! :) Unfortunately we didn't have any buns, so the Southwestern twist on a hamburger came to be thanks for a tortilla taking its place!

You need:
whole wheat tortilla
1 hamburger patty
cheddar cheese
avocado
lettuce
kettcup

• cook hamburger in a fry pan until juices run clear
• on one side of a tortilla, layer cheese avocado, and lettuce
• cut hamburger in half and put on top. 
• fold tortilla over and enjoy!

opps...blurry picture but you get the idea! :)

Recipe #235: Roasted Pork and potatoes

Well, I need to work on timing well with pork tenderloin because it always takes way longer then I think! But it turned out pretty delicious in the end so it was worth the wait! I found it here!

You need:
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp thyme
salt
1 lb pork tenderloin
3 large potatoes
1/2 red onion
4-5 cloves of garlic

• mix cumin, garlic powder, oregano, coriander, thyme, salt together
• cut up potatoes and onion into big chunks
• stick potatoes, onions and garlic cloves in bottom of roasting pan sprinkle some olive oil and tiny bit of sprice rub on top
• rub spice mix all over pork and pat in so it sticks.
• put pork on top of potatoes
• roast at 450 for about 1 hour or until done

I forgot to take a picture, but the potatoes were so nice and crispy and pork was great too!

Recipe #234: Broccoli Salad

My sister (check out her blog here!) has made this recipe on several occasions and since I needed to make a side dish for my church potluck I thought this would be perfect! I cut up all the veggies and cooked the bacon on Saturday night, then put it all together Sunday morning before church!

You need:
2 stalks broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 red onion, chopped
8oz shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package of bacon, fried and crumbled
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mayo
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

• cut up and mix together broccoli, onion, cheese, and bacon
• in a separate container mix together sugar mayo and vinegar
• pour dressing over broccoli mixture and mix well
• chill for at least an hour before serving

Recipe #233: Cappuccino Cheesecake

My church had a potluck after lunch and I needed to bring a side and a dessert! This was a perfect dessert to try out because there was no way were were going to be able to eat it ourselves! This is my grandma's recipe (I  think it was passed along from an aunt), so that definitely means it will taste delicious! :)

You need:
1 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
4 8oz containers of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp instant coffee
1/4 tsp cinnamon

• first make crust: mix together nuts, butter and flour
• press onto the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan
• bake at 325 for 10 minutes

• boil the water, then add instant coffee and cinnamon
• mix well and set aside to cool

• mix together soft cream cheese, sugar and flour. Mix well
• add eggs one at a time, blending together well each time
• mix in sour cream
• gradually mix in coffee mixture
• mix until everything is well blended.
• pour over crust
• bake at 450 for ten minutes, reduce oven temperature to 250 and bake for 1 hour.
• loosed cake from rim, but do not remove until cake is cooled.
• chill until serving, garnish with whipped cream and coffee beans

Recipe #232: Grown-Up Grilled Cheese!

I had been wanting a good grilled cheese, but didn't want to have to buy bread just to make it! So I made some bread tonight and had a delicious grilled cheese and avocado sandwich. It was delicious! I probably could have cut the bread a little better if I had let it cool more but I couldn't wait!

You need:
Crusty bread (make your own)
cheddar cheese
couple slices avocado
butter

• butter one side of each piece of bread
• add cheddar and avocado to the middle
• heat until cheese is melted and both sides are browned

Recipe #231: Hamburger Skillet Supper

Will decided on ground beef and then I was left with the decision of what to do with it! I didn't have much time in between my run and needing to leave for Bible study, so I found this recipe here and it seemed easy enough!

You need:
1 lb ground beef
2 large potatoes
2 cups of corn
1 can of cream of mushroom soup

• start browning meat
• peel and dice potatoes
• add potatoes, corn and soup to meat when mostly browned
• stir and cover for 10 minutes
• stir again, turn on low and simmer until potatoes are soft and beef is done.