Back To School Scrapbook

Its that time of year again!! Getting ready for back to school? Come get all of your favorite back to school goddies  and ideas at www.my2scrappychicks.com

Grannies Favorite Back To School Goddies and Ideas

Makeover Bacon Chicken Alfredo Recipe

This healthier version of Bacon Chicken Alfredo offers all the creamy comfort, and rich homey flavor of the original, but slashes calories, cholesterol and sodium.

This recipe is: Healthy Quick

Prep: 30 min. Cook: 15 min. 

Yield: 8 Servings

Grannies Kitchen Favorite

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 ounces) whole wheat fettuccine
• 8 bacon strips, chopped
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 cups 2% milk
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions

• Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain.
• Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook chicken and garlic in butter over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; remove and keep warm.
• Combine cornstarch and milk until smooth; stir into skillet. Add cream and remaining salt. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the spinach, chicken, 3/4 cup cheese, Italian seasoning and half of the bacon; cook and stir until cheese is melted.
• Drain fettuccine; add to chicken mixture. Cook and stir until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1 cup equals 465 calories, 14 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 72 mg cholesterol, 584 mg sodium, 51 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 32 g protein.

Veggie Plates

Great fun way to get kids to eat their veggies.

Grannies Kitchen : Simple and Quick 

Grannies Kitchen Tip for Pies

Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

Grannies Kitchen Tip For Lemons

To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature & roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing.

Grannies Kitchen Tip For Wine

Don't throw out all that leftover wine:  Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

Grannies Kitchen Tips For Wine

Safty Tips for Children In The Kitchen

Make cooking fun and your children will beg you to help in the kitchen. Make cooking a chore, and your children will run for cover the moment you mention it’s time to cook or make your life so miserable you kick them out of the kitchen. Either way, your children need to understand the importance of kitchen safety and safe cooking.    

Understanding the dangers of the kitchen and how to prevent them is an essential life tool that all children should learn. Whether your children want to take over as household “Chefs” or simply wants to learn how to feed themselves when they move out on their own, I invite you to read these important kitchen safety tips and share them with your children, today.

Kitchen Safety Tips:

1. Supervise young children and first-time chefs. Never let your child cook alone.
2. Develop patience. Your children will make fewer mistakes when they are enjoying the process and not worrying about getting yelled at.
3. Handle kitchen products properly. Don’t assume your children will know what to do with kitchen products just by watching you in the kitchen. Take the time to explain how each product works, as it’s needed for each recipe.
4. Understand fire safety. Explain how the fire extinguisher works, how to put out a grease fire, and when to call 911.
5. Wear short sleeves. Long sleeves have a chance of catching fire or falling into hot grease or boiling water.
6. Wear an apron. Aprons help protect clothes and add extra padding in case of spilt hot water, splattered oil, etc.
7. Use oven mitts. Never use a towel to move hot pans because the loose parts of the towel can fall onto a hot burner and catch on fire. Oven mitts are safer because they help your children hold onto the handle of a hot pan more securely.
8. Wash your hands. Hands carry germs and can contaminate food.
9. Keep pan handles facing in and over countertops. Pan handles should never extend over the hot stove and definitely not out towards the floor where someone could bump the handle and spill a pot of hot food on him.
10. Never leave food unattended. Unwatched pots can spill over causing fires and other kitchen hazards.
11. Clean up spills. Serious injuries occur when others slip and fall because of wet floors or foreign objects, so make sure your children understand the importance of cleaning up a spill as it occurs. (Always have a mop or rag handy.)
12. Speed clean ups. Teach your children to clean while they wait for the next stage in preparing the food (i.e. water boils, soup simmers, etc.).
13. Never eat raw meats or poultry. Raw poultry can lead to food poisoning (i.e. salmonella).
14. Wash surfaces where raw meats and poultry touched. Surfaces touched by raw meat should be cleaned before placing another food product on that surface to prevent cross contamination.
15. Keep raw food separate from cooked food. Never place cooked food back on a plate that once contained raw food.
16. Metal and microwaves don’t mix. Any object that contains metal or aluminum should not be placed into a microwave because doing so could cause a fire.

And finally, listen to your children. Making your children cook foods they don’t like could cause them to cook out of anger, become careless in the kitchen, and in the end get seriously hurt.

If one of your children shows enthusiasm when you ask him to help bake a cake, stir up a batch of cookies, or knead dough but enters the kitchen kicking and screaming at the mention of helping you cook meat or a side-dish, don’t force him to cook the meal—not yet anyway. Sometimes, children need to start off doing what they love in the kitchen and then graduate into cooking other food items. If you push too hard, you could turn your child off of cooking forever.

About the Author:
Alyice Edrich is the editor of a national publication for BUSY parents which hosts wonderful recipes. Subscribe to her free e-newsletter at http://thedabblingmum.com/joinezine.htm to win a free book!

Puppy Shape Bun Sandwiches

These are the most fun for kids lunches. Puppy shape sandwich buns.

Kid Fun Meals.  Grannies Kitchen Favorite.  Puppy Shape Bun Sandwiches

Minty-Watermelon Cucumber Salad Recipe

 

A cool and refreshing twist for summer meals,

Capturing fantastic flavors of summer, this refreshing, beautiful salad will be the talk of any picnic or potluck.

This recipe is:Healthy, Quick, Diabetic Friendly.

Prep/Total Time: 20 min.

Yield: 16 Servings

Ingredients

• 8 cups cubed seedless watermelon
• 2 medium English cucumbers, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup minced fresh mint
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the watermelon, cucumbers, onions and mint. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over watermelon mixture; toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Yield: 16 servings (3/4 cup each).

Nutritional Facts 3/4 cup equals 60 calories, 3 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 78 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 fruit, 1/2 fat.

Grannies Kitchen Favorite

  Minty-Watermelon Cumber Salad Recipe

Tarragon Corn on the Cob Recipe

Nothing says summer like the fresh flavor of grilled corn, and these ears show them off at their best. Brandy Jenkins — Greenwood, Mississippi
Thanks Brandy for sharing.

This recipe is:

Quick, Refreshing Summer Meals

Prep/Total Time: 20 min.

Yield: 4 Servings

10 10

Ingredients

• 4 large ears sweet corn, husks removed
• 4 tarragon sprigs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 4 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

Directions

• Place each ear of corn with a tarragon sprig on a 14-in. x 12-in. piece of heavy-duty foil. Fold foil over corn and seal tightly. Grill corn, covered, over medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally.
• In a small bowl, combine the butter, soy sauce and minced tarragon. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape; brush corn with butter mixture. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1 ear of corn equals 261 calories, 17 g fat (10 g saturated fat), 40 mg cholesterol, 331 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 5 g protein.

Tarragon Corn on the Cob Recipe

Upcycle Kids Toys

Great ideas to upcycle a pieace of furniture to a kids toy.

Green Tickles: Kiwi Pineapple Popsicles

Gazing out the window on a hot summer day, I find myself longing for a tropical island paradise surrounded by crystal clear turquoise waters. Palm trees, tropical fruit, paradise....

Just then I look out my window and watch the shadows of yet another heatwave pass by, in this hellacious desert. I developed this tropical inspired ice pop as my own mini get away. On those long hot summer days, while my Munchkin is napping, I lay on my love seat and enjoy this unbelievable frozen treat. Just the soothing sounds of a clicking ceiling fan as I savor every moment and allow myself to be swept away to my own little paradise. If only for just a moment.

Kiwi and pineapple combine in a sweet and tart ice pop. My mom is a huge fan! She really loves these popsicles. Munchkin is really enamored with them, she calls them her "Green Tickles". Which completely tickles me.

Enjoy them, I know you will!

Kiwi Pineapple Popsicles
makes approximately 10 - 4 ounce popsicles

1 whole pineapple, (peeled, cored and chopped)
2 tablespoons clover honey
6 ripe kiwi, (peeled and sliced) reserve 10 kiwi slices

Combine pineapple chunks, honey and kiwi (except 10 slices of reserved kiwi) in a blender and process until you have a smooth mixture. If you prefer a chunky consistency, pulse until you reach the perfect consistency.

Add 1 kiwi slice to the bottom of each popsicle mold. Tip mold to side (to allow kiwi to stay on side) then pour mixture in molds, cover with aluminum foil and add popsicle sticks. Freeze according to manufacturers instructions. I prefer to freeze 12-24 hours.

Run under warm water to loosen popsicle. Serve and enjoy.

1-2-3 Blackberry Sherbet Recipe

Grannies Kitchen Favorite

My mom gave me this recipe, which was a favorite when I was young.

This recipe is: Quick

Prep: 10 min. + freezing

Yield: 8 Servings



Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups buttermilk

Directions

• In a food processor, combine blackberries and sugar; cover and process until smooth. Strain and discard seeds and pulp. Stir in buttermilk.
• Transfer puree to a 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Freeze for 1 hour or until edges begin to firm. Stir and return to freezer. Freeze 2 hours longer or until firm.
• Just before serving, transfer to a food processor; cover and process for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Yield: 1 quart.

Nutritional Facts 1/2 cup equals 249 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 65 mg sodium, 60 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Grannies Kitchen Favorite