A friend of mine, Stephen, came by today and made the BEST meal for our family! It was fast & easy-but the best part-SOOOO GOOD!! AND for the mess hall-this recipe can be multiplied unlimited!
STEVEORITOS :)
FRY: 1# Bison Burger or Beef Burger (drain if needed)
Add and Warm Through: 1 pt of salsa non-chunky (hot,med.or, mild)
1 can of Ranch Style Beans with Jalapeno
Sprinkle tortilla with shredded cheddar cheese; microwave for a few seconds to melt. Smear a spoonful of sour cream or yogurt on tortilla & add a few spoonfuls of meat mixture.
SAPORIFIC!!!
Now THAT'SA TASTY MEAL!
You can do it just right too!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Open Your Home
No matter if you "feel" adequate or not, have someone in this week. Offer baloney sandwiches and lemonade if you have to! ask a friend who doesn't care, and build a memory that you both will cherish. The food will probably be forgotten- but your hospitality will lodge in their heart forever.. Keep it Simple!
It's your Hall! Make your Mess, and your friend will be blessed!
Lemon-Limeade:
A refreshing summer sparkler for even the hottest days. Needed:
7 Lemons
7 Limes
1 c Sugar
Seltzer
Combine:
1 c sugar
1c water
bring to SIMMER while stirring (in small saucepan)until sugar is dissolved
Peel:
6 strips off a lemon
6 strips off a lime
Slice in circles:
1 lemon
1 lime
Squeeze:
lemons to get 3/4 c juice
limes to get 1/2 c juice...reserve them
ADD:
lemon and lime peels PLUS 1 c water to the saucepan; let sit 2 min
Transfer to a picture along with reserved juices, and slices
ADD:
1 c. Seltzer
Chill & Serve in Ice-filled glasses
It's your Hall! Make your Mess, and your friend will be blessed!
Lemon-Limeade:
A refreshing summer sparkler for even the hottest days. Needed:
7 Lemons
7 Limes
1 c Sugar
Seltzer
Combine:
1 c sugar
1c water
bring to SIMMER while stirring (in small saucepan)until sugar is dissolved
Peel:
6 strips off a lemon
6 strips off a lime
Slice in circles:
1 lemon
1 lime
Squeeze:
lemons to get 3/4 c juice
limes to get 1/2 c juice...reserve them
ADD:
lemon and lime peels PLUS 1 c water to the saucepan; let sit 2 min
Transfer to a picture along with reserved juices, and slices
ADD:
1 c. Seltzer
Chill & Serve in Ice-filled glasses
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Dog Food
Recently, my daughter's bull dog had two mishaps-with one requiring surgery. Both times, the vets told us to make him table food and do NOT feed him any kind of dog food during his healing process; and to eventually get him back on dog food but a little mixed with table food every day.
"Why?"But we thought that table food is forbidden! (even though we never listened to that, and have always given our large outdoor dogs left-overs just like grandma did).
The Vet explained that, table food is much easier to digest, and more nourishing than dog food. We were to make sure that it was full of protein (unlike many dog foods) such as, eggs; cottage cheese; and meat mixed with vegetables. Now, why didn't I go to vet school?
DUH!
I didn't have the heart to tell them that I had already knew that, and that I did plan to do it. You see, I have always had large outdoor dogs. Since they eat so much dog food, I have always purchased cheap dog food for them, and then fed them nourishing table food and leftovers. The only large dog that has passed away on us was 17 years old and way beyond old-age (119 years old in people-years!).
So, what am I getting at? what does this have to do with cooking for your family? EVERYTHING.
If you feed junk food to your family, as do way too many American households, and then you turn and feed that table food to your dog, then your children will not be healthy, and your dog will die.
Animal advocates do not trust us to know the difference between healthy and unhealthy because Americans have proven that we are a but confused about the subject.
Healthy food has never killed anyone.
Nor has it killed a dog!
Junk food, has and is killing people, and dogs, every day.
"Why?"But we thought that table food is forbidden! (even though we never listened to that, and have always given our large outdoor dogs left-overs just like grandma did).
The Vet explained that, table food is much easier to digest, and more nourishing than dog food. We were to make sure that it was full of protein (unlike many dog foods) such as, eggs; cottage cheese; and meat mixed with vegetables. Now, why didn't I go to vet school?
DUH!
I didn't have the heart to tell them that I had already knew that, and that I did plan to do it. You see, I have always had large outdoor dogs. Since they eat so much dog food, I have always purchased cheap dog food for them, and then fed them nourishing table food and leftovers. The only large dog that has passed away on us was 17 years old and way beyond old-age (119 years old in people-years!).
So, what am I getting at? what does this have to do with cooking for your family? EVERYTHING.
If you feed junk food to your family, as do way too many American households, and then you turn and feed that table food to your dog, then your children will not be healthy, and your dog will die.
Animal advocates do not trust us to know the difference between healthy and unhealthy because Americans have proven that we are a but confused about the subject.
Healthy food has never killed anyone.
Nor has it killed a dog!
Junk food, has and is killing people, and dogs, every day.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Cool Blog Discovery
What have we been doing the last 3 months? Living without internet, working to pay the bills, and researching for our 'Mess Hall Chef' cookbook...
Mercy ME can our plate have one more thing on it? Can our cup runneth over any more than that?
While "mess"ing around on the internet, we stumbled upon a really cool site-and this blog really could use your input for good summer recipes for kids...
http://largerfamilies.com/wordpress/?p=116#comment-753
Larger Families (More dishes, more kises, more laundry, more laughter) is a very busy blog written by very busy Mommies: http://largerfamilies.com/meetbloggers
Check them out, be encouraged and contribute your input!
The Mess Hall Queen
Mercy ME can our plate have one more thing on it? Can our cup runneth over any more than that?
While "mess"ing around on the internet, we stumbled upon a really cool site-and this blog really could use your input for good summer recipes for kids...
http://largerfamilies.com/wordpress/?p=116#comment-753
Larger Families (More dishes, more kises, more laundry, more laughter) is a very busy blog written by very busy Mommies: http://largerfamilies.com/meetbloggers
Check them out, be encouraged and contribute your input!
The Mess Hall Queen
Saturday, January 31, 2009
A Modern Mess Hall
Mess hall dining dates back to the beginning of time when everyone gathered around a fire to eat the latest kill.
Today however, we have buildings and organizations that house the hall that the mess is made in: Soup Kitchens are charitable mess halls, there are restaurants serve mess hall style, colleges, schools and some corporations make use of large eating areas called, "cafeterias" and, of course, the Military is all-famous for the mess hall life.
Although in many of the examples above the focus is to, "get the job done", there are some who work at making the dining experience fantastic in a mess hall setting. So take heart, you can do it at home as well.
My favorite example of a traditional style mess hall diner which boasts hospitality and menu variety is, 'The Mess Hall', located in Springdale Township in Pittsburgh, PA. Their grand opening was, of course, Veteran's Day, 2006. Following is an excerpt from the debut article written by, Rebecca Killian for the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:
Today however, we have buildings and organizations that house the hall that the mess is made in: Soup Kitchens are charitable mess halls, there are restaurants serve mess hall style, colleges, schools and some corporations make use of large eating areas called, "cafeterias" and, of course, the Military is all-famous for the mess hall life.
Although in many of the examples above the focus is to, "get the job done", there are some who work at making the dining experience fantastic in a mess hall setting. So take heart, you can do it at home as well.
My favorite example of a traditional style mess hall diner which boasts hospitality and menu variety is, 'The Mess Hall', located in Springdale Township in Pittsburgh, PA. Their grand opening was, of course, Veteran's Day, 2006. Following is an excerpt from the debut article written by, Rebecca Killian for the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:
When a restaurant is called The Mess Hall, one might expect the items offered to be bland and uniform in military-like fashion. That's not the case. Each item the Lunch Bunch tried went beyond the call of duty.
Owner Sam Lane, who was in the military for 22 years and was a cook in the Army's mess hall for 17 of those years, fulfilled a lifelong dream when he opened his restaurant. He says the military ate well while he cooked for the troops and he takes the same pride in offering good quality and service to his customers.
The mess hall is decorated military-style, with stars in the wainscot and camo and Army jeeps in a wallpaper border. Even the servers and cooks wear flag-oriented clothing or their camo fatigues...
[examples from the menu]
Homemade soups are available, with different varieties featured every day. We sampled the Uncle Sam's Potato Soup ($2) and found it to be pretty much how we make the soup -- a thick, creamy base with a hint of onion and celery and chunks of potato. We also had the Southwestern Soup ($2), which was a tasty version of chili with kernels of corn mixed in. This would make a meal in itself.
The signature meal -- served for breakfast or lunch -- is the infamous S.O.S. Special ($3.95). You have to be in the military to know what it stands for (hint: It's not the signal for help), but hey, this is good stuff. It's ground beef (Lane says he uses only Black Angus beef) mixed with a mushroom sauce, spices and Worcestershire sauce...
Who would expect to see Crab Cakes ($6.95) in a mess hall? This lunch special included two thick crab cakes that were moist, tasty and lightly fried to a golden brown...
The Unkempt Joseph (more commonly known as Sloppy Joe) ($4) was another great lunch choice. A large, fresh bun is overloaded with a tasty, homemade concoction of ground beef, chunks of green pepper and a delicious sauce. Although Sloppy Joes are supposed to be sloppy, this one didn't soak through the bun and make a mess of things...
Appropriately, the Mess Hall celebrates its grand opening this Saturday -- Veteran's Day, of course.
Compiled by Rebecca Killian. Meals are paid for by the Valley News Dispatch and are unrelated to advertising. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_478944.html
So, you see...you, too can make a mess of your kitchen and do it in style!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Gone Are the Days...
Many of us grew up in the day where every dinner was a, "sit down dinner". Ah! those were the days. However, since then, things have changed, but there is no need to despair.
These days, evenings are full of hassles. Kids have more homework than ever. Dads work later than ever, moms work too. No one is around the kitchen at the same time, seven nights a week.
When did we go from evening dinners around the table to, dining in a mess hall?
Our kitchen turned into a messhall when I gave birth to five babies in four years (yes, two toddlers, twins, a baby) and then a sixth baby in the fifth year. I had four babies in diapers for two years straight. Planned? sort of; but not really. No more than when a mom who chooses a nice career that works with the family, then soon finds herself working overtime six nights a week to keep the career. No one says, "Why did you work in the first place?", but everyone asks, "Why did you have so many kids?".
Things change.
Don't feel like you are failing your family just because it is 'each man for himself' at dinner time. Just make sure dinner is nourishing and don't serve junk.
Instead of getting frustrated because you had other plans for family dinners when you first started a family, try to make a dining experience of the mess, instead of forcing the mess into a dinning experience! I'll tell you how...
These days, evenings are full of hassles. Kids have more homework than ever. Dads work later than ever, moms work too. No one is around the kitchen at the same time, seven nights a week.
When did we go from evening dinners around the table to, dining in a mess hall?
Our kitchen turned into a messhall when I gave birth to five babies in four years (yes, two toddlers, twins, a baby) and then a sixth baby in the fifth year. I had four babies in diapers for two years straight. Planned? sort of; but not really. No more than when a mom who chooses a nice career that works with the family, then soon finds herself working overtime six nights a week to keep the career. No one says, "Why did you work in the first place?", but everyone asks, "Why did you have so many kids?".
Things change.
Don't feel like you are failing your family just because it is 'each man for himself' at dinner time. Just make sure dinner is nourishing and don't serve junk.
Instead of getting frustrated because you had other plans for family dinners when you first started a family, try to make a dining experience of the mess, instead of forcing the mess into a dinning experience! I'll tell you how...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
When Mess Hall Becomes Mobile
Home-bagged nutrition is a treasure, and many times will earn the envy of friends and co-workers. I have packed thousands of lunches in the 27 years that I have been bringing up children.
If you cringe at the thought of putting time into a nutritional meal only to find out later that it was dumped into a trash can, take heart. There are some solutions.
Keep in mind, that packed lunches are not just for school. We take a cooler with meals lots of places, while running errands (to avoid fast-food because surely everyone is "starving" before we make it home); when visiting friends; to the parks; and even out into our own back yard for family-fun times.
I always pack a couple of extra things to share, as strays usually show up, wide-eyed and "starving".
***I Always keep 5-6 frozen ice-packs (small and large blocks) in the freezer at all times.
Twenty years ago, trial and error was my mentor-but these days, we have so many ways to get great ideas. From cooking shows to the internet.
***It is important to schedule yourself a few hours a month to sit down and write some lists. The most frustrating part of any meal is, the lack of a good plan. Keep a single notebook JUST for meal planning. Make special notes when a particular meal or item is a disaster. Get a notebook today and make notes beginning with this article.
I won't list recipe ideas here, as there are just too many, but my favorite sites are:
allrecipes.com; about.com; familyfun.com; kidsnacks.com. Just type in their search bars, "lunch box ideas".
For the single dad or bachelor, check out:
http://www.bachelorsalad.com/articles/ten_quick_ea sy_recipes_for_the_lunch_box.html
And if you avoid meat: http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/
When you do an internet search using a tool such as Google.com, use the 'cached' link (located just under on each option title); this will highlight the exact words that you typed in the original search bar and make it easier to find what you are looking for within blogs. Do not forget to scroll down the options and click 10, 20, and 100 or more articles into your search. Many times great ideas come from a little deeper digging than just front-page news.
Whether it is for just you, or everyone else, a packed-with-love lunch will surely be something to really look forward to during the work or school day. Nutrition will just be the highlight, because while you are at it, don't forget to add some love by dropping in an encouraging note, a small token, or a special treat every now and then. Kids love to find a dollar bill tucked inside a lunch box, and I love to find an affirmation or scripture that I forgot about during the morning rush. If you use brown bags, stick them in every 3-5 bags and then forget about them-until you find one. I write on the front of the brown bag for my children-or draw smiley faces and hearts.
Pack your lunches at night; or pack everything but the sandwich if you are using soggy ingredients. Sometimes, I spread the meat with mayo or mustard, and put it in a separate baggy with the tomato, lettuce, cheese; the bread goes alone until it is assembled. These days, you can purchase sandwich boxes with separators for the soggies. Tupperware is a good place to find them.
Over time, you will find sandwiches that can be frozen, only to become perfectly thawed and delicious by lunch time. Make your spreads, dips, salads on Sunday afternoon or evening.
Since unhealthy chemical-laden foods are all the rage these days I don't fret to much about using mayo or sandwich spreads; skipping the Twinkies and soda-more than make room for the use of them.
If your family is used to unhealthy meals for every meal, then you probably will not be able to start with a healthy and nutritional packed-lunch. Although I would not suggest using the 'brown bag' to attempt to correct over-all poor eating habits, it could be possible to use sack lunches to introduce one good thing at a time. The whole lunch doesn't have to be healthy at first. The fact that you are even reading this far down this post means that you have it in you to be creative and try new things. I would suggest that you first revise your entire meal planning outside of "the box"; and in the meantime, add healthy snacks and meals right along side the food that needs to go. Sliced apples and cheese can be packed right beside chips. How about serving some new 'lunch-box' foods as after-school snacks? Ask for feedback. Let your family know that you want to know what NOT to pack.
A great place to get ideas about changing unhealthy eating habits is:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/tc/healthy-eating-for-children-changing-your-familys-eating-habits
OR:
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/body/foodsmarts/artic le8.html
Home-bagged nutrition truly is a treasure, especially when we take time to make it the best it can be.
If you cringe at the thought of putting time into a nutritional meal only to find out later that it was dumped into a trash can, take heart. There are some solutions.
Keep in mind, that packed lunches are not just for school. We take a cooler with meals lots of places, while running errands (to avoid fast-food because surely everyone is "starving" before we make it home); when visiting friends; to the parks; and even out into our own back yard for family-fun times.
I always pack a couple of extra things to share, as strays usually show up, wide-eyed and "starving".
***I Always keep 5-6 frozen ice-packs (small and large blocks) in the freezer at all times.
Twenty years ago, trial and error was my mentor-but these days, we have so many ways to get great ideas. From cooking shows to the internet.
***It is important to schedule yourself a few hours a month to sit down and write some lists. The most frustrating part of any meal is, the lack of a good plan. Keep a single notebook JUST for meal planning. Make special notes when a particular meal or item is a disaster. Get a notebook today and make notes beginning with this article.
I won't list recipe ideas here, as there are just too many, but my favorite sites are:
allrecipes.com; about.com; familyfun.com; kidsnacks.com. Just type in their search bars, "lunch box ideas".
For the single dad or bachelor, check out:
http://www.bachelorsalad.com/articles/ten_quick_ea sy_recipes_for_the_lunch_box.html
And if you avoid meat: http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/
When you do an internet search using a tool such as Google.com, use the 'cached' link (located just under on each option title); this will highlight the exact words that you typed in the original search bar and make it easier to find what you are looking for within blogs. Do not forget to scroll down the options and click 10, 20, and 100 or more articles into your search. Many times great ideas come from a little deeper digging than just front-page news.
Whether it is for just you, or everyone else, a packed-with-love lunch will surely be something to really look forward to during the work or school day. Nutrition will just be the highlight, because while you are at it, don't forget to add some love by dropping in an encouraging note, a small token, or a special treat every now and then. Kids love to find a dollar bill tucked inside a lunch box, and I love to find an affirmation or scripture that I forgot about during the morning rush. If you use brown bags, stick them in every 3-5 bags and then forget about them-until you find one. I write on the front of the brown bag for my children-or draw smiley faces and hearts.
Pack your lunches at night; or pack everything but the sandwich if you are using soggy ingredients. Sometimes, I spread the meat with mayo or mustard, and put it in a separate baggy with the tomato, lettuce, cheese; the bread goes alone until it is assembled. These days, you can purchase sandwich boxes with separators for the soggies. Tupperware is a good place to find them.
Over time, you will find sandwiches that can be frozen, only to become perfectly thawed and delicious by lunch time. Make your spreads, dips, salads on Sunday afternoon or evening.
Since unhealthy chemical-laden foods are all the rage these days I don't fret to much about using mayo or sandwich spreads; skipping the Twinkies and soda-more than make room for the use of them.
If your family is used to unhealthy meals for every meal, then you probably will not be able to start with a healthy and nutritional packed-lunch. Although I would not suggest using the 'brown bag' to attempt to correct over-all poor eating habits, it could be possible to use sack lunches to introduce one good thing at a time. The whole lunch doesn't have to be healthy at first. The fact that you are even reading this far down this post means that you have it in you to be creative and try new things. I would suggest that you first revise your entire meal planning outside of "the box"; and in the meantime, add healthy snacks and meals right along side the food that needs to go. Sliced apples and cheese can be packed right beside chips. How about serving some new 'lunch-box' foods as after-school snacks? Ask for feedback. Let your family know that you want to know what NOT to pack.
A great place to get ideas about changing unhealthy eating habits is:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/tc/healthy-eating-for-children-changing-your-familys-eating-habits
OR:
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/body/foodsmarts/artic le8.html
Home-bagged nutrition truly is a treasure, especially when we take time to make it the best it can be.
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