A Great Superbowl Treat Tip Sent in From Dine Without Whine Member Christina Hoskins.

For football cookies, I take a can from soup or canned veggies- whatever, and  bend (flatten it) into a football shape. That becomes my cookie cutter. I make sugar cookies, then frost them with chocolate frosting and use white piping to make the stripes on each end and the laces.

Pie Dough Recipe

1 3/4 C. All Purpose Flour
1/4 t. Salt
3 T. Sugar
1/2 C. Butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/2 C. Shortening
1/2 C. Ice-Cold Water

Chill all ingredients for at least 10 minutes before mixing. 
Mix flour, sugar and salt. 
Add butter and work mixture until ingredients form pea-size balls.
Slowly add water and continue to mix until dough forms into a ball.  (Do not overmix)
Cover in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour before rolling.
Roll, place in pie plate and prepare pie filling according to your pie recipe. 

Makes Two 9″ pie crusts.

Pie Crust Tips
- Refrigerate all ingredients prior to making the dough
-Use All Purpose Flour, Bread Flour has too much gluten to make a tender crust and Cake Flour is too soft. 
-Shortening produces the most tender crust.  You can use half butter if you prefer the flavor.
-All liquids should be ice cold
-To prevent a soggy crust, refrigerate for 15 minutes before filling or seal by brushing with slightly beat egg white.

Easy Kids Meals
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With dance practice,  basketball, cub scouts, and tae kwon do, who has time to cook a nourishing meal for the kids in the evening? You do!  You can have time if you prepare an easy to cook kids’ meal.

Of course it’s effortless to toss a hotdog in the microwave or place a tortilla in a skillet on top of the stove top, add some cheese and 90 seconds later have  a plain quesadilla, but what’s the joy in that?  Instead try Casseroles and one-pot dishes which in most cases go over well with the kids; and are effortless to whip together.

Try this simple meal:

1 – lb. ground beef
1 - 16 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 - cup water
1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 - cup shredded mozzarella cheese
 
Sprinkle beef in a 3-quart glass casserole and microwave for 4-5 minutes, or until beef is no longer pink. Mix & rotate halfway through cooking time. Drain Beef.  Mix in sauce, water and macaroni.  Microwave another 12 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Crumble mozzarella on top and allow to stand covered approximately 7 minutes before serving. Serves a couple starving kids.

There are tons of meals you can make with hamburger. Any recipe that asks for hamburger will work just perfect replaced with ground turkey, chicken or venison instead.  The easy recipe below uses ground meat.  It takes almost an hour to bake but merely a blink to prepare.

Combine together:

2 lbs. ground meat
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 can condensed mushroom soup
One bag of Crinkle Cut French Fries

Brown hamburger and strain the grease. Add both soups to drained hamburger and place in a 9 x 12 greased pan. Top with frozen crinkle cut French fries and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until French fries are light brown.

Taco salads are very quick and easy to prepare.  Begin with lettuce.  Add tomato, onion and cheese (if your kids will allow it.)  Fry up some hamburger and toss in a packet of taco seasoning – or just add some taco sauce to the meat.  Then add crushed tortilla chips or Fritos.  Top off with salsa or Ranch dressing.  Don’t forget the sour cream and guacamole if desired!  Kids love this meal!

For a quick, on the go, nutritious, cold meal you’ll need:

A head of lettuce (not pre-cut lettuce in a bag)
Ham or Roast Beef sliced meat
Cheese slices
Condiments

Step 1: Remove a medium lettuce leaf.
Step 2: Layer meat, cheese, and condiments. 
Step 3: Fold up and stick a toothpick in the center. 
Step 4: Enjoy. 
Step 5: Wipe your mouth, there’s a trace of mustard on your cheek.

What about an interesting twist to the standard macaroni and cheese kids recipe?

1 (16 ounce) package macaroni (elbow, seashell, bowtie – doesn’t matter, just not spaghetti)
1 c. cottage cheese
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Cook macaroni according to package instructions.
2. Stir in cottage cheese, sugar, and cinnamon with drained macaroni.
3. Nibble and add more sugar or cinnamon, if necessary.
4. Serve right away. Delicious!

Incorporate a bit of creativity to put a twist on a regular recipe and even with the chaotic after school activities you will find time to cook up a nutritious meal for your kids evening meal.

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Want More Quick & Easy Kid Approved Recipes?  Visit  http://www.kidapprovedmeals.com

Here is an excellent free e-book entitled “New Year, New You:  Make a Naturally Healthy Start“.  Susanne Myers, my partner with Healthy Menu Mailer has written a couple of the sections within the book.  Enjoy!

I am not a coffee drinker (although I love the smell of flavored coffee brewing) but I know many of you are and I thought this article was interesting.  (even for the non-coffee drinker)

The history of coffee is hard to completely verify for accuracy, but the legend goes… a sheepherder realized the effects of coffee while tending his sheep. His sheep became very active when they ate a certain type of berry off a plant. He tried them himself, and felt the same effect. Rumor has it that a monk told him to be careful of the devil’s fruit. However, it is also rumored that the monks used the fruit to stay awake and pray.

Another wide spread legend claims an Arabian was banished to the desert. He boiled and ate an unknown plant. He was able to survive in the desert on the plant. The residents of a town close by felt the survival was a religious sign. The plant was then named Mocha, after that town.

Few people realize the coffee plant originally grew only in Ethiopia. They wrapped it in animal fat to eat while on raids. It was transported to Arabia, it grew, and they controlled the market of it. The Turks then were the first to drink it. They added cinnamon and  clove for a sweeter taste.

Coffee found its way to Europe via the Venetian trade merchants. Rumors of the taste of coffee began to surface all over. The Arab’s keep an even tighter grip on the coffee plants. Christian’s began claiming coffee was the devil’s drink, similar to the monk story above. Pope Vincent III decided to try it. He enjoyed it very much. After that, talk of banishing the drink went away.

Soon after, coffee houses were built all over Europe. They became a popular place to hang out and drink coffee. It was in the 1700’s that coffee traveled to America. A French infantry captain took a small plant with him. That plant was cultivated, resulting in over 19 million coffee trees within 50 years. Coffee was declared the national drink of the United States in a protest of the excessive taxes on tea from Britain.

Today, millions of people enjoy their coffee throughout the day. Coffee comes in many brands and many flavors. You can buy ground coffee or coffee beans at most any grocery store. There are also gourmet coffees to choose from. Businesses such as Starbuck’s Coffee are million dollar industries, offering you the convenience of coffee any way you want it.

So there you have it.  Go curl up and enjoy a hot mug of brew!