Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The Boys of Fall....and the Mom that cooks for them

It's the fall and we live in the South...

Football is here.

I'm a die-hard Aggie, but I have to admit that I secretly love to watch high school football more than college these days.

Maybe it is because they still love the game for what it is, not what it can give back to them. Maybe it is because I love the sense of community that resonates on a Friday night under those lights. Especially is small towns were a few of the cheerleaders come late to the game because their volleyball game ran late and then one of those same girls then leads the band at half time as their drum major.

Small town USA, nothing like it.

This fall our boys are playing tackle football for the very first time. I know some are gasping at the sheer idea of an 8 year old and a 10 year old strapping on pads and going to town.

I know...I. Was. That. Girl.

But here we are, 4 weeks deep and so far, so good.

What I thought to be major hurdles have been small and the boys are hanging tough.

Their momma has never done more laundry in her life. Thank goodness my man saw fit to bless me with a new washer and dryer for Mother's Day last Spring.

But an area that I'm still weeding through is the dinner situation.

A sweet friend of mine walked this road ahead of me and gave great advice regarding the feeding of the boys of fall. Her idea was to feed them dinner right after school, before practice, and then snack 'em after.

With the heat, I haven't been able to try that yet for fear of dinner not being a blessing the 2nd time around, if you know what I mean.

So today I bring you several recipes from my trusty crockpot. She does all the work for me while I sit in my folded chair and watch my boys do up-downs, run inclines and learn how to shoot the gap and trust their blockers.


Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves -- uncooked
15 ounce can black beans
15 ounce can yellow corn
16 ounces salsa
8 ounces fat-free cream cheese -- Kraft Philadelphia Brand preferred

Put frozen chicken breasts in crockpot. Cover them with a can of drained black beans, can of drained corn and jar of salsa. Cook on high 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked. Place block of cream cheese on top and cook for additional 1/2 hour.

*Serving options: shred chicken and serve over chips, top with guacamole

Peking Pork Chops

6 pork chops about 1" thick
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1-2 cloves garlic-mashed
salt and pepper to taste

Put pork chops in crock pot- mix other stuff together and pour over chops. Cook on low 4-6 hours or until tender. Serve w/ rice, or chinese noodles.

Slow-Cooker BBQ Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts (can be frozen)
2 C ketchup
4 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Mix all ingredients (except chicken) in crock-pot. Add the chicken, coating each piece in sauce. Cook on high 4 hours. Remove chicken and
shred/pull with forks. Return to pot and stir in sauce to coat. Serve on buns.

**leftovers can be frozen and re-heated for sandwiches, a topping for baked potates or used to make BBQ chicken pizza (put on a pizza crust, top with favorite cheeses, onions, etc.) BBQ chicken burritos also work nicely (put on tortillas, add refried beans, cheeses, etc.)


And finally, I leave you with a great new song by Kenny Chesney. The video has commentary from various coaches and clips from all types of football. Overlook the teensy word spoken right before the song begins. I looked and looked for a version without it...

Monday, August 9, 2010

Chilly Milly's Snow Cones

Summertime is making plans to pack her bags and leave us in 2 weeks.

Dern.

I almost feel like she already has one foot out the door as football practice begins tonight and hence begins my what-to-do-for-dinner-when-dinner-is-at-8pm situation. But that is a post for another day.

Although Cypress is saturated with ice cream shops and wine bars, you do not see many snow cone options.

Chilly Milly's has come to town!

She has a little red trailer at the corner of Grant and N. Eldridge and she boasts of New Orleans Style snow cones. We caught her right at closing time yesterday and will most certainly find ourselves holding onto summer a bit longer by visiting her again in the coming weeks.

Give her a try!

She is open 1 pm- 7 pm Tuesday - Saturday and 12pm - 5 pm on Sundays.

Chilly Milly's Snow Cones
13750 N. Eldridge
Cypress, TX 77429

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Happy Birthday Whataburger!

If you know me well, you know my youngest loves him some ketchup. We were thrilled to find a shirt on a recent vacation that summed him up...it says "I put ketchup on my ketchup".

True dat

And there is no better ketchup in all the land that rivals the ketchup at Whataburger. I am talking taste and the cute little tubs. You know the ones that you just rip the top off and have instant dipping potential instead of having to open endless packets to yield 1 measly teaspoon of ketchup.

Tell me I am not alone here.

So, anyhoo....today from 5-8pm, if you show up at any Whataburger wearing orange, you will be greatly rewarded with a whataburger in celebration of their 60th birthday.

And do not forget to stash some of that yummy ketchup in your purse for late.

Not saying I have ever done that...

Finally, a good reason for my oldest to wear that hideous burnt orange shirt he loves so dearly. Yes, he still loves the Horns.

Help us..