Cooking, codes, and ending child hunger

Since becoming a blogger ambassador for ConAgra Foods' Child Hunger Ends Here campaign, I've made a concentrated effort to purchase as many of the specially marked products that have a code that converts to a meal for food-insecure children when entered on the Child Hunger Ends Here website.

The product I've bought most of is the Hunt's Pasta Sauce. Next up would be the Hunt's Tomato Sauce. That's because I have recipes I've made for years and years that use exactly those items. But I was ready for something different this week, in terms of recipes and the specially marked products I was purchasing, so I set about searching for a new recipe that used something other than pasta sauce or tomato sauce.

Of course, my go-to spot for recipes anymore is Pinterest, so that's where I headed. I just so happened to find a ConAgra Foods Pinterest board with several recipes, many of which feature products included in the campaign. One using Manwich (a campaign product) struck my fancy. So I purchased my can of Manwich, entered the code, and made the following for dinner Tuesday night.

Savory Chicken and Pasta Skillet (recipe and photo courtesy ReadySetEat)

2 cups dry small penne pasta, uncooked (2 cups = about 8 oz)

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1 can (15.5 oz) Manwich® Original Sloppy Joe Sauce

1/2 cup water

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt. Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with garlic powder and pepper.

Spray large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken and onion; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add Sloppy Joe sauce and water; bring to a simmer and cook 3 minutes.

Add cooked pasta to skillet; stir to combine. Sprinkle with cheese.

(Makes six servings.)

The dish was fast, easy, and good. Next time I may add a handful of chopped fresh cilantro to give it even a little more zip—and just because I love cilantro and use it any chance I get.

Next time you're planning dinner, consider meals that include specially marked products from ConAgra for an easy way to join in the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign. Here are the products:

Before or after preparing your dish, be sure to visit www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com to enter the eight-digit code from the package. For each code entered, the equivalent of one meal—up to three million meals—will be donated to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity.

Then be sure to come back here and share your recipe with the rest of us. Together we can help end child hunger—and change up our recipe repertoires.

Disclosure: I have been compensated for my participation in the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign and all posts, tweets and updates related to the campaign.

Today's question:

Of the participating products above, which is your favorite? And which have you never tried? (I, personally, am a pretty huge fan of Orville Redenbacher, but I've tried all of them—far more often than I should probably admit.)

Ranking the holiday fare

Yay, it's two days til Thanksgiving! Because I'm lazy as <cuss> busy as all get out today and figured you'd be, too, I figured a simple Tuesday post would be best.

My simple plan? To rank the traditional holiday fare in order of what I enjoy most, then request that you all do the same. A simple, silly diversion of sorts. Are you game?

(Oh, and just for the record: The photo above of Baby Mac has absolutely nothing to do with this post. But he's so cute hugging his Papa Smurf that I couldn't resist sharing it.)

Here goes...

Thanksgiving fare traditionally on my table and how I rank my enjoyment of each (with 1 being most favorite of all):

1. real mashed potatoes with turkey gravy

2. stuffing (or dressing, if that's what you prefer to call it)

3. cold pumpkin pie with heaps o' whipped cream

4. turkey—light and dark for the meal, plus some skin; light with lots of salt and mayo on turkey sandwiches the day after

5. cherry pie...chocolate cream pie...and (maybe, as it's a new offering this year) caramel apple pie

6. cheesy corn casserole

7. deviled eggs

8. homemade rolls

9. green bean casserole

10. whole cranberry sauce

Did you notice the omission of sweet potatoes/yams? That's because I don't like them. At all.

Hungry yet? Not it's your turn...!

Today's question:

How would you rank your traditional Thanksgiving fare, in 1-10 order of what you love best?

Thanksgiving recipe swap

With Thanksgiving just one week away, I, like many, have food on the brain: What to make, what to buy, what to serve up to dazzle the guests.

Okay, the "dazzle" part is a bunch of hooey. At least for me. I'm not really looking to dazzle any of the family joining us on Turkey Day; I'm simply hoping to satisfy everyone's cravings for dishes tried and true. Which means I'll be serving up the basics, the goodies I've served up every Thanksgiving for countless years.

Which got me to thinking: Every family has certain foods that are tradition to their clan, often served up only on Thanksgiving. Today I want to discuss those here...including the swapping of the recipes for those so inclined.

So tell me: What dishes have a standing spot on your Thanksgiving table? Which are the family favorites? Which are your favorites? And which are on the table simply because they've always been there, always will be, regardless of the number of friends and family who actually eat them (I'm thinking specifically of cranberries...which I really do like and prefer whole over jellied).

I'll get the ball rolling by offering up a dish that has become tradition in my immediate family, a dish I first made 25 or so years ago and have served every Thanksgiving since, at least when I've been the one hosting the holiday meal. Megan now makes it for her Thankgsiving meals, which warms my heart to see one of my off-the-wall offerings on its way to becoming a recipe of Gramma's passed down through the generations.

The recipe likely once had an official name, but in my family it's known as Mom's Cheesy Corn Casserole. It's been posted in my Grandma's Recipe Box for quite some time, but I'd like to share it again here, for our just initiated (possibly to become annual) Grandma's Briefs Thanksgiving Recipe Swap:

Cheesy Corn Casserole

1 10-ounce package frozen corn, thawed and drained

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

6 slices white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1-2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (yes, 300). Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle half the corn in the bottom, then sprinkle with half the cheddar cheese, then half the Monterey jack cheese. Cover with half the bread cubes. Repeat all layers. Beat together eggs, milk, salt and pepper and pour over all layers, pressing down the bread to be sure it's all moistened. Dot with butter. Bake uncovered for 90 minutes, or until puffed and dark golden on top.

Makes 8 servings.

(For big gatherings, you can double this recipe, using a 9X13 dish. Photo above is a doubled recipe.)

There you have it: My one and only out-of-the-ordinary, traditional-in-our-house Thanksgiving dish. The rest of the Thanksgiving spread is pretty much what you'd expect...including cranberries, that may or may not get eaten but without which it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving.

Now it's your turn! Let the recipe swapping begin!

Today's question:

What dish is a family tradition on your Thanksgiving table? (Sharing of recipes encouraged and appreciated! If you have the recipe posted on your blog, feel free to include the link. And yes, pie and dessert recipes are welcome!)

Peas, pears, and you must be joking

Baby Mac, at just over five months, eats food now. Real food. Well, real baby food. Gramma—that's me—was fortunate to witness a recent feeding.

His fine dining experience started with peas:

They're not too bad, Gramma.

The second course featured the yummiest of yums, a.k.a. pears:

Oh, yeah.

These ... are ...... the BEST!Then Mom offered a finale of none other than—you guessed it—rice cereal:

You're joking, right?Um, I won't be swallowing this, Gramma.Seriously.Baby Mac did eventually swallow his rice cereal. Or, at least most of it.

Which is far better than his brother, Mr. Skinny Minny Boney Maroney Bubby, currently does with most of his food.

At this rate, the big brother title will soon belong to the younger of the two.

Today's question:

What food would you like to try for the very first time?

Asleep at the meal

Poor Bubby. Is this the side effect of overscheduling and trying to keep up with a Marathon Mommy?

Or maybe the result of unbearably boring dinner conversation?

Or could it be that Bubby is simply taking every opportunity he can to dream about the great fun he'll have when he visits Gramma and PawDad in just nine days?

I like to think it's the latter.

Today's question:

How overscheduled is this weekend for you?