"Zac Efron is a mark."  ??? In case you didn't know, "mark" is a new insult.  I'm thinking synonomous with nerd, loser, etc.  I hear the boys say the same thing about Justin Bieber.  Sure it has nothing to do with jealousy. ;)
So what does that have to do with "Cook on, Bro'!" you ask?  In Sunday's S.D. Union Tribune Parade Magazine I found a delicious, simple barbecue recipe offered up by Zac.  A few years back Cade was a huge fan of his, as he loved "High School Musical".  I thought, with it being a Zac Efron recipe, Cade might be more interested in preparing it.  Not so much.  When you're 11 "a few years ago" is long time and it's no longer cool to like HSM or Zac Efron.
Regardless, I was able to twist Cade's arm into giving me 10 min. to prepare the marinade for our tri tip steaks.  It was wonderful!  We all loved it which is rare in this house.

We served it with the Ranch-Style Beans and steamed broccoli, along with fresh watermelon.   Here's the link in case you don't get the paper.

http://www.dashrecipes.com/recipes/sunday-dinner/santa-maria-style-barbecue-zac-efron.html

Banana pudding Robert Irvine would be proud of!

From an 11 year old, anyway! Cade quickly pushed me out of the way to make the pudding entirely on his own. No recipe, just a minor change to the Jell-o instant (fat-free sugar-free) banana pudding box directions.

Cade's banana pudding

1 box jell-o banana pudding (we use fat/sugar free)

1 cup skim milk

1 small container cool whip lite

nilla wafers (as many as desired)

1 banana sliced

Mix pudding and 1 c (not 2 as instructed on box) milk. Fold in thawed cool whip. Layer

nilla wafers, banana in bottom and top with 1/2 of pudding/cool whip mix. Repeat layers.

Since Cade has seen just about every episode of Cake Boss, Sweet Genius, Restaurant Impossible and Chopped, he has become quite savvy in the kitchen. He even asked if we had raspberries for a colorful garnish! :) A scrumptious comfort dessert to follow Seth's meatloaf!

Meatloaf by Seth, a family pleasing recipe

"I don't want to make meatloaf, you do it. Cook on Bro' is stupid. You do 'Cook on mama'!" and so it went, & goes, most of the time it's Seth's turn to cook. The joys of my teen in the kitchen. "Can't I just make eggs?" Said after he'd eaten about 6 already yesterday. "No Seth, you can't." :)

Anyway, once he got going he did just fine. After all it took about 5 minutes with just a few ingredients to dump, mix and put in a loaf pan. Other than the pampered chef garlic press lesson that is. Seth was ready to throw the whole clove in!

"Ewww I don't want to mix that with my hands!" All the sudden he's Mr. Sanitary. So mom got a great idea; "Let's use some of Dad's McKesson surgical gloves!" As Seth was putting them on I started singing..."throw your hands in the air like you don't care...". His response?!? "How 'bout I throw a finger in the air..." We both had a good chuckle off that one. :) As much as he complains about our Cook on 'Bro experiment, Mike and I both see evidence that Seth in particular is becoming more and more confident and comfortable in the kitchen. Easy recipes like this one help for sure.

Yep, it's a food .com recipe, #47696. Simply titled "Meatloaf". Enjoy!

Indian flavors plus a whole lot of lessons!

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/indian_spiced_chicken_asparagus.html

As you may have noticed, many of the "Cook On, Bro!" recipes don't exactly scream "healthy eating". It is my goal to change that, at least most of the time. Surely recipes don't have to be fat laden and calorie loaded to be edible in the eyes of my guys. Fortunately today's recipe, prepared by Cade fits the bill.

He also learned A LOT! I'll keep it simple and make a list:

1. Cade learned what a "mortar and pestle" is and how to use it (not just banging the seeds like a hammer ;))

2. He identified GARLIC. (ok I was shocked he forgot what it was) and how to use the Pampered Chef garlic press. Shallots are next!

3. He improved his PC food chopper skills while crying over the onions.

4. skillet vs. pan? He knows now. dry vs. wet measuring cup? yep we reviewed that too.

5. He learned what fresh ginger looks like and found out first had it DOES NOT taste good by itself!

What cook on MA does NOT know, is what is a chile? a jalapeno? a serrano? Aren't those peppers? I couldn't find a "chile" as the recipe called for so we omitted it, and omitted some flavor with it too. :(

Over all it was a good recipe, & a great experience, though Cade did complain it was taking too long. With a little left over, now we need to find a yummy Indian wrap recipe for lunch!

One of MY all time favorites-Mexican Lasagna

Thanks to www.food.com (#17954 Mexican Lasagna) I was able to retrieve this gem of a recipe. It's been a few years since I made it and I had since misplaced my copy. I remember it going over well with all 4 of us, and that it was one of the few that also qualify as "light"(er than most) and healthy. As you can see from one of the photos, I can top it with all the veggies I want so it's a win-win for all.

Simple to follow and fun to assemble, it was great for Cade to prepare. Other than a few skillet sauce splatters (thankfully he had on a dark hoodie), it turned out terrific. He genuinely enjoyed layering the ingredients, browning the turkey, and going back for seconds! Got to throw in a math lesson or two as well, for example 7, 1/4 c servings in a can of sauce. Recipe asked for 1 1/2 cups. Will you have some left and how much? We need to work on our math skills....;)

Comfort food done easy! Chicken & Dumplings

Playing catch up for too many weeks of being the lone chef at the Madeira's! With Presidents' Day at hand, it was a perfect day for Seth to cook. He'd mentioned wanting to grill steaks but that requires advanced prep (if you want to make it really good!) with marinading, etc. and of course I didn't plan ahead. :( So I searched my favorite recipe site, www.food.com for recipes I thought he'd be willing to make on the fly. I came across recipe #50495 "Caroline's Quick Chicken and Dumplings". Ideal for a teenaged boy with simple, quick prep and few ingredients, none eliciting the standard "Ewww" response I'd get from 95% of the recipes I'D select! Even Pappy's delicious quesadilla recipe (soon to come) will require editing for my boys to eat them! Seems peppers & onions will only be consumed in the form of salsa (NOT chunky). So, Caroline's made the cut with not a single veggie.

Other than the fact that the biscuit pieces were a bit large and the chicken cut too small, it was a success. Seth saved the pot from boiling over as we were distracted by cutting biscuits. He's becoming quite adept at the different stove settings, at measuring, & following directions- which has never been one of Seth's strengths! ;)

We served it with a healthy spinach and strawberry salad to make up for what was lacking in the Chicken and Dumplings recipe.

NOT "mechanically separated" chicken fingers!

http://www.shape.com/dinner/comfort-food-healthy-chicken-fingers-mustard-dipping-sauce

Came upon this delicious looking, healthy recipe in a recent edition of Shape magazine. I KNEW all 4 of us would enjoy it! Seth's turn to make dinner so I encouraged him to try it. After "Eww! I hate mustard! Ewww! That much mayo? I hate mayo!" I finally got him to cooperate by reminding him that a lot of recipes include ingredients that separately we may not like, but then end result can be quite tasty.

Other than the fact that it was a bit involved; toasting the walnuts, making the sauce, toasting the panko crumbs, etc. it was a huge success and not a finger was left!

Regarding the title...recently a photo and accompanying article of processed chicken "goop" has been circulating on facebook. After reading the info. (though not 100% accurate) you may never want to order mcnuggets again! Another benefit of home-cooked food, you know just what is going in and how it got there!

Easy and delicious, but not cheap...

The ugly side of convenience, it often comes at a price as we discovered with Cade's next recipe, "One Pan Pasta with Creamy Shrimp and Pesto Sauce". Cade discovered pesto at a friend's house and realized just how good it is! Though I'd cooked with pesto in the past, it was green and therefore deemed "yucky". Funny how they'll try new things at friend's homes but not at their own. I didn't realize when Cade said a pesto recipe, he intended on making fresh pesto. So, I found an easy pesto recipe (#157860) on www.food.com.

It didn't occur to me, until I was loading the basket, that this would be a pricey meal, even for home cooked. For example: Buitoni Pesto Sauce-$5.99, Sundried tomatoes-$5.99, Barilla wheat penne- $2.49, frozen shrimp-$7.99, cream-$2.19= about $25 just for the entree! I did choose to buy the Barilla wheat pasta which costs more than regular but packs a lot more nutrition. I also bought fresh broccoli which I alone added to my dish. As I was shopping I realized my boys need to accompany me on a few of their dish creations to see first hand what food costs! We are fortunate not to have to nickel and dime every meal and since we rarely eat out, we know we are still saving quite a bit of money across the board.

Cade is not a fan of shrimp. I explained how this journey of preparing 52 meals could not be

chicken & dessert dishes and not a single vegetable. Van de Kamp's fish sticks don't count! So, with that said, he still learned about "deveining" shrimp though ours were conveniently done already. I also explained why, though I'm frugal and he knows it, was willing to spend extra for the healthier pasta.

Breakfast for dinner...again!

For Seth's next recipe, he chose "Pancakes". Better Homes & Gardens pg. 72 recipe to be specific.

It is the one I have made countless times, you'd think I'd have it memorized by now! I remembered to buy buttermilk as I know that is Seth's preferred version of the recipe. Since we are big pancake eaters, I always double the recipe and I reminded Seth to do the same. I was a bit nervous that he might forget to double one of the ingredients, but he seemed to do just fine.

That was until he realized that to make the buttermilk version you had to CHANGE the amounts of some of the ingredients, you couldn't just substitute buttermilk for regular. He improvised at my encouragement and just substituted some of the milk with buttermilk. The pancakes came out pretty good, not quite as fluffy as buttermilk, but you could definitely notice a flavor difference. He did a great job pouring and flipping the pancakes as well. While he mixed I made bacon for one of our sides. We also had some "cutie" mandarin oranges for good measure and to make up for the fact that there was not a single veggie on our plate!

Breakfast - It's what's for dinner!

Eggs. My boys LOVE eggs! Seth especially. Hard-boiled, fried, scrambled, in a burrito, you name it, they love them! So, I thought Seth would be delighted to make a Breakfast Casserole recipe I got from my dear friend Margo. Silly me, he is a teenager after all, and the stars must align for him to be "in the mood" to cook regardless of the recipe. So, Cade willingly volunteered to make it. There was no way I was going to let Seth eat another Costco Angus burger!

Cade was doubly thrilled to make "bumpy stuff" for dessert, (aka "Strawberry Delight") which comes from a fund-raiser cook book from our old neighborhood. An almost healthy dessert I might add, were it not for the cool whip! Not the most well-balanced meal I'll admit, but protein rich and tasty too. At least there were strawberries!

Breakfast Casserole (whenever possible we used "light" ingredients)

preheat oven 400-425 degrees, bake 30-40 min.

1 can crescent rolls

1 pkg little smokies

2 c grated cheese

3/4 c milk

6-8 eggs

pepper to taste

Spread crescent rolls on bottom of buttered or "pam-ed" 9x13 baking dish, making sure

all seams are sealed. Sprinkle rolls with sliced sausages followed by 1/2 the cheese. Combine

milk, eggs & pepper & mix well. Pour over sausage and cheese. Add remaining cheese. Bake as directed or until slightly browned and center set. Serve with picante if desired.

"Bumpy Stuff" -Strawberry Delight

1 (1 lb.) container of fat-free cottage cheese

1 (12 oz) cool whip light (NOT fat free)

1 (6 oz.) pkg sugar-free strawberry jello

2 lg. containers (16 oz) strawberries cut up

Combine cottage cheese, cool whip, jello, strawberries. Serve chilled & store in refrigerator.

* Photo reflects Cade's "delight" in licking the spoon after making Bumpy Stuff!

Chicken & Rice, a classic Nana recipe

I recall my mother making this one pan dish many times throughout my childhood. For some reason, hers always tasted better than what I could recreate. Through trial and error I realize two of the reasons why. For one, you can't expect to substitute good old-fashioned "Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup" with a healthy, lighter variety and expect the same yumminess. For two, I'd often not mix the soup with the rice & water well, in a separate bowl first, before adding it to the pan with the chicken. The result was crunchy chunks of rice. :(

Well, with my trial and error experience, Cade made a successful "Chicken and Rice" his very first time! Here's the recipe if you want to try it out too:

Chicken & Rice (tells you a lot doesn't it...;))

1 cup reg. rice uncooked

6-8 chix pieces (we used drumsticks and boneless chicken breasts)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can water

1 envelope of dry onion soup mix

paprika

Mix all ingredients and pour in a 9x13" pan. Lay chix pieces on top & spoon sauce on top. Cover with foil and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Sprinkle paprika lightly on top.

There is no shame in simple...

A simple holiday meal that is! When you're blogging about your boys' 104 cooking experiences, you can expect a few will be very basic. Thankfully we have "McCormick" and "Jiffy" (to name a few) to thank for our Christmas Eve spread.

I love short cuts. With McCormick dry chili seasoning mix and a few key ingredients, you can have a pot of tasty chili in no time. Cade prepared ours for Christmas Eve. We did substitute ground turkey for beef to make it a bit healthier. We doubled the recipe allowing another family to join us! All it takes is a few cans of chopped tomatoes/sauce, beans, and ground beef or turkey along with the seasoning packet. We also prepared"Jiffy" brand corn bread muffins to go with the chili, prepared by Seth. Again, a very easy but delicious means to homemade!

Mom (that would be me) made the Rice Crispie Treats. I figured we'd stay with the theme of "simple" throughout! ;) I also made a tossed salad to add some fresh veggies.