mpm: week of September 13th

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MONDAY

b:  cold cereal :: orange juice

l:   pasta with garlic and parmesan :: peas :: apples

d:  pesto-chicken italiano

snacks & treats:  popcorn :: watermelon slushies

TUESDAY

b:  steel-cut oats with apples & pecans

l:   pb & honey sandwiches :: carrot sticks with ranch

d:  BBQ chicken salad

snacks & treats:  apples and cheese

WEDNESDAY

b:  cold cereal & almond milk

l:   apples :: carrots :: cheese :: pretzels

d:  eat out

snacks & treats: watermelon slushies :: popcorn

THURSDAY

b:  cold cereal :: almond milk

l:   spring mix salad with garden vegies :: bananas

d:  cool taco salad

snacks & treats:  crackers :: laughing cow cheese

FRIDAY

b:  cold cereal :: almond milk

l:   avocado on toast :: mixed fruit

d:  pizza night :: raw vegies :: ranch dip

snacks & treats:  apples :: peanut butter

SATURDAY

b:  cold cereal :: almond milk

l:   tamales from the farmer's market :: salsa :: apple slices

d:  leftovers

snacks & treats:  Oatmeal Squares cereal :: bananas

SUNDAY

b:  cold cereal :: milk

l:   pb & apricot jam sandwiches :: vegie chips :: orange juice

d:  fajitas

snacks & treats:  cheesecake :: yogurt :: granola

arancini: italian rice balls

Annabel Karmel writes some of my very most favorite children's cookbooks. I have made so many yummy recipes from her books and she inspires me to use my own creativity and ideas for recipes and ways of feeding my family.

These rice balls are from her book, Cook It Together. The reason they are so great? The whole family likes these, they can be put in bentos, and for some reason, making these somehow makes me feel as though I am  one with the Italian side of the family. They would be so proud.

I usually double or triple this recipe.

1 tsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. diced onion

1/3 cup risotto rice

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

3 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

5 1/2 oz. mozarella, cut into 5 x 3/4 inch cubes

2 Tbsp. breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt

oil, for frying

1.  Heat the oil. Cook the onion. Add rice and stock. Simmer for 25 minutes until cooked, stirring often. Add 2 Tbsp. Parmesan, salt and pepper.

2.  Cool then refrigerate the rice for 3 hours or until firm. Then break it up, divide it into 5 portions, and squash into balls.

3.  Make a hole in each ball and push in a piece of cheese. Squish the rice around the cheese.

4.  Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining Parmesan. Dip the rice balls into the egg.

5.  Roll the rice balls in the breadcrumb mixture.

6.  When the balls are completely coated, fry them in oil for 5 minutes or until golden.

Serve with your favorite tomato sauce. Or eat them like us! Plain.

baked brie with pepper jelly

First, get your wheel of brie. This one is from Costco and it's prety big. Just over 19 oz.

Plop it into an oven safe dish.

We love pepper jelly. Not just any ole pepper jelly however. Our favorite is an Oregon company called Rose City Pepperheads. We have been known to order a few from time to time. Our favorite is Apricot With Attitude. We have however found a couple of good substitutes at our local farmer's market since.

What you do next: Bake your brie in an oven safe dish without anything on it. Do not remove the rind. You will bake it at 500 degrees for about 7 minutes, or until Brie is soft.

When you remove it from the oven, you will pour your favorite jam or jelly over the top of your Brie. Another yummy way is cranberry sauce. I have a recipe for another version that I will share at a later time.

Yum. The inside will be nice and melty. It is best served pretty much immediately. This wheel serves a lot of people. So if you want to have it for a smaller crowd or just 2 of you, get a small Brie wheel. This is great served with apples, pears, fancy crackers, etc. You can also make your own pepper jelly. This recipe is delicious!