I have watched Sandra Lee on her Food Network Show Semi Homemade for years & I have couple of her books, but now she has a semi monthly magazine! I love it!

I have learned so many tricks of the trade from her short cut fabulous ideas.  She teaches women to make a big impression with out all the effort. I would recommend her to anyone that wants to entertain with out spending a fortune & a ton of time.

Check it out

http://www.semihomemade.com/

Ingredients
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. crushed black pepper

2tsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. poppy seeds
2 tsp. sesame seeds
3 Tbs. minced cilantro (optional)
4 flour tortillas
4 tsp. unsalted butter, softened
Directions
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spread each tortilla with 1 tsp. butter. Combine all seasonings minus the cilantro in a small bowl sprinkle evenly over tortillas. Place tortillas on a baking sheet bake until crisp, about 4-5 minutes, longer if they’re not crisp yet, but be careful they don’t burn. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot.

I declare that tonight is cook with your kids night! Go get messy & create something amazing, fun & tasty with your little chefs. You will be surprised what kids will eat when they make it themselves.

Then take a pic & post it here. Tell us about your fav cooking with kids moment!

Happy Cooking

There are three kinds of people in the world. There are those who hate vegetables, those who aren’t crazy about vegetables but have learned to like them because they were forced to eat them as kids and those who love vegetables and have always loved vegetables.

My best girlfriend’s husband is the first kind of person. He hates vegetables and makes no apologies for it. The only time I’ve ever seen him eat a vegetable is when it’s been cut into bite sized pieces and covered in a thick layer of Caesar salad dressing, bacon bits and croutons.

If we go out to dinner and a vegetable finds its way on to his plate because the chef had the audacity to put a vegetable side dish next to his steak or chicken, the veggies will be pushed aside by his fork and someone at the table will usually steal them off his plate.  (Ok, usually it’s me)

His lack of vegetable love was the subject of a conversation that my girlfriend and I had this week. She really wants him to start eating vegetables and wanted to know if I could recommend some delicious vegetable dishes. I’m the second type of person so I can relate to his aversion to vegetables but I learned to like them because not eating them was never an option in my house. My mother would cook vegetables everyday in some form or another and eventually I really did learn to love them. Later in life I realized that my mother’s skills with vegetable preparation are part of the reason why I love them so much.

Vegetables need a lot of love and attention when they’re being cooked. Leave some green beans on the stove too long and they will not be appetizing at all. This is the key to preparing most vegetables. Their flavors need to be encouraged by perfect cooking time and the right seasoning. Vegetables are only boring if you prepare them that way.

Thanks to my Mom, I have a lot of tasty veggie dishes in my culinary arsenal and Mushrooms with Zucchini and Lemon is one of my favorites. This is one of the recipes that I passed on to my girl and I hope you like it too.

Finishing this recipe with fresh lemon juice is what makes it pop.  It becomes bright and herbal yet hearty and healthy. Incidentally, I have also used the same method for green beans and zucchini and it was just as amazing.

You will need:
A frying pan or suttee pan

Ingredients

1 swirl or two of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons
2 cloves of garlic- finely chopped
2 medium zucchini-sliced
12-14 white mushrooms- sliced
1 tablespoon or dried oregano
Salt and pepper (about a ½ teaspoon each or to taste)
A few squeezes of fresh lemon juice- 3 or 4 tablespoons

How to do it

1.    Add the garlic to the oil while the pan is just starting to warm up. Let the garlic heat through and begin to sizzle
2.    When the garlic begins to release some scent, add the mushrooms and zucchini
3.    Stir fry the vegetables on medium heat
4.    Add the oregano and stir.
5.    Allow the mix to cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetable are tender. They should be cooked through but still in one piece.
6.    Add the salt and pepper.
7.    Add the lemon when the vegetables are done. You want to finish this dish with lemon. Adding it to early will make the vegetables mushy.
8.    Serve with your favorite main dish