Day 12, Our 2-Meal Day (3 Moms, 3 Kitchens, 31 Days)

Only 2 meals were needed today for day 12 of the 31 day challenge due to the hardiness of the breakfast cookies.

I made giant breakfast cookies this morning, a first for us. The verdict from the kids was that they were "OK," but that they would probably get used to them. Jaden's complaint that they were a little bland was probably prompted by his expectation that they should taste exactly like chocolate chip cookies. Personally, I thought they were rather tasty.

Regardless of the kids' initial reactions, everyone ate at least one cookie without complaint. The recipe made 16 giant cookies, so I now have 10 left over which I've frozen and will be using for another breakfast.

Unlike regular chocolate chip cookies, the breakfast cookies were so filling that no one was hungry at lunchtime; so we didn't eat again until mid-afternoon when Jerah and Joely made a snack for themselves (notice the apples and grapes!). Joely was excited about having apples and grapes for lunch…but she only managed to eat the grapes and part of one apple slice. Jerah, on the other hand, cleaned her plate.

For dinner I made chicken spaghetti, soft Italian breadsticks (recipes below), and peas.

Kate sent me her recipe for chicken spaghetti and I adapted it a little for our meal, adding tomatoes and carrots to the broth and then sprinkling cheese over the finished spaghetti and baking it for a few minutes before serving. Mom Loves Being At Home sent me the recipe for the breadsticks a few weeks ago, but this is the first time I've made them. Everyone in the family said they liked both the spaghetti and the breadsticks, so I think I'll be making both these recipes again.

I used my notorious refrigerated yeast to make the breadsticks, and although I proofed the yeast (after bringing it to room temperature, of course) and it appeared to be active, I didn't notice that the dough rose very much, if at all. I'm still undecided about whether I should just throw out this batch of yeast and buy a fresh jar, or to try it again in another recipe that calls for a longer rising time. Any suggestions?

Chicken Spaghetti

Chicken breasts, salt and pepper on both sides to taste

Olive oil

1/2 onion, sliced thinly

Garlic cloves, as many as you want, or none at all, minced

2 cup chicken stock or broth

1/2 cup milk or cream

1. Brown both sides of the chicken in a skillet with olive oil. Remove the chicken.
2. Cook the onion and garlic until tender, and add any other vegetables you want at this time.
3. Add the chicken stock, any seasonings you want, and the chicken to the skillet. Cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is done.
4. Remove the chicken and cube/shred it. Return it to the pan.
5. Bring the stock to a boil uncovered and let it cook down a little.
6. Add the milk cream and let boil a few more minutes. Watch closely and keep stirring so it doesn't burn. You can also add in parmessan cheese with the milk if you want an Italian taste.
7. Toss with spaghetti.
8. This recipe is super versatile. You can add whatever you want to give it whatever flavors you want. You can do this all in advance and then just warm at dinner time, or make the sauce and chicken in advance and warm & pour over the spaghetti just before you eat.

Soft Italian Breadsticks

1 cup water

3 T softened butter

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 cups flour

2 T sugar

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder (or garlic salt)

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1. Use the dough setting on your bread machine. Add all ingredients in order and start. (If mixing by hand, simply prepare the dough as you normally would.)
2. After dough is finished, cut in half and divide each half into 12 pieces – roll into a long rope or cut into strips. (I rolled it out and then just used a pizza cutter and cut strips.)
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 minutes.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
5. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Make sure you head on over to Kate’s and Toni’s blogs and see what they're cooking up for our "3 Moms, 3 Kitchens, 31 Days" adventure.

And don't forget about this Friday's "3 Moms" online discussion. If you’d like to have us email you an invitation to the discussion so you can click directly into our call from your email, please leave a comment on this post with your email address. Otherwise, just join us this Friday by clicking this link.