Date Night with the Boys

We look forward to Thursday nights in our home.  It is DATE NIGHT with the boys!  
Since we are a family of 4 the math works out simply.  Danny takes a boy out and I take the other boy out.  We try to go out on a date with each son once a month.  
Just about anything goes for Date Night.  Dinner and movie out, dinner and movie in, mini golf, art projects, science experiments, high school plays, hikes...  
Whatever we end up doing there are a few expectations for our date:

1. The boys have to have at least 1 question for us about life and 1 question about God.
2. Distractions are put away - texts, phone calls, emails, to do lists.  
3. The point of the Date is spending time with each other, getting to know each other and building memories.

Danny and I also try to use the one on one time with the boys to teach them about life, teach them life skills, and teach them how to become a man with integrity and character.

Last month I focused on teaching the boys some cooking skills.  I let each of the boys pick a meal they wanted to learn how to make.  We created a plan, wrote down the ingredients we needed at the store, went shopping, then went to work in the kitchen.

Cody loves Mediterranean flavors, and I had found this Greek Pizza recipe on Pinterest.  We didn't make our own dough (but used our favorite Trader Joes Pizza dough).  Cody made the Homemade Tzatziki sauce, chopped the veggies, and helped assemble the pizza.  
For me to watch my son get excited about feta and avocados and trying cucumbers and tomatoes on his pizza is a big deal for me.  This boy used to be the pickiest eater I knew.  He has come a LONG way in trying new foods and enjoying them.
End result... Cody loved the pizza and wants to learn how to cook more meals.

For dessert we tried a Nutella Mug cake.  We love Nutella.  The cake was good, a little dry but was more than enough for Cody and me to share.

Colton chose one of his favorite meals to learn how to make, Chicken Enchiladas with rice.  This is a recipe that I just threw together.  Thanks to this pinterest post, shredding chicken for this meal is incredibly simple.  After I shred the chicken I add red enchilada sauce from Trader Joes, nonfat greek yogurt and shredded cheese.  We enjoy fresh baked tortillas (one day I will venture out and make them from scratch).  After the tortillas are baked we added a little sauce then the meat mixture and of course a little more cheese, fold it up and place it in a glass bowl.  Once we made all our enchiladas we baked them till the cheese on top was melted, and enjoyed every bite.  

A special tradition we have created is having dinner picnic style enjoying a movie.  I don't remember what we watched but I remember having a great time with Cole.  He was so proud to make his favorite meal with me.

I am sure we will have more Date Nights making meals together, and I look forward to learning new recipes with my boys, and one day learning from them.

Something Yummy

This first recipe I share goes back 5 years ago. It is from my sister Michele, who made this for me after I had Cody. To be honest I was not to sure of it when she mentioned it but now we love it and the boys like it too (which is a big deal if you know my boys). So that is the story and here is the recipe for you:

Tator Tot Casserole

1-1.5 lbs of ground beef with onions

32 oz. bag of frozen tator tots

2 cans of golden mushroom soup

1 can of milk

shredded shard cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9X13 pan with pam. Brown your meat with the onions (and I add salt and pepper and garlic). Drain the fat from the meat and then put it in the pan. Put the whole bag of tator tots over the meat. In a bowl on the side combine the 2 cans of golden mushroom soup with the one can of milk and some shredded cheese, then pour the mixture over the tator tots. Bake for 1/2 an hour uncovered. Once baked broil to toast the tator tots and put some more cheese on to melt.

For a smaller portion I do 1lb. of meat with less tator tots (not sure how many I use I just cover the meat). I put it in a 8X11 pan and use 1 can of soup and 1/2 a can of milk. You can also put green beans in the casserole or be like me and serve them on the side.

This is one of those kinds of meals you can make ahead of time and freeze it for one of those chaotic days and you have no clue what to do for dinner...Enjoy!!!