Tag Archives: easy meal

Campfire Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Leave a reply

A Kid Favorite meal at our house is Fettuccine Alfredo.  Whether you make your Alfredo sauce from scratch, or from a prepared noodle mix, the kids always think it turns out great!   They like it either plain or served with broccoli or chicken.    Then we plate it with a side of vegetables, fruits, or salad.

This week we took their favorite food outdoors and made Campfire Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo.

My 12 year old son has been learning to cook on his campfire kitchen.   He gathers wood from dead trees and fallen sticks.  Then breaks, chops, or splits the wood into smaller size pieces for his campfire.

Cooking is such a good skill for everyone to have.

And knowing how to cook and boil water over a campfire with sticks you gathered yourself is a valuable skill that could save your life in a crisis.

He did a great job cooking outside on his campfire.  The chicken turned out tender, with a hint of smoke from the wood fire.  It was juicy inside and delicious!  He loved how it turned out and gave it two thumbs and a pocket knife up!

 

Recipe Ingredients & Directions:

Campfire Chicken

A campfire

Chicken breast

Olive Oil

Seasoning

Directions:  Rub olive oil and chicken and sprinkle with seasoning.  Cook over campfire until desired doneness.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Recipe 1:

Alfredo Pasta Mix (or make from scratch)

Water

Butter

(Optional: Milk or powdered milk to mix with water if desired)

Directions:  Boil water and add butter and milk. Then add pasta mix with seasonings. Follow directions on package.

Note: When cooking outside on a campfire, the prepared pasta mixes are quick and easy for kids to prepare.  However, if you desire to cook the Alfredo from scratch, it is easy to do.  Here is a simple recipe that is easy and would only add a couple of additional steps when cooking on a campfire.

Recipe 2:

Fettuccine Alfredo from scratch.

Ingredients:

Water (Boiling)
Fettuccine (or other pasta)
Sea salt (pinch)
Butter (1 stick)
Parmesan Cheese (finely grated, about 1 1/2 to 2 cups)

Directions:  Cook pasta in boiling salted water until done. Remove pasta from water. Reserve 2 cups pasta water and discard the rest.  Mix together 1 cup hot pasta water and butter until melted. Next slowly add Parmesan cheese, and continue mixing until completely mixed.  Next add pasta and coat with cheese mixture.  Add more pasta water until all pasta is coated with sauce and has reached the consistency you desire.

Peas (or broccoli)

Directions: Bring water to a boil and cook to desired doneness.  Fresh, frozen, and canned peas all cook very fast!

Blueberries (grapes or fresh fruit of choice)

Directions: Rinse, dry, and chill until ready to serve.

Note: Blueberries or grapes are easy to serve.  No prep needed!  They don’t need peeled, or sliced.  Just rinse and serve. Kids love them!

Salad:

Romaine Lettuce, shredded or diced carrots, diced cucumbers, dried cranberries, diced tomato, shredded cheese, sunflower seeds or cashews, Italian dressing (or their favorite dressing).

Directions: Chop, wash, dice all of the salad ingredients ahead and keep chilled until the rest of the campfire food is ready to serve.  Then just plate it and top with favorite dressing as desired.

Note:  Different kids like different items in their salad.  Use what ever salad fixings your kids like, and skip the salad but use a carrot stick or sliced cucumber (not touching anything) if you have picky eaters.

The older four kids like their Alfredo pasta with the chicken added into the pasta dish, and the younger two kids like to have their chicken “outside” of the pasta and not touching anything else.  So we serve it both ways. I also serve the kids food on trays with sides that are small and easy to hold so they are less likely to drop their food.  The older kids can choose a tray or eat on regular plates like mom and dad.   However you serve this dish, it is sure to please.

Everyone agrees,  that Fettuccine Alfredo is a Kid Favorite!

Please share.

Kid Approved Egg Burritos

Leave a reply

IMG_8233

Our chickens have been on egg production overdrive this summer.   I am not complaining though.  We have enjoyed having an abundance of eggs because they were on strike all winter and I would have given anything for some fresh eggs then.  So I will take it while it’s available and not complain!

There are many ways of preserving eggs to keep them into the winter such as freezing out of the shell, boil them and pickle them in a sweet pickle or even beet juice, or storing whole eggs in buckets of sand in a cellar, and you can also crack them and dehydrate them to use in baking or smoothies later.  I have tried freezing them in the past and may put up some this way before winter arrives again.

I may put some eggs under a hen too and try to get her to hatch out some babies too.  It takes 5 to 7 months for a chicken to start laying eggs, so it is a long waiting process when you get started.  Then they usually lay 1 egg a day for a few months.  Then many stop laying for at least a month and up to three months in the winter depending on temperatures and the amount of daylight.  They also use this rest time to shed their feathers and grow new feathers each year.  Usually by their second or third year, the hens don’t lay every day, but maybe evey second or third day.  Most people butcher the hens for soup by their second season when they are less productive.

Lots of eggs

With farm fresh eggs, it is best to store them unwashed but wash them just before using.  This way they keep fresh longer. In the photo above you can see how the eggs look right out of the nest, some are very clean and some have a little dirt on them.  This won’t hurt the egg because they naturally have a protective barrior on the outside of the shell that protects them.  But once you wash them, you also wash away the protective barrier too.

Fertile egg yolk

Another wonderful thing about farm fresh eggs is that if there is a rooster around, your eggs will be fertile.  The yolks are also more yellow orange colored than store bought eggs and this is due to all the grass and insects the chickens eat all day and it creates an omega 3 richer egg.

I am thankful my kids love eggs and their favorite way to eat them is in Egg Burritos.  This is one of the fastest main dishes I make for my large family.  It cooks up in just a few minutes and is ready to serve.

Kid Approved Egg Burritos

Eggs (2 per person)

Butter for cooking

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Tortilla (any soft kind will do, there are many options for different diet needs)

Add In Options: cheese of your choice, sauted veggies, meat, salsa, guacamole, rice, leftovers, etc.

IMG_8177

Place a tablespoon or so of butter in a nonstick pan and add your eggs.  Scramble and continue to stir as they cook until desired doneness.

IMG_8179

Fill tortilla shells.  I find it very handy to place them in a cake pan while I am filling them as it helps hold up the sides of the burrito for me to fill.  Add cheese and even salsa if you wish and serve.  You can make these ahead, then cover and set in a warm oven until ready to eat.  They are also great frozen and reheated when needed.

IMG_8180

Eggs are such a great source of complete protein and easy to digest for most people.  They are delicious served anytime of day or night.  Eggs are very satisfying and help you feel full while nourishing your body.

Be blessed!

Melinda

Please share.