Entries in our Family Faves Recipe Contest included breakfast, lunch and dinner, with protein-packed pancakes, Oprah’s curried chicken sandwich and creamy chicken rigatoni.
We chose the winners here based on creativity and kid-friendliness.
See all the recipes at . Kristen Browning-Blas
California Bowl
Mama: Hami Howard
If you like California rolls but don’t want to do the rolling, here’s a quick, tasty and healthy dish. Japanese sticky rice works best with this recipe. Serves 4 Japanese stomachs (or 3 American).
Ingredients
7 ounces salmon
1 teaspoon sake
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup rice vinegar (for sushi seasoning)
1 1/2 cups sushi rice
1 diced avocado
1 diced tomato
1/2 sliced cucumber
3 sliced leaves romaine lettuce
1/4 head sliced lettuce
1/2 cup artificial crab
Mayonnaise
Sesame seeds
Soy sauce
Wasabi
A little purple onion for garnish
Directions
Marinate the salmon with sake, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper for 30 minutes, then grill it.
Make “sushi rice” by slowly stirring the rice vinegar into the cooked rice. Let the rice cool for a few minutes.
Divide the “sushi rice” into separate serving bowls. Lay avocado, tomato, cucumber and lettuces over the rice. Top with crab meat. Break up the grilled salmon and spread over rice. Spread mayonnaise on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Right before serving, mix a little wasabi with soy sauce and spread it over the rice. Garnish with minced purple onion.
Kid-pleasing Chicken Pot Pie
Mama: Angie Clegg, mother of twins
I just had a family dinner with 11 kids ranging in age from 5 months to 10 years old. I wondered what I could make that would be a crowd pleaser, and REFUSED to lower myself to chicken nuggets. I finally decided on chicken pot pie, all the kids ate it, and many asked for seconds. I buy Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts that you simply roll out and bake.
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cube bouillon, crushed
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup corn
2 9-inch pie crusts
Directions
Cover chicken with about 1 inch water, and simmer with garlic powder, salt and crushed bouillon 30-40 minutes. Boil potatoes and carrots until tender. Drain. Heat soup, sour cream and cheese until melted. Stir all filling ingredients together. Pour into pie crust. Cover with second crust and crimp edges; cut 2 slashes in top crust to vent. Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes. Put tin foil around edges of crust until the last 10 minutes to prevent edges from burning.
Dracula’s Revenge Garlic Noodles
Mama: Michelle Mitchell
I don’t know why this is called “Dracula’s Revenge,” because with all the garlic in this baby, that vampire isn’t getting anywhere close to you. For days. But don’t let that scare you, because this is one of the top 10 most requested meals around here, very kid-friendly with all that cheesy-noodly-sausagy goodness. It may not be fancy, but they’ll like it.
Ingredients
2 whole heads garlic
1 pound Italian sausage
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
6 cups milk
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2/3 cup grated Gruyère cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces cooked penne
Directions
Bake garlic at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Separate the cloves and squeeze to extract pulp.
While garlic bakes, brown sausage and stir in sage and rosemary. Add butter and stir until it melts, then stir in flour. Whisk in milk and stir constantly, scraping the bottom, until thick. Reduce heat and cook 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, cheeses, salt and pepper. Serve over pasta topped with extra cheeses.
Teriyaki Pasta Salad
Mama: Elizabeth Dean
This is always a hit with my family.
Ingredients
DRESSING
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup teriyaki sauce
2/3 cup white wine vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
SALAD
16 ounces bowtie pasta, cooked al dente
1 (6-ounce) bag Craisins
3 (11-ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 (8-ounce) cans sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
6 ounces honey roasted peanuts
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
1 (10-ounce) bag fresh spinach
Directions
Blend dressing ingredients together in blender or processor. Mix dressing and cooked pasta in medium bowl and marinate 2 hours. Combine the rest of salad ingredients (except spinach) in large salad bowl. Add pasta and dressing; toss. Add spinach right before serving.
Jaxon’s Blue Plate Special
Mama: Gail Riley, Highland Haven Creekside Inn, Evergreen
The recipe is in my cookbook, “Colorado Cravings.” At 20 years old and just home from a trip to Barcelona, Spain, with his dad, our son Jaxon asked for his favorite dinner. We add green peas and a fresh salad or fruit salad for a well-rounded and healthful meal. Our kids, Roxy and Jaxon, are out of our house now, but I feel pretty sure they will make it for their own families when they have them — a little comfort-food legacy. Serves 4.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
1 1/2 cup cubed ham (I buy one ham steak)
4 hard-boiled eggs cut into large pieces
Biscuits or toast points
Directions
Heat butter in saucepan over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. (I use a whisk to mix.) Stir in milk, and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, add bouillon, ham and eggs.
Serve over split biscuits or toast points.
