Kitchen Adventures

New Blog

2011-01-30T19:17:00.001-06:00

I have started a new blog to update family and friends about my pregnancy. The link for the blog is below.

http://nicci-futuremotherhood.blogspot.com

Fruit Smoothie

2009-08-11T20:19:00.014-05:00

Wow! Its been awhile and I'm not making any promises to do any better in the future with school starting back up now. Although, for some reason, I seem to do better when I am busier. For example, today was my first day back at work, and this is the first time I've sat down since I got home (it's almost 8:30pm), and I sit here bloging. I'd rather just be lazy and read my book, but I'm trying to be good. I'm making progess on the home as well. I installed two towel racks tonight. I'm trying to get things done, one task at a time. One of my plans for the summer (which is now over) was to get healthy, i.e. start working out and eat healthier. I've made progress with both, but not up to the level I had planned. As for the healthier eating, I've been trying to incorporate fruits into my diet by making fruit smoothies for me and my husband every morning. The basic recipe came from my much healthier older sis, whose site you can visit at http://smalltimecooks.blogspot.com/. All of the amounts are approximate, as I don't really measure anything to make them.

Jessica's Fruit Smoothie for 1

3/4 cup orange juice
handfull of baby spinach leaves
1 tbsp. ground flaxseed
1/2 banana
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup frozen blackberries
Blend the orange juice, spinach, and flaxseed. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend again. That's all folks.

Orange Juice

Orange Juice, Spinach, and Flaxseed before blending.

Orange juice, spinach, and flaxseed after blending. It doesn't look good now, but it will. Trust me.

I like to freeze the bananas in 1/2 banana portions wrapped in wax paper and stored in a ziploc bag. Its a good way to use bananas that are starting to get too ripe.Then, I add the berries. This picture shows me and my husband's smoothie before blending the berries. I use the Cook's brand of the individual blenders (like Magic Bullet).Then blend and voila! Finished product.

Also, if you haven't looked up the many benefits of flaxseed, you can check out just one of the many websites that overview them here: http//www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/flaxseed-000244.htm

Florentine Meatballs

2009-06-30T21:52:00.005-05:00

Ok...I think I'm back. We've finally moved in to our new house, and I still have a lot to do, but I'm going to try to post regularly. I've been telling my husband that we are going to get healthy this summer, so I've been trying to cook healthier foods. I've also been trying to integrate fruit into our diets. I've been leaving them out because I personally don't like many fruits. This dish is special because it has spinach in it and my husband still likes it! It is a Rachael Ray recipe from 30 minutes meals, it think.

Florentine Meatballs

1 10oz box frozen spinach, thawed

2 lbs. ground turkey

1 med. onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg

1 3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

EVOO

salt and pepper

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 10oz sack of italian blend cheeses

handful of chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wring defrosted spinach dry in a paper towel. Place the turkey in a bowl, then add the spinach, all but 3 tbsp. of the onions, all the garlic, the egg, 1/4 cup of milk, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Mix well and form into 12 large balls, then drizzle with EVOO. Arrange on nonstick cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Heat a small saucepan over med. heat. Add a drizzle of EVOO and the butter, let it melt. Add remaining onions, and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, then whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cup milk, and the broth. Bring to a boil, stir in italian cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Turn heat to low and stir until cheese is melted. Serve sauce over meatballs, top with parsley.

What to Eat When the Husband Is Away

2009-05-25T19:47:00.006-05:00

I've cooked and eaten some great food the last couple of weeks. My husband has been on a business trip, so I have taken the opportunity to make the foods that sound great to me. From reading this blog, you might remember that my husband refuses to eat most vegetables, which are my favorite. So, these recipes center around veggies. This one was my favorite. I'll post more soon.

Roasted Vegetable Frittata

2 eggs

2 egg whites

2 tbsp. milk

1 zucchini, chopped into 1" pieces

1-2 squash, chopped into 1" pieces

1/2 medium red onion, chopped into 1" pieces

1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1" pieces

1 tsp. olive oil

salt and pepper

2 oz. goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In small bowl, toss vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on cookie sheet and place in hot oven. Roast for approximately 20-25 minutes until veggies are cooked.Preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside. Spray an 8-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add roasted vegetables to the skillet, then pour the egg mixture over the vegetable mixture and cook for a few minutes until the eggs start to set. Crumble goat cheese over eggs and vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the frittata is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler. Broil until the top is set and golden brown on top. Enjoy!

Sorry for the blurry picture. I haven't been trying very hard to take good pictures lately.

Monte Cristos with Cajun Corn

2009-05-05T20:48:00.009-05:00

Things have been busy around here. I feel like I say that a lot, but it's true, and I know that it is the same for almost everyone else in the working world. My younger sister's senior prom was last weekend, so I went to see her, and I've been getting her senior pictures printed.

Mom, Lindsey, Me

Speaking of senior pictures....they were taken by some friends of ours who have their own photography business. They are awesome and you can check them out at http://www.e4photography.com/. I would definitely recommend them if you live in the Houston area.

So, back to food...on Sunday, my husband grilled ribeyes and I made mashed potatoes. Herbed Mashed Potatoes

6 1/2 cups of potatoes, cubed
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 cup milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp butter
1/2 sour cream
Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan, cover with water, and boil for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender; drain. Return potatoes to pan, add milk and remaining ingredients. Beat with mixer on medium speed until smooth.

Tonight, I made monte cristo sandwiches and cajun corn. These sandwiches are ideal for lunches, but we are never home during lunch hours, so we have to settle for dinner. I think the Monte Cristo recipe came from Rachael Ray, but I can't remember.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

8 slices of bread
1/2 cup taco sauce
8 slices honey baked ham
8 slices pepper jack cheese
8 slices smoked turkey
2 eggs, beaten
splash of milk
2 tsp hot sauce
1 tbsp butter
salt

Spread each slice of bread with a light layer of taco sauce. Build sandwiches using 2 slices each of ham, cheese and turkey per sandwich. Beat the eggs with the milk, hot sauce, and a little salt. Heat a griddle or nonstick pan over medium heat. Melt the butter in the pan. Dip each sandwich in egg mixture and cook in pan for 3-4 minutes on each side, until cheese is melted and the meat is heated through.

Cajun Corn Dish

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 tbsp butter or oil
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 tomato, seeded, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
In a saute pan, heat oil or butter over medium heat. Saute onion and pepper for 5 minutes. Add rest of ingredients. Cook 3 minutes, stirring. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

On an unrelated side note...I'll leave you with a couple of creepy pictures we accidentally took of our cats tonight.

Southwestern Corn Salad

2009-04-30T19:52:00.004-05:00

I think this dish will be my go-to dish for picnics. It was good enough that my husband liked it. Also, with some black beans and tomatoes, I think it could be an excellent dip for tortilla chips.

Southwestern Corn Salad

4 - 11 oz. cans white or shoepeg corn, drained

8 green onion, chopped

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large bowl, combine the corn, onions, jalapenos, and cilantro. Combine the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper; gently stir into corn mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Notes: I only refrigerated it for about 30 minutes and it was still good.

Spaghetti Casserole

2009-04-22T21:25:00.005-05:00

Ugh...I've been sick for the last few days and I don't want to do anything. But, with the TAKS test (Texas' standardized test) next week, I can't miss a day of work. I wasn't able to cook dinner tonight, because I was sleeping. So, its a good thing I made a huge casserole on Tuesday night to hold us over. I found this recipe awhile ago and my husband really likes it. Plus, it makes enough to freeze leftovers.

Spaghetti Casserole

1 - 16 oz. package angel hair pasta

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 - 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

2 - 8oz cans tomato sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

2 cups shredded colby-monterey jack cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until done; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Remove from heat. Drain pasta. Combine soup and sour cream. In two, 8 inch square baking dishes, layer half of the meat sauce, pasta, soup mixture and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until cheese is melted.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in fridge overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking, then bake as directed.

Notes: I think that I will use an extra 16 oz of spaghetti sauce vs. the 2 cans of tomato sauce next time. Also, instead of making 2 casseroles with this recipe, I just made one 9x13 casserole this time. I froze individual portions of the leftovers for my husband to take for lunches.

Chicken Lo Mein

2009-04-14T20:36:00.003-05:00

I love Chinese food. My husband hates to go out to Chinese restaurants. What's a girl to do, but learn how to cook it herself? I'm still working on it, and this is definitely not the best recipe I've made, but it's good enough to satisfy the craving. Also, a lot of the uncommon ingredients for this recipe stay good for a long time, so don't be afraid to buy them, thinking that they'll go bad soon.

Lately, we've been eating out a lot because we've been traveling up to the new house, so we are definitely ready to start eating some good food. I've been so busy lately with job interviews, that I don't have much time to cook. So, I'll be cooking some old, trustworthy recipes this week. Hopefully, my job situation will be settled by the end of next week (fingers crossed), and things will get back to our semi-normal dual house lifestyle.

Chicken Lo Mein

12 oz. linguine pasta

1 large onion

1 1/2 lbs. cubed, cooked chicken

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

3 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. oyster sauce

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar (or white vinegar)

1 tbsp. ketchup

1 tsp. sesame oil

Cook linguine according to package directions. While the noodles are boiling, whisk the last 6 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet. Coarsely chop the onion and add to the oil. Saute the onion until crisp tender; add chicken and heat through. Meanwhile, drain noodles when done. Add noodles and the liquid mixture to the chicken and onions. Turn the heat to high and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. Serve.

Notes: I think I used too much linguine. Also, I added a little more soy sauce at the end for more flavor.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

2009-04-05T22:04:00.006-05:00

This week has been filled with traveling, and therefore little cooking. I have had 4 interviews and 1 job fair lately. It wouldn't be so bad, but its a long drive across Houston during rush hour. I have had one job offer and I think I'll get another this week. I'm trying to hold out for the second offer with Magnolia ISD. Hopefully this week will be better (plus no school on Friday!!!!). Anyway, I've wanted to post these enchiladas for a while. They are so not the traditional enchiladas we are used to, but they are still tasty. My husband really likes them and they are easy to make.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

4 0z. cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp. water

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken

10 flour tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1- 4oz can green chilies

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, water, and seasonings until smooth. Stir in chicken. Place 1/4 cup of chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla, roll up, and place seam side down in a greased 13x9x2 inch dish. In a bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, milk, and chilies. Pour over enchiladas. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, bake 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.

By the way...I'm posting this from my couch on my new handy, dandy HP Netbook. I've never had a laptop, and I'm super excited. Hopefully I'll post more often now that I can do it from anywhere in the house (maybe).

Banana Split Friday

2009-03-22T17:49:00.008-05:00

My sister, Lindsey, and friends, Sara and Destiny, all got together for girl's night last Friday. We went to Gringo's for mexican food, as usual, and then went over to Sara's apartment to watch a movie. The highlight of the night was the banana splits everyone made. I never knew there was so much controversy over what to put on a banana split...pineapple, caramel, chocolate syrup, marshmallow puff, cherries, different flavors of ice cream, strawberry topping, whipped cream....the possibilities are endless. Here are a few of the concoctions...

Lindsey's: chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate, with some whipped cream, and a cherry.

Sara's: all vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and cherries.

Destiny's: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream, with whipped cream, cherries, and chocolate syrup.

Mmmm, Mmmm good!! Makes you want one too, doesn't it??

New House -- Meatball Pizza Subs

2009-03-17T14:55:00.012-05:00

Spring break is here!!! Too bad I'm spending most of it working on the new house. The last three days have been spent painting and cleaning. Anyway, I said I would post some pics of the new house, so here are a few I took this morning.Here is the living room. Remember, we haven't moved most of the furniture, so foldable tables are all we have.

KitchenEntering the house.Part of the back yard.

View of part of the front yard from upstairs bedroom. You can see our tiny pond and the driveway.

Obviously, we have a lot of work to do outside, but we are focusing on the inside of the house for now. A lawnmower will be our next big purchase, and someday we hope to expand the pond.

In spending so much time at the new house, we've had to eat out a lot, which is getting to be very expensive. So, I cooked our first dinner at the new house last night. You need absolutely no dishes for this meal!

Meatball Pizza Subs

Hoagie Buns

1-15oz. jar of pizza sauce

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

20 slices of pepperoni

1 bag frozen cooked meatballs, thawed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Open hoagie buns and sprinkle approx. 1/3 cup cheese into each bun. Place 4 slices of pepperoni on top of the cheese on each bun. Place 3 to 4 meatballs in each sandwich. Now, spoon about a 1/3 cup of pizza sauce on top of the meatballs for each sandwich. Wrap each sandwich with aluminum foil and bake for approx. 10-12 minutes.

Voila! How easy is that???

Spiral Pepperoni Pizza Bake

2009-03-04T20:18:00.007-06:00

I've been pretty busy lately. We recently bought a new house, which happens to be about an hour away from where we currently live. So, we've been spending some of our weekends at the new place, and we'll move there permanently next June. Hopefully, I'll have some pics to post soon. Anyway, I haven't had much time for posting or cooking. This is a recipe I made on Monday.

Spiral Pepperoni Pizza Bake

1-16oz package spiral pasta
2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2-15oz cans of pizza sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1-3 1/2 oz package of sliced pepperoni

Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook beef, onion, salt and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the pizza sauce, garlic salt, and italian seasoning; remove from heat and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and Parmesan. Drain pasta; toss with egg mixture. Transfer to a greased 3qt. casserole dish. Top with beef mixture, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Notes: You could use spaghetti sauce instead of pizza sauce. Definately salt the pasta while its boiling. I didn't do this, and the pasta layer in the casserole was bland. I used grated Parmesan instead of shredded and the dish came out fine. Lastly, I only used about 3 cups of mozzarella. Four cups just seemed overwhelming.

Sour Cream Beef and Beans

2009-02-24T21:47:00.003-06:00

In my never-ending quest to find quick and easy recipes, I found this microwaveable recipe. I know, many of you out there despise the microwave, but oh well. I just can't pass up recipes like this. It was quick, easy, and better than a tv dinner. If you like Frito Pie, then you will like this. It's basically Frito Pie with a mexican twist.

Sour Cream Beef and Beans

1 lb ground beef
1-15oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1-15oz can enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1-4oz can chopped green chilies
1 1/2 cups crushed corn chips
1 cup sour cream
additional corn chips, optional

Crumble beef into an ungreased 2qt. microwave save dish; cover with paper towel or waxed paper. Cook on high for 5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, stirring twice; drain. Stir in the beans, enchilada sauce, 1 cup of cheese, chilies, and crushed corn chips; mix well. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes or until heated through, stirring once. Top with the sour cream and remaining cheese. Heat, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with corn chips.

The Best Pasta Carbonara

2009-02-22T18:02:00.003-06:00

I made the best pasta carbonara last week. The recipe is by Pastor Ryan from The Pioneer Woman website. Its not very healthy, but everything is ok in moderation...right? By the way, I just have to say, that I LOVE bacon. You can find the recipe here http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/cooking-with-ryan-pasta-carbonara/. I promise, it's worth it.

Spaghetti Hot Dish

2009-02-10T20:17:00.002-06:00

I've felt very uninspired lately when making my meal plans. I just can't find any recipes that interest me right now. I think I need to get a new cookbook. Anyway, I made this casserole today because I just couldn't find anything else I wanted to make.

Spaghetti Hot Dish

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 1/2 onions, diced

3 celery ribs, diced

1/4 cup butter

5 tbsp. all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste

3 1/2 cups milk

2 tbsp. chopped pimientos

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 1/4 cups cooked spaghetti

1 cup finely crushed butter flavor crackers (about 25 crackers)

In a large skillet, cook beef, onions, and celery in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add the milk, pimientos, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in spaghetti; mix well. Transfer to a greased 11x7x2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

Superbowl!

2009-02-02T18:42:00.013-06:00

We spent this superbowl at our friends, Matt and Sara's, new apartment. We had lots of food, as usual, and I thought I'd post some of it.

Nicci's Superbowl Dip

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger meat

1 envelope of taco seasoning

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 large can refried beans (~30 oz)

2 cups guacamole

3/4 cup sour cream

Brown hamburger meat in skillet; drain. Follow directions on back of taco seasoning envelope, but use 1 cup of water instead. While the hamburger meat is simmering, heat the refried beans in the microwave until warmed through. Spread the hamburger meat evenly in the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch pan. Then add the refried beans on top, using a spatula to even it out.

Layer the shredded cheddar evenly over the top. Spread the guacamole over the top of the dish, again using a spatula to make it even. Place the sour cream in a ziploc baggie and press it down to one corner. Cut the corner tip off of the baggie, and pipe the sour cream onto the guacamole in whatever design you like.

Finished Product!

Notes: You can add olives, tomatoes, lettuce, or anything else that is typical of a layered mexican dip.

Matt cooking his jambalaya.

Destiny's jalapeno poppers.

The swedish meatballs my husband made.

Watching the 3D portion after the 2nd quarter.

Italian Baked Pork Chops

2009-01-31T18:23:00.004-06:00

I tried to make these pork chops from Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Cooking 2 cookbook tonight. I have to admit that I have tried several of Sandra Lee's recipes from this cookbook, and they never turn out correct. With that said, these pork chops did not look anything like the picture in the cookbook, but they still tasted good. I served the chops with a can of Glory brand string beans from a can and some rolls. The Glory brand canned veggies are really great because they have a lot of seasoning.

Italian Baked Pork Chops

1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

4 pork loin chops (I used 3/4 inch thick)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, oil, and italian seasoning. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then brush both sides of chops with mustard mixture. Press Parmesan into both sides of chops. Place chops on prepared baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until just cooked throught. (Nobody likes dry pork chops!)
Notes: I used pork chops I had on hand, which were 3/4 inch thick. Pork should reach an internal temp. of about 160 degrees, so I used a thermometer to tell me when mine were done. It's better than using cooking times because it's so easy to dry out pork, but it did take about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the parmesan cheese should have browned a little, so I think I'll broil the pork chops (at least for the last few minutes) next time.

Glory brand String Beans being heated.

Tortellini Alfredo

2009-01-27T20:43:00.007-06:00

This weekend, I bought a fully cooked, half ham at Kroger for a $1.39/lb. I actually took the time to cube the ham when I got home. I used my new handy, dandy vacuum sealer (Thanks dad!) to seal and freeze the meat. I never used to buy ham because it always seemed so expensive. Now that I have it on hand when needed, I can make recipes like this one whenever I please.

Tortellini Alfredo

2-9oz packages of refrigerated cheese tortellini (I like Buitoni brand)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1 can peas, drained or 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed

1 cup cubed fully cooked ham

1 3/4 cups whipping cream

1/4 tsp ground pepper

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute the onion in butter until tender. Add the peas and ham; cook for 3 minutes. Stir in cream and pepper; heat through. Stir in grated Parmesan cheese until melted.

Drain tortellini and place in a serving dish; add the sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the shredded Parmesan cheese if desired.

I thought I'd add in a couple of pictures of my cooking audience. My husband is rarely home when I cook, but these two are always watching (and waiting for me to drop something!).

Oil and Vinegar Slaw

2008-12-09T20:20:00.005-06:00

Ok, so no excuses for my leave of absence...just a new recipe. This is Rachel Ray's O & V Slaw. I don't usually like coleslaw, but my younger sister and I made this once, and we really liked it. Disclaimer: Don't expect this to be anything like normal coleslaw, or you'll be disappointed. Also, only make this if you like dill pickles.

O & V Slaw

1/2 cup hamburger pickle relish (dill pickle relish)

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 - 16oz sack of shredded cabbage mix for coleslaw

salt and pepper

Mix the relish with the oil and vinegar. Add the shredded cabbage to the bowl, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

Mexican Casserole

2008-11-02T18:26:00.002-06:00

Seems like I'm just not finding the time to blog much lately. I'm rushed for time right now to finish this so I can watch a movie with my husband. Hopefully, I'll get my Halloween stuff posted soon (just waiting on some pictures). I know I post a lot of mexican food, but I just can't help it. It's so good!!! So, here's another one.

Mexican Casserole

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 envelope of taco seasoning

3/4 cup water

1 - 16oz can refried beans

1/2 cup salsa

6 - 6inch- flour tortillas

2 cups frozen corn, thawed (or canned corn, drained)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef over med heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasonings and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine the beans and salsa. Cover and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until spreadable. Place 3 tortillas in a greased round 2 1/2 qt baking dish. Layer with half of the beef, bean mixture, corn and cheese; repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and sour cream if desired.

Notes: Enough Said!

I HEART SOUPS

2008-11-02T18:14:00.003-06:00

I really love making soups for dinner. I love eating them even more. They are especially good on a cold, long day. You can throw together a soup quickly and sit down with a nice glass of wine in no time at all. Well, this isn't the most cultured or high class type of soup, but it still hits the spot. It's also good to use up left over hot dogs.

Hot Dog Bean Soup

3 hot dogs, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 tsp. veg oil

1 - 16 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 - 11 1/2 oz. can bean and bacon soup

1 1/4 cups water

1 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large skillet or pot, cook hot dogs in oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Add other ingredients and heat through.

Notes: Can't get any easier than that, unless your hot dogs are already cooked. I substituted chicken broth for the water and added cayenne pepper and one can of diced potatoes to mine. You can easily double this recipe as well.

Cheap and Easy

2008-10-21T20:41:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile since I've blogged. I've been really busy with work. We are also in the process of looking for a house to buy. Needless to say, blogging has been on the back burner. We spent all day Sunday with a realtor looking at acreage homes in the Lake Conroe area near Houston. We found a couple of prospects, but we are just going to keep our eyes on those properties and keep looking for more. Anyway, since I've been so busy, I thought I'd devote this post to the cheap and easy meals I've been cooking lately. If you are looking to be economical during these times, then these are the meals for you!!

Ground Beef Stroganoff

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 cup sour cream

3 cups cooked egg noodles

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Stir in the soup and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until heated through. Reduce heat; Stir in the noodles and sour cream. Cook until heated through.

Notes: This recipe originally called for ground turkey, so feel free to use it. I used turkey the first time I made it, but to minimize costs, I decided to go with ground beef. You can add so much to this recipe or just make simple like this. We always have a lot of leftovers too. Super budget friendly!!

Smothered Steaks and Bell Peppers

This recipe came to me from my sister in law, Meredith, via my mother in law. It is really tasty and easy. Cube steaks are usually more budget friendly than other cuts of meat, and I usually just buy some when they are on sale. I freeze the meat until bell peppers go on sale and then I can make this dish for a really great price.

4 beef cube steaks (~5oz each)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 cup green bell peppers, sliced

1/2 cup red bell pepper, sliced

1 small onion, sliced

2 tbsp. flour

1/3 cup soy sauce

Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Brown steaks in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat 3 minutes on each side; remove to 9x13 inch dish and put in oven to finish cooking at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. In the same skillet, saute onions and peppers. Blend together flour, soy sauce, and 1 cup water; pour over sauteed onions and bell peppers. Cook and stir unitl sauce boils and thickens. Spoon sauce mixture over steaks. Serve with rice or noodles.

Notes: I like to serve this with rice. Be careful not to overcook the steaks or they will become dry. If the steaks do turn out too dry, just cut them into slices before you pour the sauce over them.

My Weekend Free of Cooking

2008-10-06T20:33:00.004-05:00

Friday night: The husband and I both fell asleep on the couches after work on Friday. It was too late to cook when we woke up, so I snacked all night and my husband ate hot dogs. We rented Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It was really funny. Overall, it was a good and relaxing night.

Saturday night: I went out with the girls to Cyclone Anaya's for dinner. Their margaritas are killer. NO...Really, they will kill you!! Anyway, I didn't have to cook that night either.

Sunday night: The husband cooked a pork roast with potatoes, onions, and mushrooms. Yum!! It really shows how much he loves me, because he HATES mushrooms with a passion.

Monday: Back to work. Blah!! I had leftover pork roast and potatoes for lunch and that was the highlight of my day. Then, I didn't get home till late because I had to go to the grocery store. Meanwhile, my husband shredded some of the leftover pork roast and added som BBQ sauce. So, we had BBQ pork sandwiches when I got home. Maybe I'll cook tomorrow night.....

Italian Beef Sandwiches

2008-10-06T20:00:00.003-05:00

This sandwich sounded good when I read the recipe last weekend. One of my cooking goals right now is to find as many super easy recipes as possible before we have a family. Therefore, I sometimes choose recipes that are super simple, but just don't end up well in the end. As I got ready to make this dish the other night, I found myself wondering why I ever chose this recipe. It didn't even sound good anymore, but I got lucky. It turned out to be a good lunch menu item for the future.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

6 hoagie buns, split

1 - 14 1/2 oz. can beef broth

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 medium green pepper, sliced into rings

1/2 medium onion, sliced

1 lb. thinly sliced deli roast beef

6 slices provolone cheese

2 tbsp. miracle whip

In a large skillet, add the broth, garlic, oregano, and pepper; bring to a boil. Add the green pepper and onion. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Remove green pepper and onion with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Return broth to a boil; add roast beef; cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 2 minutes, or until beef is heated through. Place roast beef, onion, and green peppers on the bottoms of the hoagie buns. Put one slice of provolone cheese on top of each. Place the bottom and top of each bun, side by side, on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 4 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Spread miracle whip on the top slice of each hoagie bun and place the top on the sandwich.

Notes: As I said, this one was a surprise. I normally don't like beef broth, but this came out well.

Left over Spaghetti Sauce?? Make Stromboli

2008-10-02T19:54:00.003-05:00

My husband ate the leftover spaghetti until we ran out of noodles, but we still had leftover spaghetti sauce. I don't like to waste food, so I decided to come up with a dish to use the rest of it. I made Spaghetti/Pizza Stromboli.

Spaghetti/Pizza Stromboli

1 tube Pillsbury refrigerated French Loaf Bread
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded mexican cheese blend
1 cup leftover spaghetti sauce (with the meat already added)
25 slices pepperoni
Unroll french loaf on a greased baking sheet. Spread the spaghetti sauce evenly over the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Place a layer of pepperoni over the sauce. Cover evenly with the shredded cheese. Roll up the loaf, jelly roll style, and lay seam side down on baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until crust is just browned and cooked through.

Notes: I used mozzarella and mexican cheese because that's what I had on hand. Feel free to use what you like. Yummy!!!

So Simple,yet So Delicious: Spaghetti

2008-10-02T19:15:00.006-05:00

My husband loves spaghetti so much, but I don't make it very often because I really like it also, and I tend to eat too much of it. I know there are so many fancy ways of making spaghetti, but my homemade sauces don't really taste any better than Ragu. I like to keep it simple and delicious, and serve it with a side of garlic bread.

I debated whether or not to blog our spaghetti dinner, but I decided that I should. Did you know that there are people out there who don't know how to make spaghetti? For example, when I moved into my first apartment with my husband, I didn't know how to cook ANYTHING. The first time my husband asked me to saute an onion, I didn't know that you had to peel it first. I sauted the onion, peel and all. Oh well, I have learned so much since then, but I still have a long way to go....which leads me to a question about spaghetti. My spaghetti often turns out very watery. It still tastes great, but there is just too much water. Do you ever have this problem??? If you do, how do you fix it??? I tried to make sure my noodles were extra dry this time, but it didn't help much. A tip I found in a magazine said to add bread crumbs to the sauce to soak up the extra water (apparently, according to the tip, it doesn't change the texture or taste). I'm going to try this next time, unless someone can give me advice that sounds better. So again, I'm asking for all advice to fix my watery spaghetti.

Spaghetti

1-12 oz package spaghetti noodles

1 to 1 1/2 lbs of hamburger meat

1 large bottle/jar Ragu spaghetti sauce (oringal flavor for us)

Grated Parmesan (optional)

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown hamburger meat in a large pan; drain. Add Ragu to hamburger meat in the same pan and turn heat to low. Simmer until sauce is warm. Drain noodles when done. Pour sauce over noodles and add as much grated Parmesan as you want.

Notes: We only eat Ragu, but I guess you could try Prego or any other brand of spaghetti sauce if you really want to.

Success!!: Sloppy Joe Casserole

2008-09-25T16:14:00.004-05:00

Thank you Taste of Home Casserole Cookbook!!!! I know I can always come to you to make a good dish with leftovers.

Lately, I've had a series of bad experiences in the kitchen. Well, actually, they weren't bad experiences in the kitchen, so much as bad experiences after my husband tasted them. To make a long story (and many arguments) short, my husband has not been fond of the dishes I've made lately. Anyway, after this dish, I asked him how it was, and he said "It was ok," which for me, means SUCCESS!!!!! He even took leftovers for lunch the next day. I know it may seem odd to get excited about a simple "it was ok," but my husband is a picky eater, and anything that he doesn't have a bad opinion about means it was good. I also made a side dish for this recipe. It was very small, and not really worth it. It was called "In a Flash Beans", and while they were done pretty quickly, they weren't much different than if they had come straight from the can.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

(sorry, no picture)

1 lb ground beef

3 cups cooked rice

1-15 1/2 oz can sloppy joe sauce

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the rice, sloppy joe sauce, corn, and seasoned salt. Transfer to a greased 2 qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Notes: I used 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef and a little more than 3 cups of rice, so I used a slightly larger casserole dish. That's how I got so much left over. Also, the original recipe also calls for 1-4oz can of mushroom stems and pieces, drained to be added along with the rice, sloppy joe sauce and corn. We left that out.

In a Flash Beans

1-15 3/4 oz can of pork and beans

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper, optional

In a large saucepan, combine the beans, bbq sauce, onion, and green pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through.

Pasta Carbonara

2008-09-25T15:57:00.003-05:00

This meal was not my best. My husband found this recipe in one of my European cookbooks and wanted me to make it. I've always steered clear of carbonara recipes because I was afraid I would scramble the eggs in the sauce on accident. Well, thankfully, that didn't happen, but I did overcook the pancetta. Oh well, we still ate all of it, and I overcame my fear of all things carbonara.

Pasta Carbonara

400g (14oz) penne
1 tbsp. olive oil
200g (7oz) pancetta or bacon, cut into strips
6 egg yolks
185 ml (3/4 cup) heavy cream
75g (3/4 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
(as noted earlier, it was a european cookbook, gotta love the metric system!!)

Cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the pancetta over high heat for 6 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Beat the egg yolks, cream, and the Parmesan together in a bowl and season generously. Return the freshly cooked and drained pasta to its saucepan and pour the egg mixture over the pasta, tossing gently. Add the pancetta, then return the pan to very low heat and cook for 30-60 seconds, or until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta. Season with pepper and serve immediately.
Be careful not to cook the pasta over high heat once you have added the egg mixture, or the sauce risks being scrambled by the heat.

Notes: I think I will look for a recipe that calls for less egg yolk next time. My pasta was a color that very much resembled mustard (which didn't look appetizing to me). Also, you may have noticed that the picture above has green onions in it. That is because I looked for a picture on the internet that looked most like my pasta and this was it. I didn't take any pics the night I cooked it. Also, I would advise against adding any salt to the boiling water or the dish itself. The pancetta or bacon is already salty enough.

2 days after Ike: Chicken Tortilla Bake

2008-09-19T15:06:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, we ate some pork roast leftovers that we could warm up on the stove as we didn't have power. As stated earlier, we also ate a lot of chips and drank a lot of beer while enjoying the view from our front porch that night. There really isn't much to do without electricity!! On Sunday morning, we got up from our pallet on the living room floor (too hot to sleep in the bedroom), and my husband cooked some pork sausage. After breakfast, we loaded up all of our thawing food and headed for my dad's house. Since I had all my food with me, I decided to cook dinner there.

Chicken Tortilla Bake

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. oil

1- 16oz. can refried beans

1 can rotel, drained

6-8 inch flour tortillas, cut into 1 inch strips

1- 11oz. can Mexicorn, drained

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or a mexican cheese blend)

In a large skillet, saute the chicken, cumin, and salt in 1 tbsp. of oil until done. Combine the refried beans and rotel together; spread 1 cup of mixture into a greased 11x7x2 inch baking dish. Top with ~24 tortilla strips; layer with half of the corn, bean mixture, chicken, and cheese. Repeat the layers. Using remaining tortilla strips, make a lattice crust over filling. Brush the lattice crust with the remaining tsp. of oil. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is heated through.

Notes: You can use however many tortilla strips you like, and you don't have to bother shaping it into a lattice, obviously. But, it does make for nice presentation. I didn't want to bother cooking the chicken in a skillet this time, so I baked the chicken breasts in the oven (see previous entry about cooked, cubed chicken). I just sprinkled the seasonings on the chicken breasts before cooking. Feel free to use spicy refried beans or rotel, and we always add a dollop of daisy on top as well.

1 day before Ike: Fried Rice

2008-09-18T16:47:00.006-05:00

This is the best fried rice recipe I've ever tried. You can adjust all of the ingredients to suit your tastes. My husband doesn't like many veggies, so I just have onions, bell peppers, and bean sprouts in mine. You can add carrots, broccoli, or any frozen stir fry mix (without the sauce). The trick is to used cold, cooked rice. I used the left over pork from the Savory Pork Roast (previous post), but you could used cooked chicken, beef, or shrimp instead. It's great for almost any leftover meat!!

Fried Rice

This photo isn't very good!!

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup green pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

2 tbsp. veg. oil

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups cold, cooked white rice

4-5 tbsp. soy sauce (or however much you like)

1/2 cup bean sprouts

2 cups cubed, cooked pork

salt and pepper to taste

Heat one tbsp. of oil over medium heat in a large, nonstick skillet. Add the onion and saute for 1-2 minutes (you still want them to be crisp/tender after all cooking, so only cook for a few minutes). Add the green onion, bean sprouts, and green pepper; continue to saute until all veggies are crisp tender. Remove the vegetables and set aside. Heat remaining tbsp. of oil over medium heat. Add eggs; cook and stir continuously till set. Break up the egg while cooking, so you get small bite size pieces. Add the meat, rice, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and vegetables into the pan. Cook and stir until heated through. Enjoy!!

Notes: I usually don't have leftover rice in the fridge, so I usually make 2 cups of instant rice at the beginning and throw it in the freezer while I prep the veggies. You might need more time for it to get cold if you prep faster than I do. I hope you try this one!!

2 days before Ike: Savory Pork Roast

2008-09-18T15:57:00.004-05:00

My husband went nuts over this dish and it couldn't be easier. He didn't believe that this was the 3rd or 4th time I had made it. He swore he had never eaten it before. Anyway, it's great tasting, and it makes plenty for leftovers, as you'll see in my next post.

Savory Pork Roast

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. dried marjoram

1 tsp. sage

1 tsp. salt

1 boneless pork loin roast ~ 4 lbs ( Not pork tenderloin)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the seasonings; rub over roast. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Notes: Ok, the trick to making this a great dish is using a thermometer. I don't know about you, but I don't always buy a 4lb pork roast, so mine are usually smaller, and therefore cook for different amounts of time. Just buy whatever size you want, and then cook until it has an internal temp of 160 degrees. It is so juicy, but perfectly crisp on the outside. The other note I'd like to mention is to wait till pork loins go on sale!!! They are too expensive otherwise. I usually wait till they are $1.99/lb. I'll buy one smaller pork loin for this dish, and then I buy two more and have the butcher cut them into pork chops for free. That usually lasts me until they go on sale again, or longer.

I'm back!!

2008-09-18T15:44:00.002-05:00

Sorry to the few ppl who read my blog for the long delay. Hurricane Ike has come and gone. My family is extremely lucky. My husband and I didn't have any roof damage, although almost every house around us does. It's crazy to drive through a neighborhood and see carpet and mattresses laying next to the street all around you. We lived on Galveston island for the last 7 years and just moved to Houston a few months ago. Can't believe how close we came to possibly losing everything. By the way, we now have renter's insurance as well.

We moved into our new house at the beginning of July, and it's the first time I've used a gas stove/oven in my life. I wasn't convinced that it was any better than electric until Ike knocked out the power!! So, we have been cooking/eating during our power outage. We spent the night of the hurricane in the walk in closet with our 2 cats. We didn't come out till about 6am. We didn't eat breakfast because we were too tired from being up all night. We mostly ate potato chips that first day. On Sunday morning, my husband cooked up some sausage and we had sausage and cheese bagels for breakfast. We realized that all of our food was already thawing that morning. So, we loaded up everything frozed/refrigerated, and took it to my dad's house. We spent the night there (tv, ac, and internet included). On Monday, we got the call that our power was back on, and we loaded up to come home.

As I said before, we are so lucky. My mom and some friends still don't have power. School will resume hopefully next Tuesday for my school district. Things are slowly starting to get back to normal. I even got gas today without waiting in a line!!

Garlic Ranch Chicken with Potatoes, Peas, and Pearl Onions

2008-09-08T20:44:00.007-05:00

I've been really busy with school starting so, I haven't been able to keep up with this as much as I'd like. Also, I haven't been cooking as much as usual because we've been going out a lot lately. My birthday was a little over a week ago, and we have finally finished celebrating. Margaritas at Gringo's!!! So, now it's back to the kitchen. Right now I'm praying that Ike stays away. I sure would hate to lose all of the food in my freezer. I've been working on my food stockpile for 3 months!!

Okay, so as for tonight's dinner... it was worth trying again, but not amazing. I need to work on it a little to make it great. Both of the dishes were new, so it was just a test run.

Garlic Ranch Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp. ranch salad dressing mix

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

Flatten chicken slightly; set aside. In a shallow bowl, combine milk and garlic. In another shallow bowl, combine the flour, salad dressing mix, and pepper. Dip chicken in milk mixture, then coat with flour mixture. In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil and butter over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or unitl juices run clear.

Potatoes, Peas, and Pearl Onions

1 package 20oz of regfrigerated red potato wedges (or about 1 1/2 lbs of red potatoes cut into wedges yourself)

1/3 cup water

1 1/3 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed

3 tbsp. butter

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can peas, drained

3 tbsp. chopped green onions

Place potato wedges and water in a 2qt microwave safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute pearl onions in butter for 2 minutes. Add the cream, broth, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-7 minutes or until onions are tender. Stir in the peas, green onions and reserved potatoes; heat through.

Notes: I really liked this dish, but I wanted the sauce to be thicker. I think that I'll let the cream mixture boil for a few minutes next time until its thicker, before I reduce the heat and simmer.

Veggie Lasagna

2008-09-08T20:21:00.005-05:00

Don't knock it till you've tried it. This was a really easy lasagna recipe without any meat. Although, you could very easily add meat to it if you like. I conveniently left out the word "Veggie" from my meal plan posted on the fridge, and my husband never even realized the meat was missing. This recipe is a little different, considering it calls for green beans in the lasagna. But, in my family, we always ate green beans as a side dish with spaghetti, so it wasn't as much of a stretch for me.

Veggie Lasagna

9 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 egg

1 egg white

1 15oz. caton reduced fat ricotta cheese

2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 cups garden style spaghetti sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 or 2 cans cut green beans, drained (add as little as one can or as much as two)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, ricotta cheese, parsley, basil, oregano, and pepper; set aside. In a 13x9x2 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce. Drain noodles; place three noodles over spaghetti sauce. Layer with half of the ricotta mixture, 1 cup spaghetti sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, three lasagna noodles, and the green beans. Top with the remaining ricotta mixture, 1 cup spaghetti sauce, remaining lasagna noodles, spaghetti sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over each. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and edges are lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Notes: This really was a good dish, but I had to make some changes to it. I went to buy the garden style Ragu spaghetti sauce, but after reading the ingredients, I realized it had mushrooms in it. I swear my husband can smell mushrooms from a mile away, and he hates them. So, I settled for the Ragu Chunky Tomato, Onion, and Garlic sauce. It had great flavor, but it wasn't very chunky, and there was a distinct lacking of veggies in my veggie lasagna, except for the green beans. I think I will definately try this again, but I'm going to saute some green peppers and onions, and add them to the spaghetti sauce.

Baked Chops and Fries

2008-09-02T21:52:00.003-05:00

This is a wonderful meal that I thought was going to be a total disaster (it almost was). I think I've worked out most of the bugs though. It is a creamy casserole with pork chops, potatoes, and green beans. What more could you want??? (Sorry, the pictures I took were just too bad to post)

Baked Chops with Fries

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp paprika

4 pork chops (1 inch or thinner, bone in or boneless)

2 tbsp. veg oil

1 can cream of celery (or mushroom) soup

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. dried parsley

4 cups frozen steak fries, thawed

2 cans green beans, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine salt, pepper, and paprika; sprinkle over both sides of chops. In a large skillet, cook chops in oil on both sides until just done (don't over cook). Remove chops and keep warm. Drain skillet, then combine soup, sour cream, milk and parsley in the skillet. Cook and stir until heated through (shouldn't take long). In a greased 11x7x2inch dish, lay the fries in a single layer on bottom. Spread green beans over top of the potatoes. Pour the soup mixture over the green beans as evenly as possible. Top with cooked chops. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5 more minutes or until meat is tender and vegetables are heated through.

Chicken Soup with Mashed Potato Dumplings

2008-09-02T21:30:00.005-05:00

Mmmm, Mmmm Good!! This is the greatest soup. My husband usually complains when I cook soup, but he was sad that he missed this one. It's great for leftover mashed potatoes, but if your house is like mine....you don't ever have left over mashed potatoes (they're my husband's fav). So, I keep a box of instant mashed potato flakes in the pantry just for this dish. I've made it with instant and homemade mashed potatoes. We couldn't taste a difference. This soup is good as leftovers, but the dumplings kind of dissolve, so you just get a great tasting thicker soup.

Chicken Soup with Mashed Potato Dumplings

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. veg. oil

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups cubed, cooked chicken (can use canned chicken in this one)

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 med. carrots, sliced

1/4 tsp. dried sage

1 1/2 cups biscuit/baking mix

1 cup cold mashed potatoes

1/4 cup milk

1 tbsp. chopped green onion

1/8 tsp. pepper

In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil for 3-4 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in the broth, chicken, celery, carrots, and sage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In a small bowl, combine the mashed potatoes and milk. Then, add the biscuit mix, green onion, and pepper. Form into small quarter size balls. Drop each ball into simmering soup. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean. DO NOT LIFT LID WHILE DUMPLINGS ARE SIMMERING.

Notes: As stated earlier, canned chicken will work in this soup. I usually make the instant mashed potatoes in the microwave and throw them in the freezer while I'm preparing the other ingredients, so that it's cold when I need it. Also, I've started leaving out the green onions. I haven't noticed a difference in the flavor of the soup.

Meal Fit for a King

2008-08-26T19:11:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite dishes. Chicken a la King, not to be confused in any way with King Ranch Chicken. They are totally different. This really does come together quick and it is one of the best comfort foods. It's the dinner version of biscuits and gravy.

Chicken a la King

5 biscuits

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup of milk

2 cups cubed, cooked chicken

2 tbsp. diced pimientos

Ok, here is how to get it done quick.

Preheat oven to biscuit baking temp. on biscuit package. Heat butter on low heat in large skillet. Chop celery and onion; add to skillet and turn heat to medium. Cook biscuits when oven is done preheating. While onion and celery are cooking, measure out flour and salt. Also measure out broth and milk. When onions and celery are crisp-tender, stir in flour and salt till blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken and pimientos. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 4-6 minutes (until heated through). Serve over split biscuits.

Notes: umm..umm..good

Black Bean Burritos

2008-08-26T18:35:00.000-05:00

This is easy enough for me to make for dinner the first day of school (which means it must be fast). I think my brain stopped working at exactly 2:30pm yesterday. The first day of school went pretty well. It was my 4th first day of school (as a teacher) and the first that I wasn't nervous about. I have to admit that I miss my sophomores. Juniors and seniors are too arrogant for me. Oh well, getting juniors and seniors is supposed to be a promotion (without a pay increase), so I'll try to enjoy it.

I've been reading some older posts lately which reminded me of new year's resolutions. Most people make their's in January, but I find myself running on the August-June school year schedule, and I think of changing things every new school year. I'm declaring my new school year resolutions now (so maybe I'll stick to them).

1. I will not carry other teachers. They should learn to do their own job.
2. I will try not to be as sarcastic to students (but it's ok to be sarcastic with them right?)
3. I will set a goal to have all my kiddos pass TAKS ( I know, pretty lofty, but we'll see).
4. I will not stay late at work and still bring my work home.

Ok, so I think those are all goals more than resolutions, but I'll try. Anyway, here is the busy night recipe.

Black Bean Burritos

1 - 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped onion

1-4oz can chopped green chilies

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped red pepper

1 tbsp. veg. oil

3 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. salt

8 flour tortillas

1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (or cheddar)

salsa and sour cream

Place beans in a large microwave-safe bowl; mash lightly. Stir in the chilies, onions, peppers, oil, chili powder, garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt. Cover with paper towel and microwave on high 2-3 minutes, or until heated through, stirring once. Spread 1/4 cup bean mixture down teh center of each tortilla. Top each with 2 tbsp. of the cheese; roll up. Place seam side down on an ungreased microwave safe dish. Cover with a damp microwave safe paper towel. Microwave on high for 30-45 seconds or until heated through. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Notes: This is an easy dish, but I have to admit that it tastes like something is missing. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I think that I'll try less chili powder with more salt and garlic next time. That's just me. The original dish is still worth a try. Again, no meat; add any meat you like if have someone that refuses to eat vegetarian meals.

Refried Bean Soup with Pace Cornbread

2008-08-24T14:29:00.001-05:00

I'm finally getting around to posting this delicious meal. I made it last week sometime. The soup is one of the easiest recipes I have. Just throw together a few cans, heat, and eat!! The cornbread recipe is from my mother in law and is a great side for any mexican theme dinner. I haven't been cooking much since I started working again last week. Last night was movie night with me and my husband. We made out the hide away bed on one of our couches, piled on a bunch of pillows, and watched movies all night. My husband cut up salami, summer sausage, pepper jack cheese, smoked cheddar, and mild cheddar. We ate it with crackers for dinner. It was great!! We even put an ice chest next to the couch so we didn't have to walk to the kitchen. I think we'll try to make movie night a regular ritual. Anyway, back to the recipe; the soup can have so many variations to suit your needs. I'll put some of my variations in the notes below. You have to try this on a busy weeknight!!

Refried Bean Soup

1 (~15oz) can fat free refried beans (you don't have to use fat free)

1 (15 1/4oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14 1/2oz) can chicken broth

1 can rotel

1/2 cup water

1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies

1/4 cup salsa

Optional Garnishes: tortilla chips, more salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except for garnishes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until heated through. Serve with any garnishes you like.

Notes: I like to make the soup and add a dollop of daisy and some shredded cheddar to each bowl. The original recipe called for spicy refried beans, but my husband isn't fond of spicy foods. Therefore, I use regular refried beans and mild rotel. I just add a little cayenne pepper to my bowl to spice it up. As you may have noticed, there is no meat in this soup, but it is plenty hearty. My husband doesn't even usually notice the lack of meat. But, if you are a big meat eater, you could add cubed, cooked chicken.

Pace Cornbread Squares (sorry, no picture)

1 pkg. Jiffy Cornbread mix

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup Pace Picante Sauce

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 egg

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

In a bowl, mix all ingredients, except the cheese, very well. It will be thinner than normal cornbread batter. Pour batter into a greased 8 x 8 inch pan. Sprinkle the cheese over top and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, till center is baked. Watch so that the bottom crust doesn't overbrown.

Cooked, Cubed Chicken

2008-08-18T20:08:00.000-05:00

I usually saute boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a pan to make cubed, cooked chicken to add to recipes, salads, soups, etc. But, I found that sometimes it's easier to cook it in the oven while I'm making something else. I think this will work especially well to make chicken that easily shreds for enchiladas.

boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
salt and pepper to taste
a little water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish. Add enough water to the dish to barely cover the bottom. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper (and any herbs you like). Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Cut into cubes.

Rachael Ray's Vodka Cream Sauce with Pasta

2008-08-18T19:48:00.000-05:00

I've been planning on making this recipe for a few weeks now and I finally got around to it. I really liked the pasta sauce, but my husband did not. I wished it had gotten a little thicker than it was, but I still liked the flavor. It had too much of a tomato flavor for my husband (he hates tomatoes). The recipe makes a ton, so I would cut it in half. I froze about 3 cups of leftover sauce. If you like the recipe, then the freezing directions are in the "Notes" section after the recipe.

Rachael Ray's You-Won't-Be-Single-For-Long Vodka Cream Pasta

salt and pepper to taste

12 oz. pasta, such as penne

1 tbsp. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1 tbsp. Butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, minced

1 cup vodka

1 cup chicken broth

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

20 leaves of fresh basil, shredded or torn

Put a large pot of water over high heat for the pasta. When water boils, add salt and penne. Cook according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add evoo, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute garlic and shallots, 3-5 minutes, to develop their sweetness. Add vodka and cook to reduce by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble, then reduce heat to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir cream into the vodka sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove from heat. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Notes: Shallots are usually found near the onions in the produce section of grocery stores. Walmart doesn't always have them. If you would like to freeze the sauce, leave out the basil and add when it's reheated later. I added cooked, cubed chicken to my husband's pasta because he won't usually eat meals without some type of meat. The recipe to make cooked, cubed chicken in a hurry is above.

Swedish Meatballs

2008-08-17T20:39:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I finally created a food blog and then I don't cook for a week. My husband fried fish one night, we had fried fish sandwiches another, corn on the cob once, and a homemade pizza. As you can see, nothing much to write about that I actually cooked. Yet, finally tonight, I did cook dinner. I do want to take some time in this blog to mention the greatness of making homemade pizzas. Using pillsbury refrigerated pizza crusts in the tube make it super simple, and the best part is that you get to put whatever toppings you want on the pizza. I used the leftover 1/2 lb of pork sausage from the Meaty Cornbread Casserole over the whole pizza. My side of the pizza had black olives and slices of tomato. I made my husband's side of the pizza plain/boring with just the sausage and turkey pepperoni. I don't feel that I should actually write the recipe because I just follow the directions on the pizza crust tube. I also use pizza sauce from a jar, nothing homemade.

Tonight I made swedish meatballs. The recipe was given to us by my mother-in-law. It is really great and everyone loves them. I served them with some rice.

Swedish Meatballs

14 oz. ketchup

10 oz. grape jelly

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 lbs ground beef

2 eggs

2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 cup fine bread crumbs

Place the ketchup, jelly, and onion in a medium saucepan. Heat over low/medium heat until ketchup and grape jelly mix together. Do not boil. While the sauce is heating, place all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and form 1 inch meatballs. Place each meatball in a crockpot. Pour heated sauce over the top. Cook over low heat for 1/2 day (or about 4 hours) until cooked through.

Note: 1 hour on high in a crockpot is equal to about 2 hours on low if you are in a hurry. If in a real hurry, just place the meatballs in a stockpot, pour sauce over them and cook over medium heat until meatballs are cooked through. While cooking, try not to stir the meatballs until mostly cooked through so that they don't fall apart. Meatballs can be made any size. We've even made them the size of baseballs for dinner. Great for parties too. Nobody will believe that grape jelly is the key ingredient!!

Meaty Cornbread Casserole

2008-08-08T20:02:00.001-05:00

Fridays are usually Girls night, so I wasn't expecting to cook tonight. I had planned this recipe for tomorrow, but it had to be used tonight. My sister Lindsey came up to stay with us for the weekend, and we have a big day of fishing planned for tomorrow. This was a good meal for the three of us and we had leftovers. The recipe is from Taste of Home. Everything tastes good with country gravy!!

Meaty Cornbread Casserole

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 lb bulk pork sausage

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained

1 cup water

1 envelope brown gravy mix

1 box Jiffy corn bread mix

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 envelope country gravy mix

In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in corn, water, and brown gravy mix. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute until thickened. Spoon into a greased 8inch baking dish. Prepare corn bread batter according to package directions; stir in the pepper and garlic powder. Spread over meat mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into corn bread layer comes out clean. Meanwhile, prepare country gravy mix according to package directions; serve over casserole.

Notes: Don't be scared of using both brown and white gravy. The finished product is delicious. You can easily double this recipe. Double all ingredients, except only use 3 cans of corn. Place in a 9x13inch dish and the baking times are the same.

Ranch Chicken with Chive 'n' Garlic Corn

2008-08-08T08:26:00.003-05:00

This is a super easy recipe for moist chicken. I can't take credit for the recipe. One of my best friends gave me this recipe on a drunken night at her apartment a few years ago. It's been a staple in our home since. The corn dish is ok. It's something to throw together on a busy night. The recipe is from Taste of Home, as are most of my recipes. I apologize for the unappetizing picture. I promise to work on my photography skills. You'll just have to trust me that the chicken tastes much better than it looks here.

Ranch Chicken

1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp. flour
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Mix the ranch dressing and flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge both sides of each chicken breast in ranch dressing mixture and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle mozzarella over each breast. Bake for 25 minutes or until chicken is done and cheese is bubbly.

Chive 'n' Garlic Corn

1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can cream style corn
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup minced chives
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

In a large skillet, saute corn and onions in butter for 5-7 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in chives, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Notes: Any cheese you have on hand will work with the Ranch Chicken, except swiss. We have tried a few, but my husband and I like mozzarella the best. The corn dish is easy, but I think I'll spice it up next time with some cayenne pepper to give it a little more flavor.