D*lightful Designs

Zesty Ranch Beef and Veggies

2011-08-11T20:08:00.000-04:00

This dish is a result of trying to use what I have on hand before making another trip to the grocery store. I was not very sure of what I was doing as I added all of these things together but it turned out quite good!

Zesty Ranch Beef and Veggies

1 pound of lean ground beef

1 packet of powdered Hidden Valley Ranch Dip

1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)

1 cup of water or beef stock

4 ounces of shredded Parmesan cheese

Jasmine rice for serving

Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Add in water or stock and ranch seasoning. Stir well and bring to a boil. Add in frozen vegetables. Reduce to medium heat and cover with a lid. Let this cook together for about 10 minutes. Serve over rice with a generous sprinkling of cheese.

Chili Con Carne meets Chili Con Queso

2011-08-08T05:38:00.000-04:00

My love for Mexican food continues...unfortunately this dish was just too much grease! Next time I will cut down on the amount of cheese. I was trying to copy an excellent restaurant dish I had a few weeks ago but this didn't quite live up to it. I'll keep working on it!

Ingredients

1/2 of a yellow onion, sliced into long strips
1 pound ground beef
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 block White Queso (easy melting) Mexican cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (15-ounce) can ranch style beans
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Extra thin corn tortillas for frying (based on how many you are serving, I used 2 per person)
Canola oil for frying tortillas

Directions

In a deep pot cook ground beef until brown over medium heat. Mix in garlic, onion and powdered seasonings. Cook another 5 minutes or until onion is soft. Skim off excess grease. Add in cheese, turn heat to medium low and allow the cheese to melt, stirring often. Add beans and let the mixture simmer on low. Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. When oil begins to slightly bubble add one corn tortilla at a time. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until golden then flip the tortilla with tongs. Cook an additional 30 seconds. Tortillas should be crunchy but not brown. Let the tortillas drain on a paper towel. To serve, place 2 tortillas on a plate, spoon chili mixture on top, garish with cilantro.

**my picture is a bit deceiving as I 1) didn't have any cilantro which would have made this dish prettier and 2) I put beans on the side instead of in the chili.

Cajun Style Stuffed Peppers

2011-08-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

When reading this post remember what your Momma always told you...looks can be deceiving. A cell phone picture doesn't quite do this stuffed pepper justice. You'll have to trust me...it was GOOD! Here is the recipe straight from allrecipes.com. We changed it up a bit and used ground turkey instead of shrimp and sausage (which I'm sure is really good too).

Ingredients

6 large green bell peppers
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
black pepper to taste
3/4 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 links of andouille sausage, diced
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 lemon - cut into wedges, for garnish (optional)
Louisiana-style hot sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 8x12 inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove tops and seeds from peppers. Blanch in boiling water 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent. Stir in garlic, and season with oregano, Creole seasoning and black pepper. Stir in shrimp and sausage, and cook until shrimp turns pink, 5 minutes. Stir in rice, and cook 1 minute. Pour in chicken broth and tomato sauce. Cook until thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Fill peppers with stuffing mixture, and place in baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through. Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce.

Burger Patties

2011-08-04T06:11:00.000-04:00

I recently watched a very easy video on Rachel Ray's website showing the basic steps of how to make a burger patty. I tried it out on these burgers and they turned out fantastic. They didn't fall apart and had a lot of good flavor and texture. I seasoned mine with Worcestershire sauce and a blend of garlic, onion and cayenne powder. Served with roasted root veggies.

Steak Dinner

2011-08-02T10:05:00.001-04:00

We are really enjoying our grill this summer and have had quite a few steak dinners. It's fun coming up with new marinades to try. A recent favorite of ours is a blend of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, parsley flakes, a splash of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.

SUYL Breakfast Recipes

2011-07-01T15:23:00.004-04:00

Kelly's Korner is hosting a blog hop devoted to breakfast ideas. Here are some of my all time favorites. Enjoy!

~Vanilla French Toast

~Southern Fried Breakfast Pork Chops

~Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

~Banana Bread

~Sweet Fried Apples

Chicken Soft Tacos with Salsa Verde

2011-06-30T11:56:00.000-04:00

Spray your crockpot with PAM, add in 3 chicken breasts and a jar of mild tomatillo green salsa. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred chicken in the crockpot. Fill flour tortillas with the salsa chicken mixture. Top with diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and a side of Spanish rice. So good, so easy. The leftover salsa chicken is even more flavorful the next day!

Chicken Pot Pie Potatoes

2011-06-29T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today I am participating in Eat at Home's Ingredient Spotlight. This time the focus is on green beans. I love green beans as a side dish and fix them quite a bit. However, I also like to use them in soups, stews and creamy dishes like my Chicken Pot Pie Potatoes. I'm re-posting this recipe to show a unique way to add beans to a dish for this fun blog-hop!

We really enjoyed these simple potatoes. I rubbed a few baking potatoes with olive oil, wrapped them in aluminum foil and baked them at 400 degrees for about an hour. Right before the potatoes were done I poached a couple of chicken breasts and shredded them. In a large bowl, I mixed the shredded chicken with a cup of mixed veggies (a blend of diced carrots, cut green beans, baby peas and diced onions), a can of cream of chicken soup, a dash of onion powder and freshly ground black pepper. Pour the chicken mixture into a large skillet over medium heat to let everything warm through. When the chicken mixture is hot and bubbly slice open the baked potatoes. Place two to three spoonfuls of the chicken on top of each baked potato. This is such a comforting meal and tastes very similar to a chicken pot pie...minus the crust!

Cream Cheese Chicken in the Crockpot

2011-06-21T17:25:00.000-04:00

I really love using my Crockpot during the hot months of the year! Unfortunately, I didn't love this recipe. It was just OK. If I make this again I will add more cream cheese and maybe a different type of seasoning blend.

Spray crockpot with PAM.
Add in 1 bag of frozen diced onions, red peppers and green peppers.
Place 3 chicken breasts on top of the veggies.
Pour in 1 can of cream of mushroom soup.
Add 4 ounces of cream cheese.
Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
Set on low for 8 hours.
Stir well and serve over pasta (I used tri-color vegetable pasta).

Chinese Beef Soup

2011-06-17T20:22:00.000-04:00

Chinese Beef Soup (Original Source: Reader's Digest)

1 ½ pounds beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium, fat-free beef broth
¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 piece ginger, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup uncooked barley (I subbed angel hair pasta, broken into short pieces)
12 cups stemmed spinach leaves
2 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)

Preparation:
1 In a large saucepan, combine beef, onion, garlic, 6 cups water, broth, soy sauce, ginger, fennel seeds, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
2 Stir in barley. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 1½ hours until beef is very tender.
3 Stir in spinach. Simmer 2 minutes. Remove ginger pieces. Garnish with scallion, if desired.

Spicy Taco Salad

2011-06-15T19:29:00.000-04:00

I've had this on the menu plan for over a week but just got around to making it. I love a good taco salad and the diced avocado really added a nice touch to this easy meal. This would also be good with the addition of black beans, corn or red peppers.

Spicy Taco Salad

1 pound lean ground beef

3 tablespoons of chili powder

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 avocado, diced

1 vine ripened tomato, diced

shredded romaine lettuce

1/2 cup shredded Sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup of mild chunky salsa, divided

Brown the beef until no longer pink in a large skillet. Add in the dried seasonings and cook 2-3 minutes. Add in 1/2 cup of salsa and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes. Line salad bowls with lettuce, avocado and tomato. Top with ground beef, shredded cheese and remaining salsa.

Breakfast Wrap

2011-06-13T19:30:00.000-04:00

Though I would consider myself to be a morning person, I haven't always been a fan of breakfast foods. And it seems if we make breakfast it is usually a "breakfast for dinner" meal where we have substantial choices. We usually have a traditional Southern breakfast (biscuits, eggs, bacon, home fries and juice) when we decide to do breakfast at home. This time I changed things up a bit and rolled up scrambled eggs, sliced turkey breast, shredded cheddar and mild salsa in a flour tortilla. It was a nice change of pace.

Steakhouse Fried Onion Strips

2011-06-09T21:25:00.000-04:00

Simple, easy, delicious!

Steakhouse Fried Onion Strips

- half a yellow onion

- 1 heaping cup of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

- 2 eggs

- 1/2 cup canola oil

Slice up the onion into long, thick strips. Set up a dipping station: crack eggs in a large shallow bowl and whip with a fork; in a second bowl add breadcrumbs. Dip each onion strip in egg, then coat in breadcrumbs. In a deep pot add oil and bring to medium high heat. Add onions a few at a time to the hot oil and fry on each side until brown and crispy. Remove from oil and let onions drain on a paper towel for a few minutes before serving.

Creamy Salsa Pasta

2011-06-08T10:36:00.002-04:00

This was a very quick stove-top dinner that was full of flavor. I was inspired by this recipe from Annie's Eats. I made a few substitutions to make it even faster. And, salsa counts as a vegetable serving so it cancels out my use of cream cheese, right?? Ha, Ha!

Creamy Salsa Pasta

1 pound of lean ground beef

2 cups of rotini

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 cups of mild chunky salsa

4 ounces of cream cheese

Dash of black pepper

3 tablespoons of chili powder

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup of reserved water from boiled pasta

Brown ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink. While beef is cooking, cook the pasta according to package directions in a large pot. When the beef is cooked through add in all powdered seasonings, cream cheese, shredded cheddar and salsa. Drain pasta and add to the mix along with reserved water. Stir well. Let simmer for a few minutes before serving.

Tuna Salad

2011-06-07T08:38:00.001-04:00

The perfect meal for a warm, almost-Summer evening!

Tuna Salad

2 cans of tuna, water drained

1 heaping tablespoon of mayo

teaspoon of paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

pepper

3 hard-boiled eggs, diced

1 dill pickle, diced

shredded lettuce

diced tomato

shredded sharp cheddar cheese for garnish

Combine tuna, mayo, seasonings, egg and pickle in a large bowl. Layer lettuce and tomato onto serving dish and spoon tuna salad mixture in the center. Top with cheese.

Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Legs

2011-05-31T11:43:00.003-04:00

For Memorial Day I made some tasty chicken legs using my Crockpot. I had a package of 5 large chicken legs that I seasoned with a store-bought Cajun/Creole seasoning blend. I sprayed the crock with PAM and added the legs and about 1/2 cup of water. I let this cook all day (about 8 hours total). The chicken turned out so flavorful and tender! I'm definitely making this one again soon!

Pot Roast with Vegetables

2011-05-25T10:19:00.002-04:00

Since I don't have a lot of free time at the moment I'm trying my best to make use of the Crockpot! Recently I made a beef pot roast with baby carrots, diced potatoes, and diced tomatoes seasoned with garlic, basil and oregano. Yum! It would have been even better if I would have added a little bit of beef broth.

Strawberry Shortcakes

2011-05-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

I'm participating today in Eat at Home's Ingredient Spotlight - Strawberries! I previously posted this recipe late last year. Check out Tiffany's other great posts and links!

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What do you do with left over canned biscuits and strawberries? Make shortcakes. I think strawberry shortcake is one of my very favorite desserts. This recipe is easy, quick and makes two shortcakes.

Strawberry Shortcakes

2 Pillsbury Grands Butter Flavored Biscuits
8 large strawberries, sliced thinly
2 teaspoons of sugar
4 oz. Cool Whip Extra Creamy
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla

Step 1: Sweeten the strawberries. Place strawberry slices in a small bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Mix well and put in the refrigerator to chill.

Step 2: Make vanilla whipped cream. In a separate bowl, mix cool whip and vanilla until smooth. Refrigerate.

Step 3: Bake the biscuits according to package directions.

Step 4: Make the shortcakes. When biscuits have finished cooking split biscuits down the center into two pieces. Place the bottom half of the biscuits in a serving bowl and top with vanilla whip cream then top with strawberry slices. Add the biscuit top, add more whipped cream and finish with 2-3 strawberry slices on the very top. Serve immediately.

What's For Lunch?

2011-04-05T15:06:00.003-04:00

I'm so proud of myself and wanted to share. I have been a fast food junkie for a long, long time. It's so quick and easy to go through a drive thru... especially during a rushed lunch hour. I've recently cut way back on this little vice. I'm bringing my breakfast and lunch most days now and thought I'd document it on the blog to keep me motivated.

Yesterday's lunch was tuna salad, crackers, dried apricots, a banana and water to drink.

Today I had no time for pictures but I had leftovers from last night including Spanish rice topped with chicken seasoned with Mexican spices and shredded cheddar cheese. It was good!

chicken noodle soup

2011-03-05T14:29:00.002-05:00

This was a crockpot soup that was so tasty I just finished the last bowl. Slow cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts in stock in a box and

poultry seasoning with a cup of mixed veggies. We also threw some pasta in at the end. I've had a cold all week so this was a nice comforting meal.

Chicken Quesadillas

2011-03-04T11:48:00.003-05:00

For a while, we had quesadillas at least once every week. I really like the mix of spices on the chicken and the crispy edges of the tortilla! Chicken breasts cut into small pieces and seasoned with a mixture of cumin, chili powder, salt, garlic powder and onion powder. We added Spanish rice, diced tomatoes and fresh spinach leaves.

True Story

2011-02-25T14:32:00.003-05:00

I'm still couponing but haven't found any recent great deals lately, how about you?

I only cooked dinner 2x's this week and it was stuff I've already posted in the past (tater tot casserole and breakfast for dinner, if you are curious).

True story for the day...I wake up WAY too early on workdays. I got up earlier this week and headed to the bathroom to take my morning shower. I walked out into the hallway and couldn't remember where the light switch was. I just stood there looking around wondering where in the world it was. We have lived in this house for FIVE years people. Dear Brain, please come back soon. I miss you.

TGIF!!!

Kroger

2011-02-01T09:38:00.004-05:00

So, Sunday I bought a newspaper to clip some coupons and headed over to Kroger's for my weekly grocery shopping. Right now they are having a mega event and have lots of 10 for $10 items. I stocked up on canned and frozen vegetables, bottled water, Campbell's soup and Kroger brand cheeses.

With the mega event and some coupons I was able to save approximately $30. However, I have a ways to go before I am a savings pro. My total bill was still over $200!! Although, that will save us from having to run to the grocery store for several weeks but still that seems like quite a bit to spend.

Next time maybe I'll take a picture of my finds to pretty up this post! : )

Savings

2011-01-28T15:51:00.002-05:00

I have always been the type of person to shop sales and look for deals. I am now beginning to get into couponing and paying attention to grocery store special events. I've already started saving us some money which is a really good thing! Recently Target was having a special promotion where you buy 2 boxes of Pampers and get a $10 gift card for free. I used the $10 gift card to purchase wipes which made a huge box of wipes only $1!! That's exciting people...baby stuff is expensive!

Here are some of my favorite sites and deals:

Coupon.com - you can print coupons without having to log in and create an account. New deals every day.

Southern Savers - love this blog and now have it saved in my google reader for quick access.

Retail me not - coupon and promotional codes that really work!

Amazon - low prices, lots of good deals on used books, special features for even greater savings, and free shipping on most of my purchases.

Kroger mega events - love the 10 for 10 sales and Kroger always have the best produce.

2010 Christmas Dinner - Beef Roast

2010-12-25T17:25:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas surrounded by good food, family traditions and a holiday filled with God's peace!

Lasagna Soup

2010-12-16T11:38:00.004-05:00

I really wasn't in the mood to cook last night but I'm so glad I did because this soup turned out so well.

one pound ground beef

one cup spaghetti sauce

one can of diced tomatoes

one tablespoon tomato paste

a dash of Italian seasoning

one box of beef broth

one cup of rotini pasta

shredded mozzarella cheese for topping

Brown the ground beef in a large pot. Add all other ingredients except pasta, bring to a boil then simmer for thirty minutes. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Serve with a generous helping of mozzarella cheese.

Potato Salad

2010-12-14T04:50:00.004-05:00

This weekend I made potato salad in an effort to use up some potatoes we had in the pantry leftover from our big Thanksgiving grocery trip. I searched through several cooking blogs and combined a few recipes.

3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 heaping tablespoons of mustard

3 heaping tablespoons of mayo

salt, pepper and paprika

a small garlic dill pickle, finely diced

1 tablespoon of onion, finely diced

1 hard boiled egg, finely diced

Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until fork tender. Drain and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. Pour into a large bowl and add remaining ingredients. Stir well, taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Chill until ready to serve.

This week's meal plan

2010-12-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

Monday - breakfast for dinner (bacon, eggs, potatoes, fruit salad)

Tuesday - lasagna soup (because I didn't make it last week)

Wednesday - tuna noodle casserole

Thursday - sweet and sour chicken

Friday - take out night!

Sausage, Zuchinni and Rice Skillet

2010-12-12T13:09:00.000-05:00

I didn't have time to take a picture of this meal but it turned out surprisingly good for something thrown together in less than ten minutes.

Sausage, Zuchinni, and Rice

The Ingredients

1 zuchinni, diced

1 beef smoked sausage, sliced

1 package of Uncle Ben's Garden Vegetable Ready Rice second rice mix

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

In a medium skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced zuchinni and saute until soft. Transfer to a bowl. Wipe skillet, add sausage and cook until brown. Cook rice according to package instructions. Add rice and zuchinni to sausage,mix well and serve immediately.

Vanilla French Toast

2010-12-11T05:07:00.001-05:00

This is the first time I've made french toast at home and it was so quick and easy. I actually had this for dinner one night and had everything ready in less than five minutes.

two slices of bread

one teaspoon of vanilla

one egg

a pinch of cinnamon

a pinch of nutmeg

a pinch of sugar

one tablespoon of butter

Heat a frying pan to medium, add butter and let it melt while you prepare the egg mixture. In a small bowl, crack the egg and whisk it. Add vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and blend. Soak each slice of bread in the egg then transfer them to a pan to brown on each side. Sprinkle with sugar. Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit.

Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips

2010-12-09T21:14:00.000-05:00

I love tortilla chips - that crunchy, salty goodness is my favorite snack. I have a package of corn tortillas that need to be used so I made homemade chips today to go with some leftover chicken chili. They were pretty tasty and so quick to make. I cut the tortillas into quarters and fried them in vegetable oil for about a minute, turning them once. While the chips drained on papertowels I sprinkled them with seasoned salt. So good.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

2010-12-09T07:02:00.001-05:00

This recipe comes from Lauren's Kitchen blog and has been starred in google reader for a long time. After our weekend grocery trip I realized I had everything on hand to finally make this. I decided to leave out the peppers and onions this time as my crockpot was already full from the other ingredients. This makes a lot of servings. I also didn't add milk - it just sounded better without it. Here's what I did.

one can of enchilada sauce

one can of black beans

one can of fire roasted tomatoes

one can of cream of chicken soup

one cup of corn

half a box of chicken stock

three chicken breasts

All the ingredients go into the crockpot on low for eight hours. Right before I served this I pulled the chicken out and shredded it and put it back into the pot. A little cheddar cheese on top and dinner is ready!

Tuna Melt

2010-12-08T05:00:00.001-05:00

2 cans of tuna, water drained

1 small dill pickle, diced

1 tablespoon of mayo

1 hard boiled egg diced

freshly ground black pepper

sub rolls

provolone cheese

Mix tuna, mayo, egg and pepper together. Spoon onto sub rolls and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts. Serve with a pickle. I also included roasted Brussels sprouts for a veggie.

French Dip Sandwiches

2010-12-07T04:44:00.000-05:00

The inspiration for this recipe came from a great food blog that I visit daily - Eat at Home. Tiffany always shares yummy recipes. This one caught my eye because my husband loves french dips and it can be made in the slow cooker. Here's my take on the recipe:

1 pound cubed steak

1/2 of an onion, sliced

1 cup of beef broth

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

freshly ground black pepper

sub rolls

provolone cheese

butter

cooking spray

I started out by spraying my crockpot with cooking spray and then added the sliced onions. I placed the cubed steaks on top of the onions hoping that they would soak up lots of flavor. Next came the beef broth and the worcestershire sauce. The last step was a little pepper on top of the steaks before placing the lid on top of the crockpot. I cooked this on high for 3 hours and then lowered the heat until my husband got home from work, about 3 additional hours. Before serving, spread butter on the sub rolls (I melted about a tablespoon for two sandwiches) and toast the bread for a few minutes. Add the beef and onions to the toated bread, top with cheese and broil to allow the cheese to melt. Spoon the liquids from the crockpot into a ramikin or a small bowl for dipping. We really enjoyed these sandwiches.

Meal Plan

2010-12-06T06:29:00.002-05:00

Monday - french dip sandwiches in the crockpot

Tuesday - chicken enchilada soup

Wednesday - tuna salad sandwiches

Thursday - turkey breast and cornbread

Friday - lasagna soup

I am trying several new recipes this week that I hope will turn out well. I've also included a few favorites. Kroger is having a really good deal on tuna right now in case anyone is interested in stocking up!

Breakfast for dinner

2010-12-03T05:25:00.002-05:00

I had planned to make some kind of cheesy potato dish last night for dinner but ran out of time to search for a recipe. Instead my husband made a quick breakfast for dinner. Lately this is our go to meal.

Vegetable Soup

2010-12-01T22:10:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we had a few snow flurries. It was definitely a day to bundle up. I was glad that soup was on the menu!

Homemade Pancakes

2010-12-01T11:45:00.000-05:00

My husband made pancakes last weekend for breakfast from scratch. Yum!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T10:25:00.002-05:00

I'm a little behind on my blogging but trying to catch up this morning. This is my plate of Thanksgiving Day goodies. From the top of the plate: sweet potato casserole, sliced ham, cornbread muffin, corn nibblets, creamy mashed potatoes, turkey and green beans. I had two plates plus a slice of pumpkin cake that I don't have a picture of.

Menu Plan

2010-11-29T06:41:00.002-05:00

Monday - meatballs, sauce and angel hair pasta with broccoli

Tuesday - ground beef and bean chili with cornbread

Wednesday - vegetable soup

Thursday - something with potatoes?

Friday - dinner out

We'll grocery shop this weekend so the menu plan for this week is all about cleaning out the fridge.

Funny how life changes...

2010-11-27T15:10:00.002-05:00

when you have a baby. Gone are the days of enjoying the process of planning a meal, taking my time cooking said meal and sitting down to eat and enjoy it. I'm not complaining...I know I'll get a chance to cook again one day. It is kind of funny though that the lunch I just "made" consisted of:

a snack bag of microwave popcorn
an apple
a slice of chedddar cheese
a bottle of water

Ha! So gourmet.

Menu Plan

2010-11-21T08:00:00.002-05:00

Here is my menu plan for the week.

Sunday - Pasta e Fagioli soup in the crockpot with toasted bread

Monday - Hot dogs and chips

Tuesday - Breakfast for dinner

Wednesday - ?

Thursday - Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday - Dinner out

Surviving

2010-11-18T14:30:00.002-05:00

I am happy to report that I have actually stuck to a menu plan this week and feel like we are getting used to life with baby. So far this week we had homemade vegetable soup, tater tot casserole and breakfast for dinner. On the menu for tonight we are having chicken and rice with some kind of veggie (either sauteed zuchinni or steamed carrots). That is if our little ladybug doesn't cry while I'm cooking. Wish me luck!

I also didn't realize I had a few questions in the comments. girlville - I did toaast the breadcrumbs on the fish recipe I posted. !nd, Sandy the lips on the Halloween cupckes were gummy caandies that Ifound at Target.

Deviled Eggs

2010-11-17T15:43:00.000-05:00

Boil 6 eggs ( I like to use Rachael Ray's recipe for perfectly boiled eggs).
When the eggs are done, slice in half and separate the whites from the yolks.
Combine 1/2 cup of yellow mustard, 1/2 cup of mayo and yolks.
Add the yolk mixture evenly to the egg whites.
Sprinkle with paprika.

This is my family's recipe for deviled eggs and we usually have them at Thanksgiving and Easter. I like to serve them with crunchy dill pickle spears. Makes a great low carb snack or a pretty party appetizer.

Salsa Tilapia

2010-11-13T16:27:00.000-05:00

For a quick dinner purchase tilapia fillets, top with a few heaping tablespoons of your favorite salsa and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders

2010-11-09T15:42:00.000-05:00

For a while I was on a low carb kick where I tried to search for recipes that were healthy and had very little breading. Oh bread, how I love you! Low carb diets have always worked for me in terms of losing or maintaining weight but it's awfully hard for me to stick to a diet of any kind for very long. Especially when I come home from work and want to drown my tiredness in a big bowl of nachos.

So, I was delighted to find this recipe for chicken tenders. Chicken tenders just sound unhealthy, don't they? I immediately think of fried goodness with a little buffalo sauce added on for good measure. But these chicken tenders are surprisingly tasty! The recipe can be found here. You could use canola oil and just egg whites if you want to.

Seafood Supper

2010-11-06T15:46:00.000-04:00

This is a pretty dark picture but an easy supper of boiled shrimp with lemon, baked flounder fillets crusted with toasted breadcrumbs, asparagus and tomato slices.

Crispy Chicken Legs

2010-11-03T16:19:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else remember Shake and Bake from their childhood? We didn't really eat it when I was younger but I still remember the cheesy commercials for it. And, who knew that it's still around today? I found a really good deal on chicken legs at the store and was looking for something different to season them with. I found a recipe for "Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken Legs" and wondered if it would be any good. It turned out pretty tasty.

Halloween Cupcakes

2010-10-31T15:44:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween! We don't get too into Halloween at our house. But it's always fun to decorate a bit and make something yummy. Usually in October I make cupcakes decorated with Halloween candies. This is a really fun activity to do with kids.

1 box of Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake (my favorite!!)
1 can of white buttercream frosting
Halloween candies
Cupcake holders with Halloween print

Cook the cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes. Let cool then top with frosting and fun candies.

My favorite cupcakes are from a few years ago when I found gummy vampire fangs. I only wish I had a little bit of red food coloring to add for extra spookiness.

Easy Peach Pie

2010-10-26T16:18:00.000-04:00

I found this recipe for peach pie on the Taste of Home community forums. It turned out great and was so much faster than making a pie from scratch!

Easy Peach Pie

1 package of pre-rolled pie crust
1 can sliced peaches
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of nutmeg

1 to 2 tablespoons of butter (enough to grease the bottom of the pie pan and to add a few pats on top of the crust)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Move the prepared bottom crust into a buttered 8 inch pie pan, pinch and shape into place. Put in peaches and juice from 1 can and sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Top with a prepared purchased top crust, pinch and shape over bottom crust to seal. Cut slits and sprinkle lightly with sugar and a few pats of butter. Place in the oven and bake until brown and bubbly. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

2010-10-23T16:18:00.000-04:00

I love comfort food! I've always been a fan of good, southern-style casseroles or things that make me think of family. This recipe for tuna noodle casserole reminds me of my mom. We had tuna a lot growing up because it was cheap and easy.

I made just a few changes to the recipe. I used shell pasta instead of egg noodles - equally as good - and cut down the amount of bread crumbs to less than 1/2 a cup.

Oven Roasted Bacon

2010-10-21T16:13:00.000-04:00

I've never been much of a breakfast person until recently. Now, I could eat scrambled eggs with cheese, pancakes and bacon at least once a week. Bacon reminds me of being a little girl in my grandmother's kitchen. I just love the smell of it and how it stirs up memories from years past. This version by Ina Garten calls for roasting bacon in the oven. It's fabulous!

Tailgating Food: Chili and Fixings

2010-10-18T11:17:00.000-04:00

We have been watching quite a bit of football this season. Sorry to say it hasn't been a really great season to watch college football around here. But, that's no reason not to indulge in a few tailgating favorites!

During the Fall I like to make chili. We usually have it with Hebrew Nationals or we add in Fritos and cheese. It's a favorite at our house.

Spicy Beef and Bean Chili

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons cumin

1 can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon diced jalapeño

1 can dark red kidney beans, drained

1 can light red kidney beans, drained

1 can chili hot beans

1 box beef stock (or you could use water)

In a large pot, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Add in onion and cook for a few minutes until it begins to get soft. Add in all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Chicken and Zucchini Stir Fry

2010-10-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

Thank goodness that the weekend is almost here. For some reason the work week has gone by SO slowly. Today feels like Fall and I hope it plans to stick around for a while!

Today's recipe is stir-fried chicken and zucchini. Yum! This was cooked in a mix of ginger, garlic, hot pepper flakes and soy sauce. Brown rice on the side. We used to have this just about once a week because it cooks up so quickly.

Happy Weekend!

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

2010-10-13T06:43:00.000-04:00

Things that are on my mind at the moment:

No matter what, this baby will make her appearance in less than 2 weeks!
Currently, it feels like she is training for a future on Dancing with the Stars. She moves like crazy. Maybe she'll have more rhythm than her mom!
We had some nice cool weather for all of a week and now its back to hot and stuffy.
I'm ready for real Fall weather that lasts a while, comfy clothes that won't make me hot, being able to wear boots and crockpot meals.
I can't get over how generous everyone has been to us this year. It has really made me appreciate the people in my life. Makes me want to be a better person and more of a giver.
So excited for Christmas this year! And, we've already started a little bit of our shopping.

Speaking of the crockpot, this recipe comes from Betty Crocker and can be found here. I made this for my husband one of the first Valentines Day we shared together after we were married. It's a very healthy meal as well so you won't feel guilty going back for seconds!

Doggie Birthday "Cake"

2010-10-11T15:50:00.000-04:00

Every good pup deserves a birthday celebration. Our dog was born in March and I have such a hard time remembering to celebrate her birthday. I think about it all the time but when the actual day comes around I totally forget. Here's a quick and easy way to make it up to your dog when you forget her special day. (Yes, I know some of you out there probably think this is absolutely crazy...and that's OK!).

4 dog treats
A quick squirt of whipped cream
A little bit of sprinkles
A birthday candle

Shape the treats in the form of your dog's initials. Add whipped cream and sprinkles. Light candle and sing happy birthday to your dog like a crazy person. Blow out candle and remove before getting this any where near your dog. Then, let that pup go to down. She/he will love you forever.

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Ice Cream

2010-10-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Saturday! Hope everyone is doing something fun and enjoying a nice weekend. We are just finishing up a few last details on the nursery and I'm trying to stay calm and peaceful before the big day arrives! During this pregnancy I have craved ice cream like nobody's business. Maybe it was the unusually hot summer we had? I just can't seem to get enough of it. However, the doctor's office scale is saying maybe I should put a hold on the ice cream for now.

But, this recipe for chocolate raspberry truffle ice cream sounds SO good to me. I'm saving it here so I'll remember to try to make this next year when it begins to warm up again. Until then, Brusters will work just fine for me.

Malboro Man's Steak Sandwich

2010-10-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

We are getting ready for the arrival of a cute little baby very, very soon! It's an exciting time for sure and I'm checking off lots of stuff on our to do list. The one thing that has not been getting done is making dinners at home. Even though the temperature outside has been dropping this soon-to-bemomma is still hot all of the time. Standing at a stove cooking is the very last thing I want to be doing at 9 months pregnant.

So, for the next several weeks many of my posts will be "recycled". Meaning, I think I've mentioned them before but they were so good they are worthy of another post!

With that said, today's meal is a good one. This sandwich from Pioneer Woman's blog has quickly become a family favorite. It is so good! But not so good for you so I honestly don't make it too often. Since Christmas is coming up soon I've been wondering if I should add Ree's cookbook to my wish list. Does anyone have it already? If so, does it include any recipes that can't be found on her blog?

Italian Pot Roast

2010-10-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Today I am participating in a new recipe link-up over at A Love Worth Waiting For.

This is the easiest roast to make. Take a 4 pound roast and season with salt and pepper. Place in a greased slow cooker. Add about 1/2 cup of beef broth. Top with 1 can of Italian style diced tomatoes. Cook on low 8 hours or until meat begins to fall apart when checked with a fork.

We love to have this in the Fall and Winter months with whole green beans and crescent rolls. So good and easy!

Spicy Chicken Parm

2010-09-30T15:44:00.000-04:00

1 can fire roasted tomatoes, crushed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 thin cut chicken breasts
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound whole wheat angel hair pasta
4 slices mozzarella cheese

Combine tomatoes, garlic and Italian seasoning over medium high heat in a sauce pan.

Sauté chicken breasts in olive oil until juices run clear.

Spoon out a little bit of the tomato sauce onto each chicken breast.

Top each chicken breast with cheese and let melt.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Add the remaining tomato sauce to cooked pasta and stir well.

Serve pasta topped with chicken.

London Broil with Mushrooms

2010-09-25T15:46:00.000-04:00

I found this recipe on Rachael Ray's website. The only thing I added to it was the mushroom slices on top.

Turn broiler on.
Brush meat with Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Cook London broil on top rack for six minutes on each side, for medium doneness.
Remove meat from broiler and let it rest five minutes.

Pan Fried Tilapia

2010-09-20T17:47:00.000-04:00

At our house, we like tilapia quit a bit. But sometimes I have trouble finding the wild caught variety that is so much better for you than the farm raised version. When I can find a good deal I like to make it two different ways. My favorite is Salsa Tilapia (topping fillets with a generous spoonful of salsa and roasting at high heat for a few minutes). My second favorite way to prepare it is pan fried. I used this recipe from food network as a starting point for the fried fish but decided to leave out the garlic and parsley.

Boiled Shrimp with Asian Seasonings

2010-09-15T15:40:00.005-04:00

This recipe is similar to a stir-fry except that the shrimp is boiled in a large pot of water first. We left the tails on and added the shrimp to the top of a stir fry mixture of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, green onion slices, cooked brown rice and peas.

Rice-a-Roni Recipe

2010-09-10T17:31:00.000-04:00

When I was in middle school I had a friend who used to live off of Rice-a-Roni. Seriously, she could eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I haven't had it since those days and usually buy the standard brown rice from Uncle Ben's. But, I found a good bargain on 2 boxes of the chicken flavored rice and thought I'd try to make it work for dinner. The end result was pretty tasty. This recipe would also make a good chicken fried rice dish with a little bit of scrambled egg added in.

Rice-a-Roni Chicken, Rice and Veggies

1 large chicken breast, diced into small pieces

2 boxes of chicken flavored Rice-a-Roni

5 cups of water

1 tablespoon of canola oil

1 cup of mixed vegetables

4 tablespoons of butter

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add in the rice mix and cook until brown, stirring often. Once the rice is golden brown, slowly stir in the water and vegetables. Reduce heat and let simmer on low with a lid on the pan for approximately 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm canola oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Add in diced chicken and cook until juices run clear.

When water is absorbed from the rice remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork and add in the chicken. Makes a ton of food and is great for leftovers.

Fried Okra

2010-09-08T17:53:00.000-04:00

As a kid I never liked okra. My grandmother made it quite a bit but I just never could eat it. My taste buds must be changing because I really liked this version of fried okra. I'm glad to add another veggie to my list of "will eat". Now I plan to experiment more with okra to see how else I might like it.

Most fried okra recipes will tell you to beat an egg in a small bowl and coat the okra in it before you add the cornmeal breading. My grandmother always did this and it does help the breading stick. But, I decided to leave the egg out and replace this step with water. You could easily add the egg in if you like more of a crispy coating on the okra. Without the egg you still get a little bit of a crunch but you can taste the okra - not just the breading.

Fried Okra

1/2 cup canola oil
10 pods of okra
1 cup of cornmeal
A pinch of salt
A heavy pinch of black pepper

In a large saute pan, heat oil to medium. Wash each pod of okra well and cut off the very top and bottom of each piece. Do not pat dry. Cut okra into 1/4 each slices. In a small bowl, mix cornmeal, salt and pepper. Dip each wet piece of okra into the cornmeal mixture. Shake off excess cornmeal and place the okra slices into the hot pan. Cook the okra for about 10 to 15 minutes until all sides are brown and crispy. The okra should be tender on the inside.

Mexican Fiesta Burgers

2010-09-07T17:30:00.000-04:00

We recently discovered Grill Mates seasoning packets made by McCormick. I usually try to make my own seasonings and skip a lot of the salt and preservatives. But, their Mexican Fiesta mix is too good to pass up. This is what the packet looks like. And, I'm not being paid to plug this product...I just really like it!

Over Labor Day weekend we made cheeseburgers using the marinade mix and had roasted potatoes as a side. I'm loving cheeseburgers right now (if you haven't noticed by the many burger posts as of late). The best part was that dinner was ready in about 30 minutes and was full of flavor. The burgers had a taco-like taste to them.

This is a terrible picture of our dinner but what a great burger!

Mexican Fiesta Burgers

Mix a pound of ground beef with about 1/2 of the Mexican Fiesta seasoning packet.
Divide the meat into fourths and form into four patties.
Over medium heat, cook the patties in a saute pan until cooked to your preference.
Top with a slice of cheese (we used sharp cheddar but Monterey Jack would be good too).

Roasted Potato Wedges

2010-08-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

These potatoes make a great, healthy side dish. Leave the skin on for added fiber.

Roasted Potato Wedges

3 large Russet potatoes, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons of olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley or 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. On a large baking sheet, spread out the potato wedges into an even layer. Coat potatoes with oil, salt, pepper and parsley. Roast potatoes for 30 to 35 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Cheeseburgers

2010-08-20T14:00:00.001-04:00

I have blogged about the wonderful cheeseburgers my husband makes - click here to see the first post. They are always juicy and full of flavor. But, I did't share an exact recipe the last time. Since this blog is a cooking scrapbook of sorts for me, I wanted to write it down so I can remember how to make them too. This recipe will make four burgers.

Awesome Cheeseburgers

1 pound of lean ground beef
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper
4 slices extra sharp cheddar cheese
4 hamburger buns
4 slices of tomato
4 leaves of red Boston lettuce
1/2 tablespoon of oil
1/2 tablespoon of butter

In a large sauce pan, add the oil and butter over medium heat. While the butter melts begin mixing the ingredients for the burgers. In a large bowl add the meat, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper. Combine with your hands until all the meat is throughly mixed with spices. Divide meat into four patties. Cook over medium until lightly brown on both sides and no longer pink in the middle. Add cheese to each burger and let melt. Add on toppings and buns and serve.

Chipotle Chicken Sandwich

2010-08-19T11:58:00.000-04:00

During the work week my husband loves to go to a little restaurant in a nearby town for their Chipotle chicken sandwiches. This is his at-home version.

Chipotle Chicken Sandwiches

1 chicken breast, about 1 inch thick
1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
2 slices of bacon

Toppings:

2 slices of avocado
1 leaf of Boston lettuce
1 slice of tomato on the vine
Your favorite chipotle seasoning mix
1 slice provolone cheese
Mayo
Whole wheat hamburger buns

Coat the chicken breast in the Chipotle mix. on each side Fry the chicken breast over medium heat in the vegetable oil, about 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a separate pan until crispy.

Once the meats are finished cooking assemble your sandwich with toppings. Enjoy!

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Sandwich

2010-08-18T17:00:00.000-04:00

Our meals have been really simple lately. It's just too hot outside to do much cooking. For lunch one day I made a grilled cheese sandwich with extra sharp cheddar and added a slice of tomato-on-the-vine.

My husband and I make grilled cheese sandwiches differently. I melt butter in the pan first, then add the bread, cheese, additional toppings, another slice of bread and cook until golden brown on both sides. He spreads butter on the pieces of bread and then puts it all in the pan and flattens it with a spatula. Both ways are good.

How do you make your grilled cheese?

Creamy Steak and Rice

2010-08-12T12:43:00.003-04:00

This is a "throw-it-all-together" kind of recipe. I had some cubed steak in the fridge that needed to be cooked but I didn't want to make it the same old way I usually do. This is what I came up with.

This would make a great Fall or Winter supper (which means my kitchen got really hot while I made this. I'm going to let it cool down outside before trying this one out again).

Creamy Steak and Rice

2 cubed steaks, sliced into thin strips
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 large tomato, cut into chunks
1/2 stick of butter
1 boil in bag 10 minute rice
pepper
Worcestershire sauce

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté them for a few minutes until they are tender. Remove onions from the pan. Add in the steak strips and season with pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Let the steak strips brown on one side then flip them over to brown the other side. Once brown, add the onions back to the pan with the meat, lower the temperature and cover with a lid for 10-15 minutes. This allows the steak to get nice and tender. In the meantime, cook your rice according to package directions. After 10 minutes remove the lid and check the meat. If it easily cuts with a fork it's ready for the creamy sauce. Add in the mushroom soup and the tomato and bring the pan back up to medium heat. Let it boil for a few minutes to heat everything through. Spoon out rice into a bowl and top with the meat mixture.

Southern Fried Pork Chops

2010-08-11T08:25:00.006-04:00

I'm pretty sure it doesn't get more southern than this...fried pork chops. My husband was in heaven with this meal. We had this for dinner but it would also be good for a hearty, southern-style breakfast or brunch. Paula Deen would be proud!

Southern Fried Pork Chops

6 thin cut pork chops
2 eggs
1 cup of flour
1/4 cup half and half
salt and black pepper
1/2 of a stick of butter

Slowly melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. While the butter is melting, place the flour in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. (All according to how much seasoning you like. I go light on the salt and heavy on the black pepper.) In a second bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Dip each pork chop in the egg mixture, then into the flour making sure both sides of the chop are coated. Shake off excess flour and place the pork chops in the skillet. Cook the chops for 3 minutes on each side until they are golden brown.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

2010-08-09T08:49:00.003-04:00

**edited - the recipe source is Betty Crocker

I can't remember where I found this recipe for chicken tortilla casserole but it sounded really good. Going back through my Google Reader I don't see it anywhere. If I find the original source I'll come back to this post and update it. Until then, here is the recipe as I remember it.

side note - this one was a little disappointing to me. It was soupier than I would have liked.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

2 and 1/2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup half and half
1 can of diced green chiles (4 oz.)
1 tomato, diced
8 oz of shredded Mexican cheese blend (reserve half for topping)
8 corn tortillas, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients (except the 4 oz. of cheese reserved for the topping) together in a large bowl. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Add in chicken mixture. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes. Remove foil, add reserved cheese and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Steak Nachos

2010-08-06T09:17:00.004-04:00

One of my very favorite things in life is a big plate of nachos. We've been making Mexican food at home a lot the past few months. It's so easy to make and much cheaper than going out. For last night's dinner we had nachos with fajita steak strips. Yum!

And, just in case you thought I was kidding about my love of nachos just click below to see how many times I've tried to come up with new ways to have them at home.

Chicken Chili Nachos

Beef Roast Nachos

Shredded Chicken Nachos

BLT

2010-08-05T16:59:00.002-04:00

No recipe needed with this post! Nothing like the goodness of a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich.

Peanut Crusted Chicken Nuggets

2010-08-04T09:16:00.003-04:00

Another husband-made meal! I don't have a specific recipe for this one but it sure was good. He used a mix of crushed roasted peanuts, breadcrumbs and egg for the coating.

I think this would be great with a homemade honey mustard dipping sauce.

Chicken, chicken, chicken...

2010-07-28T08:19:00.003-04:00

Is it obvious yet that one of our local grocery stores has a really good deal on chicken? I feel like it's all we ever eat anymore. But, we're trying to come up with new ways to make it so it doesn't get too boring.

This is the husband's creation. Chicken bites with a store bought chipotle mustard sauce. The homemade mashed potatoes were the best part!

Cubed Steak

2010-07-27T08:13:00.004-04:00

This dinner reminds me of my grandmother. When I was a little girl she made cubed steaks quite a bit and this is her recipe. Brings back memories. I served these with thick slices of fresh garden tomatoes and baked potatoes.

Cubed Steak

2 cubed steaks
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of water
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Salt
Pepper

Pour flour in a wide bowl or plate and add salt and pepper to your liking. Mix well. Coat both sides of each steak in the flour. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the oil. Add the steaks and brown each side well. Lower the heat to a simmer, add in the water and put a tight fitting lid over the pan. Steam the steaks for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Pizza Chicken

2010-07-24T14:53:00.004-04:00

This recipe turned out really yummy. It reminded me of chicken parmesan without the breading and frying. I served mine with penne pasta topped with extra sauce and a side of green beans.

Pizza Chicken

3 chicken breasts

PAM spray

1 jar of pizza sauce (I used Ragu)

1/2 cup shredded Mozzerella cheese

Spray a casserole dish with PAM. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken breasts in a large Ziploc bag and pound to approximately 1 inch thickness. Place in the casserole dish and bake approximately 40 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove chicken from oven and pour sauce and cheese on top. Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes or until sauce is hot and cheese is melted.

Shrimp Dinner

2010-07-21T13:49:00.003-04:00

Such a creative title for this post, am I right? ha, ha

So, last night I got really lazy and we had Burger King for dinner. This dinner pic is actually from the night before thanks to my husband who peeled, deveined and cooked up a pound of shrimp. I made the cooked carrots and slaved over cooking the french fries/tater tot combo. *sarcasm*

Thank goodness my husband knows how to cook and actually likes to do it or we would be eating carrots and tater tots every night (or Burger King, I'm not sure which is worse).

The shrimp were perfect, buttery, lemony bites with paprika sprinkled on top. YUM.

Tonight we are having chicken because:

I have put off making said chicken the whole week long and it's needs to be eaten
We are trying to not eat out at all during the week and as little as possible on the weekends
I need to make an attempt at eating something fairly healthy today since I've already had 2 donuts in less than 8 hours.

Two Bean Tortilla Soup

2010-07-19T08:18:00.002-04:00

Our weekend was packed with errands, getting ready for baby and church. We are making lots of progress on the nursery!

I did manage to cook a few things in between. Last night's dinner was easy thanks to our Crockpot.

Two Bean Tortilla Soup

1 can of black beans, drained

1 can of red kidney beans, drained

1 can of diced tomatoes with juice

1/2 cup frozen corn

14 oz. chicken stock in a box

1 chicken breast

Your favorite tortilla soup mix

PAM spray

Toppings:

Tortilla chips

Shredded cheese

Spray the Crockpot with PAM. Add in all ingredients except the toppings. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Shred the chicken breast right before serving. Top each soup bowl with tortilla chips and cheese.

Who Needs A Fancy Meal....

2010-07-16T06:34:00.000-04:00

when you can have a peanut butter sandwich picnic instead?

Lemon Butter Chicken Bites

2010-07-14T07:41:00.005-04:00

My husband was nice of enough to make us dinner last night. Yeah! All I had to do was throw a salad together. No cooking equals me not having to be hot. Always a win-win when it's summertime AND you're pregnant.

He decided to make fried potatoes (which are similar to home fries and very, very good) with sautéed chicken.

The chicken was seasoned with lemons, butter, paprika and onion powder. The combination of flavors worked so well together and you could really taste the lemon. It had a nice, fresh summery flavor.

Lemon Butter Chicken Bites

3 chicken breasts, cut into small bites
Canola oil
4 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of paprika

Melt butter in a small bowl and stir in onion powder and paprika. Coat each piece of chicken in the butter mixture. In a saute pan, heat the oil to medium and add the chicken. Cook the chicken until no longer pink and golden brown.

Quick Cooking: Baby Carrots

2010-07-13T09:27:00.005-04:00

After a not so healthy lunch yesterday I was really craving veggies for dinner. Roasted Brussels sprouts, baby carrots and brown rice sounded just right.

You can look here to see the last time I made roasted Brussels sprouts. I always use Ina's recipe.

I love carrots in all cooking styles (must be the carb addict in me). I remember as a little girl I would pick carrot sticks over lots of other snack choices because they tasted so sweet. Here's what I do to quickly cook baby carrots:

Take approximately 15 baby carrots and wash well
In a small saucepan, boil about a 1/2 cup of water
Place carrots in the pan and cover with a tight fitting lid
Continue to boil for approximately 10 minutes or until carrots are just becoming fork tender
Drain all the water
Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter and mix well
Serve immediately

Baked Barbecue Chicken

2010-07-12T08:27:00.003-04:00

We had a relaxing weekend and didn't do too much of anything. It was nice. Saturday night I made dinner - BBQ chicken breasts, baked potatoes, and buttery corn. I'm usually not a big BBQ fan but I've been craving it lately. It hit the spot!

Baked Barbecue Chicken Breasts

-3 chicken breasts, pounded to approx. 1 inch in thickness

-1/2 tablespoon of poultry seasoning

-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

-Your favorite barbecue sauce

-olive oil spray

Spray a casserole dish with olive oil. Season the chicken with poultry seasoning and pepper on each side and place in the casserole dish. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. With a pastry brush, evenly spread barbecue sauce over each piece of chicken. Return to the oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until sauce has thinned a bit. Serve with your favorite BBQ sides.

Taco Night

2010-07-11T08:24:00.001-04:00

We love taco night at our house. We make all different kinds of tacos and wraps. This time we made a side dish of black beans with veggies that was sort of like a salsa black bean combination.

Salsa Black Beans

1/4 of an onion, diced

1 can of black beans, drained

2 tomatoes on the vine, diced

1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped

A splash of beef broth

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let simmer 5 minutes before serving.

This was good but next time I would add diced jalapeño or a pinch of cumin for a little extra seasoning.

Fried Chicken and Potatoes

2010-07-10T08:31:00.000-04:00

OK, so this is not the prettiest food picture I've ever taken but it was very tasty. My husband has been cooking quite a bit and he made this dinner for us one night this week. I promise we had vegetables too (steamed broccoli and baby carrots) but they weren't ready yet when I took the pic. The chicken was coated with flour, spices, egg and a bit of half & half. The potatoes were diced and pan fried in olive oil and spices. YUM!

Side note: Ketchup tastes so good to me right now. I could eat it on just about anything! Ah, pregnancy cravings.

Homemade Salsa

2010-07-08T08:15:00.001-04:00

My husband made a chunky salsa over the weekend and served it on whole wheat tortillas with a little bit of melted cheddar. I'm at that stage of pregnancy when I'm hungry all the time so this was a nice, quick and healthy treat.

Fast and Easy Salsa

2 tomatoes (we used on the vine)

1/4 of a yellow or white onion

1 small bunch of cilantro

Chop everything into a fine dice and mix well. Refrigerate for a bit before serving.

Blueberry Pancakes

2010-07-06T08:09:00.004-04:00

During the holiday weekend I got up early and made blueberry pancakes. They were so good...wish I had some right now! Instead of making my own pancake mix I used up what was left of our box of Hodgson Mill.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th!

Chicken for Dinner

2010-07-01T15:02:00.004-04:00

So far I have cooked dinner every night this week. It hasn't been anything extravagant or time - consuming. Last night we had salad with a pesto dressing, Crockpot chicken, and a side of Alfredo noodles.

I have made chicken in the Crockpot so many times. I love how tender it turns out and that it's ready when I get home from work. This chicken was slow cooked for about 8 hours with salt and pepper and a tiny bit of water in the bottom of the Crockpot (since I was out of chicken broth).

I think we are having chicken again tonight to use up the leftovers. I want to do something different with it. Any suggestions?

Craving of the Week

2010-06-15T13:11:00.004-04:00

I might want to look back and remember the weird food cravings I'm having right now. For instance, nothing sounds better than cheese pizza and baby carrots. Had this on 2 different days last week.

Wish I could say I made the pizza from scratch but I'm too hungry for that! Ha, ha!

Busy, busy

2010-06-08T09:09:00.005-04:00

I am taking full advantage of feeling good again and we are busily preparing for baby girl. We also took some time to take a little mini-vacation as I don't expect we'll be doing much of that in the next year or so!

And, it is so nice to be able to cook and eat whatever sounds good to me. Lately one of my favorites has been yummy scrambled eggs with cheese and buttered toast. I have this at least twice a week.

Additional cravings include:

- a good hamburger or steak

- orange juice

- watermelon

- sausage patties (this one is weird as I don't even like pork, go figure).

Happy Eating!!

I actually made dinner!

2010-05-27T08:31:00.004-04:00

The morning sickness is finally passing (hallelujah) and I made dinner last night for the first time since.... um, February! We had pork tenderloin made in the slow cooker as the main dish. I poured a little bit of beef stock in the bottom of the slow cooker to add some extra flavor to the pork and it turned out surprisingly good. I let it cook for 8 hours because I had to go to work but it probably would have been done by 6 hours. Steamed carrots and jasmine rice were our side dishes. It was a very simple, easy meal which worked out really well for me because I didn't have to stand around in the kitchen waiting for it to be ready. Hopefully, now I'll be able to cook again on a regular basis!

Later this year....

2010-05-21T10:29:00.001-04:00

we are having a baby girl!!!!

A Little Update

2010-05-17T12:48:00.003-04:00

I'm just getting over morning sickness at 18 weeks pregnant. Yes, I am taking all the sympathy you have to offer me!
Hopefully, this icky feeling will be completely gone very, very soon.
Even though I'm still kind of blah I am also extremely hungry just about 24/7. Very weird feeling.
No cooking of any kind what so ever has been done at my house in the longest time.
Unless you count cooking as heating something up in the microwave. And by something I mean something straight from a can to a bowl to the microwave. Because, we're fancy that way!
I have had some pretty funny pregnancy moments and have been contemplating blogging about them but just haven't yet. No energy! Maybe I'll sit down and write them all out someday.
I have also had some pretty irrational hormonal moments. I'm searching for just the right name for my hormones that is evil enough to refer to when I have one of those fun, hormonal moments. I'm taking suggestions. This is kind of a joke but kind of not.
We get to find out this week if it's a boy or a girl!!! What's your guess?

Bun in the Oven

2010-03-22T15:40:00.002-04:00

Sorry I haven't been around for quite a while now. But, I've been a little bit busy with another very important project.

Can anyone possibly guess what my little project might be??

One hint...it has made cooking nearly impossible for me lately.

Long time no blog...

2010-03-01T16:35:00.007-05:00

I haven't been cooking lately which means no new posts, no new recipes, no new photos. Hoping something will inspire me to get back to the kitchen soon!

Creamy Salmon Soup

2010-02-17T20:22:00.007-05:00

One of my cooking New Year's Resolutions is to add more seafood to my diet. Lent seems like a perfect time to do just that. Here's what we had for dinner on Ash Wednesday.

Creamy Salmon Soup

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/3 cup chopped carrot
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 12-ounce skinned salmon fillet, preferably wild-caught
3 tablespoons chopped fresh scallions 1large potato, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup half and half

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrot and potato and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables just begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth, water, salmon, and scallions and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, maintaining a gentle simmer, until the salmon is just cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the salmon to a clean cutting board. Flake into bite-size pieces with a fork. Stir in dill, garlic, cilantro and mustard into the soup until well blended. Return to a simmer. Add the salmon and reheat. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in milk and half and half. Serve immediately.

This makes about 4 servings. Recipe source is Eating Well's Salmon Chowder.

Poached Chicken

2010-02-16T06:53:00.002-05:00

In yesterday's recipe for chili I suggested using a poached boneless, skinless chicken breast. So today I thought I would share the recipe I use for making poached chicken. It is so simple. I follow this recipe and change up the flavorings depending on what I plan to use the chicken for. For example, since I used this chicken for a chili recipe I poached it with seasonings that would compliment the flavors of the chili. Here's what I did in 7 easy steps:

Step 1: Place chicken in a large pan. I used a soup pot.

Step 2: Add enough liquid to cover the chicken. I used a combination of chicken stock and water, about half of each.

Step 3: Add flavorings. I used freshly ground black pepper, slices of garlic, and hot red pepper flakes.

Step 4: Bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce the heat so that water is just barely bubbling.

Step 5: Cook on low for two minutes

Step 6: Turn off the heat and cover the pan.

Step 7: Let sit for 30 minutes.

You may think that using this process doesn't allow the chicken enough time to cook. When I first read it I thought, "2 minutes...there's no way the chicken will be done". But, the chicken will continue to cook as it sits for 30 minutes with the lid on the pan. I use this process any time I want to add shredded chicken to soups or casseroles. And, your kitchen will smell really good as the chicken cooks in the stock and seasonings!