Wow, long time no blog. I haven't been too handy in the kitchen in the last few weeks or months. I am going to try again starting today.
Monday: Pasta w/Spinach & Balsamic Tomatoes
Tuesday: Taco Salad, Cheese Quesadillas
Wednesday: French Dip Sandwiches, Fruit Salad
Thursday: Pan-Fried Tilapia, Rice, Green Beans
Friday: Pepperoni Pizza
Saturday: Out for dinner!
Now, let's see if I can stick to it. A couple of the recipes have been previously posted but I will try to get the french dip recipe posted this week - it is yummy.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
lazy beef & bean burritos
do yourself a favor. make these for dinner. tonight. tomorrow if you want but tonight would be better. they were so yummy and very filling. i didn't get a photo but look at the link below - i found this recipe on the pioneer woman website and i will let her tell you how to do it. it was really fast - less than 20 minutes. i served it with the uncle ben's microwavable spanish rice (thanks to my sister in law for telling me about that stuff) and we ate everything.
Get the recipe with photos here!
notes: i made the recipe with one pound of ground beef and used one large old el paso enchilada sauce. this still made 6 burrito rolls and a small rolled taco for colin - fed 3 adults and a toddler. i also used the shredded cheddar from a bag. what can i say - i was lazy tonight but it paid off anyway!
Get the recipe with photos here!
notes: i made the recipe with one pound of ground beef and used one large old el paso enchilada sauce. this still made 6 burrito rolls and a small rolled taco for colin - fed 3 adults and a toddler. i also used the shredded cheddar from a bag. what can i say - i was lazy tonight but it paid off anyway!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Pizza Bites
I recently discovered a new blog that I love! I got this recipe from Our Best Bites and you can find step by step instructions here. This was fast and really good - everyone liked this dinner and the filling possibilities are endless. We had pepperoni and hawaiian (canadian bacon & pineapple). I can't wait to try other fillings as I will definitely be making this fun dinner again.
Tip: I used block mozzarella cheese - how did I never know this even existed? It's right by the block cheddar/shredded cheeses. Just cut it up - I only used 1/4 block for 24 pizza bites so we have plenty left over for snack this week - score one for me.
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| taste test approved by my crazy little man. |
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Tortellini Soup
I saw a Giada recipe for tortellini soup last week and knew I wanted to make it for our "snow day". When I was looking at the recipe a second time I decided I wanted to change it a little bit and it was so good. My whole family loved this soup and between the 3 we ate a ton for dinner one night and then finished it off for lunch the next day. It was almost as easy as making soup out of a can - and a million times better!
Ingredients:
10 cups chicken broth (I bought 2 of the huge cartons of broth at the store)
2 9-ounce packages refrigerated tortellini
2. 5 cups fresh spinach (this was about half a bag)
fresh ground black pepper, salt, italian seasoning to taste.
Directions:
Bring chicken broth to a boil over high heat (I used my dutch oven - any type of heavy, deep pan will work). Add tortellini and let simmer over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Add spinach and seasonings and let simmer for another 2 - 3 minutes.
I topped it with a little bit of mozzarella/parmesan cheese mix - but I top pretty much everything with cheese. It was perfect on a cold night - warm and filling without being too heavy. I was worried it might be a little bland but it was yummy. You can always add chicken broth to leftovers if it is not soup-y enough for you.
Ingredients:
10 cups chicken broth (I bought 2 of the huge cartons of broth at the store)
2 9-ounce packages refrigerated tortellini
2. 5 cups fresh spinach (this was about half a bag)
fresh ground black pepper, salt, italian seasoning to taste.
Directions:
Bring chicken broth to a boil over high heat (I used my dutch oven - any type of heavy, deep pan will work). Add tortellini and let simmer over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Add spinach and seasonings and let simmer for another 2 - 3 minutes.
I topped it with a little bit of mozzarella/parmesan cheese mix - but I top pretty much everything with cheese. It was perfect on a cold night - warm and filling without being too heavy. I was worried it might be a little bland but it was yummy. You can always add chicken broth to leftovers if it is not soup-y enough for you.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Jalapeno Ranch Salad Dressing
One of our favorite meals around here is taco salad - we love it! I think what we love most about it is the jalapeno ranch salad dressing we put on top of it. This dressing is so good and you can put it on anything - salad and fish tacos go from pretty good to really delicious with this dressing. You can use it for up to 4 weeks and it comes together in about 3 minutes.
Ingredients:
2 cups ranch salad dressing (bottle/homemade)
2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed and seeded - cut in half
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
2 tbsp lime juice
Directions:
Place all ingredients in either a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
I don't really follow this recipe exactly - you can keep adding/blending until it's just right for your tastes. Example - I normally keep the seeds in one of the jalapenos because we like a little spice. Last week when I made this instead of my normal Hidden Valley Ranch in a bottle I made the 'homemade' ranch dressing using the Hidden Valley packet of mix/milk/mayo - that stuff is yummy!!!
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| I forgot to take a picture of everything in the blender, so this is the best I could do. |
Ingredients:
2 cups ranch salad dressing (bottle/homemade)
2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed and seeded - cut in half
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
2 tbsp lime juice
Directions:
Place all ingredients in either a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
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| Yummy taco salad before the dressing - excuse our Christmas bowls. We have finally put them away, ha! |
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| Mmm, this makes me hungry! |
Monday, January 3, 2011
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
I needed a recipe to use up some boiled chicken breast I had in the fridge and I found this one on All Recipes. It was true to it's name, easy! We really liked it and are still eating the leftovers. It is the perfect soup for a cold night and it reheats well for leftovers - I added a little more vegetable stock to the leftovers b/c there wasn't a ton of broth left in the tupperware. I added too much "filling" - chicken, noodles, veggies - but I always end up doing that for some reason. It was still good and I like my soup extra noodle-y anyway. :) I know it's after Christmas but I made this a few weeks ago and to be honest, we still have not put up our Christmas dishes or mugs yet!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth ( I used 2 big cartons, about 64 oz I think)
1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth (I will use 2 cans next time)
1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast (I used almost a pound of chopped chicken)
1 1/2 cups egg noodles (I used about half a box of fettucine noodles, broken into small pieces)
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste (I also added a little garlic)
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving. (I let it simmer on low for about an hour).
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth ( I used 2 big cartons, about 64 oz I think)
1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth (I will use 2 cans next time)
1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast (I used almost a pound of chopped chicken)
1 1/2 cups egg noodles (I used about half a box of fettucine noodles, broken into small pieces)
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste (I also added a little garlic)
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving. (I let it simmer on low for about an hour).
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Creme Brulee
This dish served as a decadent dessert on Christmas Eve - it was the perfect ending to a great meal. I thought it would be really difficult, but it was really easy and it got compliments from everyone! Make this for your next special meal - it's worth it and is a real treat.
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup or so of light brown sugar.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Whisk the cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl until creamy. Pour this mixture into 4 (6 or 7 oz) ramekins. Place the ramekins in a baking pan. Fill the baking pan with hot water, about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place the pan with the ramekins in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour or so. After 45 minutes or so check them every ten minutes. You'll know they're done when you can stick a knife in one and it comes out clean. Remove the ramekins from the baking pan, set them on the counter, and let them cool for 15 minutes or so.
Then put them in the refrigerator and let them chill overnight.
Just before serving, sprinkle a thin layer of white sugar on the top of each,making sure to completely cover the top of the custard. Now torch it! We picked up a kitchen torch at Bed Bath & Beyond and it worked great - it's pretty fun too! Or, if you don't have a torch, you can supposedly put them under the broiler for a minute or so. I haven't tried this.
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup or so of light brown sugar.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Whisk the cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl until creamy. Pour this mixture into 4 (6 or 7 oz) ramekins. Place the ramekins in a baking pan. Fill the baking pan with hot water, about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place the pan with the ramekins in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour or so. After 45 minutes or so check them every ten minutes. You'll know they're done when you can stick a knife in one and it comes out clean. Remove the ramekins from the baking pan, set them on the counter, and let them cool for 15 minutes or so.
Then put them in the refrigerator and let them chill overnight.
Just before serving, sprinkle a thin layer of white sugar on the top of each,making sure to completely cover the top of the custard. Now torch it! We picked up a kitchen torch at Bed Bath & Beyond and it worked great - it's pretty fun too! Or, if you don't have a torch, you can supposedly put them under the broiler for a minute or so. I haven't tried this.
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