Fancy Grilled Cheese

Trying to diet is killing me.  I justified indulging in some buttery carbs by watching my portions and adding in a healthy sized meat and veggie serving... don't you judge me. ;)

2 slices 98 calorie bread
Butter --I still won't go margarine
Cheddar
Sliced Avacado, tomato, and lettuce
provalone

Arrange so you have one kind of cheese on each slice of lightly buttered bread and the meat and veggies in between.  Cook on medium heat in a skillet until both sides are golden brown.

I had something similar at Cubby's.  They have cranberries on theirs. SO GOOD.

Turkey Parmesan Muffins

I saw something similar a while back online, but I couldn't find it, so I improvised. It was really good!

Grease medium sized muffin tin
Preheat oven to 350

In a mixing bowl combine 1.5 lbs ground Turkey, 1 egg, 1 egg white, 3T Italian seasoning, 2 tsp crushed Garlic, 1/2 C bread crumbs, 1/2 C Parmesan cheese (grated) --don't over mix.

scoop into muffin tin 3/4 full in each section.  Top with a layer of spaghetti sauce and Mozzarella.

Bake for 20 min.

makes 8 medium sized muffins

Lipton's white pizza dip

So good! So easy!  Think Really yummy Artichoke dip meets cheesy bread.

1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix
1 container (16 oz.) sour cream
1 cup (8 oz.) ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 oz.)
1/4 cup (1 oz.) chopped pepperoni (optional)
1 loaf Italian or French bread, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In shallow 1-quart casserole, combine Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix, sour cream, ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.   2. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.   3. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with bread.

Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes

We have to make this every once in a while for my hubby and kids and their Irish heritage.

This traditional dish is surprisingly one of the easiest to make.

Ready?

You need:

A large pot or crock pot

packaged corned beef with season packet

head of cabbage broken up or chopped

peeled and diced potatoes

water

Dump everything into the pot.  Incluing the juices in the meat package and seasonings from the packet.

This is meant to be boiled, so fill with water to the top of the contents of your pot.

Boil for 4-6 hours in a pot or on high in a crock pot

or on Low in the crock pot over night or for at least 12 hours.

When it is done, the beef will fall apart and be stringy.

the cooked cabbage will blend in with the potatoes.

Corned beef is a great source of Iron.  Corned beef and Cabbage has a ton of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, 1/8 your daily value of calcium,  and Potatoes have potassium.This is a high in sodium meal, but they do have lower sodium Corned beef if you look hard enough.

Baked apples

 

This is the dessert that would tell me cool weather had arrived, when I was a kid.  There are a few ways to do the apples: The whole apple, cored;  Peeled and cut up; or in a sauce, though that's my least favorite.  Either way, it is a great way to use up apples!

This recipe is easily adapted to amounts, so you can have it for two or for twelve.

-Any kind of apple in the desired quantity chopped up.

-Coat in brown sugar and cinnamon generously (if using whole apples, stuff with brown sugar)

-Top with butter

-Bake at 350 for 30 min or until apples are softened.

Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream

5 minute(ish) Taquito "Enchiladas"

For this recipe you'll need:
20-30 frozen taquitos
enchilada sauce*
cheese

Spray your baking dish to prevent it from sticking. Add a little bit of your sauce to the bottom of the pan. Layer your frozen taquitos next. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top. sprinkle cheese on top of the whole thing. Garnish with olives if you like. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until heated through.

I served mine with a side of green salad and some black beans.

*You can use any enchilada sauce you like. I used a sour cream enchilada mixture which consists of a small container of sour cream, a can of cream of chicken and a can of mild green enchilada sauce.  You could also skip the sour cream and go for a plain green sauce or even use a can of red sauce or for that matter "doctored up" salsa.

Mimi's Corn Chowder

4 Tb Butter
6 chopped onion

Melt and cook till onions are clear

Add 2 1/2 C water
3/4 C celery
2 tsp salt
1 pinch of pepper
2 C cubed, potatoes

Cook until potatoes are softened

Add all but 1 C of 1/2 & 1/2 1 Quart carton
defrost 1 pkg of frozen corn

Mix left over  1 C 1/2& 1/2 with 3 Tb flour.
Whisk in to soup and simmer 30 min.

Grandma Stringham's Hershey bar dessert

1 stick butter
1 c. chopped nuts
1 c. flour
2 c. confectioners sugar
16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
2 pkgs. instant chocolate pudding
2 3/4 c. milk
Lg. Cool Whip

Mix and put in a 9 x 13 pan: butter, nuts, and flour. Bake this at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Let cool.
Beat together confectioners sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla. Spread this mixture on the cooled crust. Beat the chocolate pudding and milk. Spread this on the cream cheese layer. Spread the Cool Whip on the pudding layer and refrigerate.

Campbell's Roasted Tomato & Barley Soup

As from the Campbell's website:

 

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

Roast: 25 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 can (about 28 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained, reserving juice

2 large onions, diced (about 2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth  (Regular, Natural Goodness^TM or Certified Organic)

2 stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Recipe Tips:

Serving Suggestion: Serve with multi-grain flatbread crackers and Cheddar cheese. For dessert serve peach and blueberry crumble.

 

Directions:

Heat the oven to 425°F.  Place the tomatoes, onions and garlic into a large roasting pan.  Drizzle the oil over the vegetables and toss to coat.  Roast for 25 minutes.

Place the vegetables into a 3-quart saucepan.  Stir in the reserved tomato juice, broth, celery and barley and heat to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low.  Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until the barley is tender.  Stir in the parsley.

 

Chicken and Rice Casserole Variation

Long live casseroles! I am a busy mother of 4 and absolutely love the fact that
A.) casseroles are quick and easy to throw together with minimal dishes dirtied,
B.) they can be  assembled early and cooked at your convenience and
C.) they feed a lot fairly inexpensively and are pretty tasty. 

Sorry these are not exact amounts, I typically just dump it all together, sometimes even using leftovers.

Prepare to make your normal chicken and rice casserole. 

For me, that would roughly include rice,  1 can cream of chicken soup, cut up chicken and cheese. 

To "spice it up" add to that the following:

1 CAN STOKES GREEN CHILI SAUCE

FROZEN CORN

1 CAN DRAINED BLACK BEANS

FRESH CILANTRO

SEASONING TO TASTE (I used a little garlic and onion powder)

In the past I have even topped with a bit of Salsa before baking, but my kids aren't big Salsa fans, so I left it out this time. Goes well with a green salad and corn chips. YUM.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Every now and then I surprise myself with the concoctions I come up with. This was a bit of an experimental dinner, but to my surprise was actually pretty tasty... even the kids enjoyed it and that is saying something. Lately I have been experimenting with the jarred Pesto you buy in the store. (I used the Classico brand)

Pasta 

1 can chicken broth

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
 2- 3 tablespoons basil pesto

Vegetables of choice...

2-3 tablespoons parmesan

1.) Cook pasta. Drain, set aside. (I used Rotini- and a lot, I have 4 kids... make as much or as little as you need)

2.) Make "sauce" in separate bowl- 1 cup chicken broth (set the rest aside, you'll use it later), your lemon juice, and pesto.

3.) While pasta is cooking brown chicken breasts in large skillet. (I used 3 chicken breasts and sliced then into strips later... use as much as is appropriate for the size of your family) 

When chicken is almost done, dump remaining chicken broth from the can into the pan with them, followed by your choice of vegetables. I used sliced carrots, broccoli and mushrooms, since that is what I had on hand, but any combo of your favorite veggies will work.)

Put the lid on and let the vegetables steam with the chicken and the broth. The vegetables will absorb their flavor and be extra tasty. (trust me... very flavorful!) Let the broth absorb and cook off.  Remove from heat. At this point I removed the chicken and sliced it into strips and returned it to the pan.

4.) Dump pasta into the skillet with vegetables and chicken and coat with sauce, tossing until sauce has coated everything. Sprinkle parmesan on top and serve.

yum.

Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

I got this recipe out of the Campbell's Casserole & One-Dish Favorites magazine. I served it with Mozzarella Bread.

1/2 of a 1-pound package of linguine
1 cup of fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets
2 tbsp butter
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1) Cook the linguine per the package directions in a 3-quart sauce pan. Add the broccoli during the last 4 mins of cooking. Drain mixture well in a colander.
2) Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until its well browned, stirring frequently.
3) Stir in the soup, milk, cheese, pepper, and linguine/broccoli mixture. Cook until the mixture is hot and bubbly. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

Note: I didn't have any linguine noodles in my pantry, so used fettuccine noodles instead. Also instead of fresh Parmesan I used Kraft'd grated Parmesan and Romano cheese (in the plastic bottle with green label) that people put on pizza. It came out really good.

Beef Taco Bake

I found this recipe in Campbell's Casseroles & One-Dish Favorites. I'm really liking this magazine so far.

Takes about 40 mins
makes about 4 servings

1 lb ground beef
1 can Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup
1 cup Pace Chunky Salsa or Picante Sauce.
1/2 cup milk
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas or 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup (4oz) shredded Cheddar cheese

1) Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned. stirring frequently to separate meat. Pour off any fat.
2) Stir in soup, salsa, milk, tortillas and half of the cheese into the skillet. Pour into a shallow baking dish and cover.
3) Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 mins or until hot. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

We like cheese so I used more then what was called for. I like things a little spicy so I used medium salsa. Also was good as a leftover.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

I got this recipe out of the Campbell's Casseroles & One-Dish Favorites.

Prep is about 15 mins
Mkes about 4 servings

1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked regukar long-grain white rice
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese.

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees. Stir in soup, water, rice, onion powder, black pepper, and vegetables in a 2-quart shallow baking dish.
2) Top with the chicken, season are desired. Cover and bake for 50 mins or until chicken is cooked all the way through and rice is tender.
3) Sprinkle with cheese and let stand for 10 mins or until the cheese is melted. Stir rice and serve.

The magazine also has a few variations for a different flavor:
Mexican: In place of the onion powder and pepper use 1 tsp chili powder. Substitute Mexican cheese blend for Cheddar cheese.
Italian: In place of onion powder and pepper use 1tsp italian seasoning. Substitute 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan for Cheddar.
Alfredo: Substitute broccoli flowerets (I found these in the frozen veggie section at the grocery) and 1/4 cup Parmesan for Cheddar. Add 2 tbsp Parmesan with the soup and sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan on the chicken at the end.

I found this super easy and liked that you use only one dish to make. This also reheated wonderfully for leftovers.

Beef & Mozzarella Bake

I also found this recipe in the Campbell's Cassaroles & One-Dish Favorites magazine.

Makes about 6 servings
Takes about 45 mins to make

1 lb ground beef
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cup Prego Traditional Italian Sauce
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 cups cooked shell pasta

1) Cook the beef, basil, pepper, and garlic in a large skilletover medium-high heat until well browned. Pour off any fat.
2) Stir in Italian sauce, soup, water and 1 cup of the cheese. Then stir in the pasta to coat it with the sauce. Pour into a medium size (about 2 quart) shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
3) Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 mins or until hot and bubbling.

Note: I used about 4 cups of cooked pasta and added a little extra cheese to the top. I liked how it came out, but think I'm going to use my spagetti sauce instead of the Prego next time. Perfect for leftovers too.

Tuna & Pasta Cheddar Melt

I found this recipe in the Campbell's Casseroles & One-Dish Favorites magazine. I liked it and have found quite a few other recipes I want to try and will post them as I make them.

Makes about 4 servings

Takes about 30 mins

1 can Campbell's Condensed Chicken Broth

1 soup can water

About 3 cups rotini pasta

1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup

1 cup milk

1 can (6oz) tuna, drained and flaked

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tbsp Italian bread crumbs

2 tsp butter,melted

1) Bring broth and water to a boil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the pasta and cook till tender. Do not drain.

2) Stir in the soup, milk and tuna in the skillet. Top with the cheese. Mix the bread crumbs and butter together and sprinkle on top. Heat through.

Note: I added a little extra cheese and stirred it into the mixture. This also heats up well for leftovers the next day.

Leftover Ham- Casserole

So we needed to use up our ham from Sunday.
this is basically Funeral Potatoes with Ham


I shredded up about 2 cups of ham
Added 1 bag of shredded hashbrowns
1 family size can of Cream of Chicken
1 Tbs dried onion
1/2 - 1 cup of sour cream
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Topping: Crumbled up Rice Chex in melted butter

350 till bubbly and starting to turn golden brown

Minestrone Night!

Thank goodness for cool weather! Click HERE for the recipe.

Easy Chili

Okay, everyone has their favorite way Chili is made. Richard and I like spicy and hearty, but unfortunately, that doesn't always agree with our tummies and our kids won't go near it. My sister shared this one with me and we love it. (For we poor IBS victims, this is as good as it gets. LOL) You can always add more to make it spicier, but it has plenty of flavor.


*1 lb Ground Beef (browned and drained)
*1 can of Bushes CHILI BEANS (NOT KIDNEY BEANS)
*2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce

Blend, heat to a boil and serve with cheese, crackers, or what ever else tickles yer fancy.

this feeds our family of 4 just about right. So if you have big eaters or more people, double the recipe.

Chile Verde Soup

You should try Chile Verde Soup! I got the recipe from my sister, Lisa, and like every other thing out of Lisa's kitchen it is shamefully tasty.

2 cans chunked chicken (Costco or deseret both work, or you can cook and shred if

you're fancy.)

1-2 16 oz cans of green enchilada sauce

1 can drained black beans

1 can drained corn

1-2 Cans chicken broth

onion and cilantro optional and to taste

Dump and stir till hot in a large pot

Pour in to bowls and top with shredded mozzarella, dollop of sour cream and tortilla chips. (Yes you stir the chips into the soup.) Then you eat.


DISCLAIMER: My kids call this "throw up soup." Lisa has encouraged them to call it "Shrek Soup" instead. LOL They love it and it is one of the few soups that all of us will eat, but it does look kinda gross. Once you taste it though, you don't care what it looks like. Imagine a smothered burrito and heaven put into a soup. :)