Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss

I know that this one doesn't have chicken in it, but I've been meaning to put this up. This is currently my husband's FAVORITE meal. It has been a hit with everyone we've shared it with. You have to try this.

Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss

12 oz Italian Sausage
6 oz baby spinach leaves
2 1/2 c rotini pasta
2 T Parmesan cheese, grated
1 c mozzarella cheese, grated
14-20 oz diced tomatoes, Italian style

Brown sausage in large nonstick skillet. Drain grease, lower heat, then add tomatoes and spinach to the meat. Heat until spinach is wilted.

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain water.

Add meat mixture and pasta together. Stir, and add both cheeses just before serving. Toss just until mixed through.

Be prepared to be wowed. This stuff is so good. And it's really yummy as leftovers because the noodles absorb the sauce. Oh man, good!!

Szechuan Chicken Noodle Toss

I just made this for my family a couple days ago and we all loved it. Plus it was really easy, so I loved it even more.

Szechuan Chicken Noodle Toss

4 quarts of water
6 oz thin spaghetti
1 pkg (16 oz) frozen oriental vegetables
1 T margarine
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 T canola oil
1/3 c stir fry sauce
3 green onions, chopped

Bring water to a boil, add spaghetti; cook for 4 minutes, then add veggies; cook 3-4 min longer until spaghetti and veggies are tender. Drain. Toss with margarine; set aside and keep warm.

In nonstick skillet, stir-fry the chicken, garlic and red pepper flakes in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add stir fry sauce; heat through. Add onions and spaghetti mixture; toss to coat.

Yield: 4 servings

Taco Soup in Ones

Ingredients:

1-medium onion- chopped
1 lb ground beef
1-can beans (kidney or black or other dark bean)- rinsed and drained
1-can stewed tomatoes
1-can whole kernel corn
1-cup beef broth
1-bag taco seasoning
1-bag tortilla chips (we like the scoop kind)

In the pan you'll cook the whole soup in cook onion and beef together (this is how I make things faster and add some flavor to the meat).

Add beef broth and taco soup.

Add beans, stewed tomatoes, corn.

Cook till heated through (boiling-ish) and serve with tortilla chips.


Notes: I use beef granules, that way I can add just a smidge more than one tsp to give the soup a little added flavor.

All cans are your typical 14.5 oz size.



That's it.

It is a family favorite, my brother even likes it and he hates taco soup. It's because I use the beef broth instead of tomato paste *gag.*

Sesame & Ginger Chicken

So this has lime, not lemon. But close enough, right?
I just tried this the other day and it was delicious! And super healthy too. And of course easy!

Sesame & Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite-size pieces
1/4 c Asian-style dressing with sesame and ginger
2 c julienned carrots
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 head butterhead lettuce, leaves separated
1/4 c honey-roasted peanuts, chopped
Lime wedges

Sprinkle chicken with salt and peppers. Lightly coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray; heat over med-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir for 3 min or until browned. Add 1 TBSP dressing and the carrots to skillet; cook and stir for 2-3 more min or until carrots are crisp-tender and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in red pepper.
Stack lettuce on plates. Top with chicken-carrot mixture. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Serve with remaining dressing and lime wedges.
Serves 4
(231 cal, 7 g fat, 436 mg sodium, 3 g fiber)

Cheesy Mummy Dogs

I also think this is a fun and different way to have hot dogs. This is also from kraftfoods.com. You should check out the website, there are some easy and yummy recipes on there!

1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

4 KRAFT Singles, cut diagonally in half

8 OSCAR MAYER Beef Franks or Wieners

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Unroll crescent dough; separate into 8 triangles. Top each dough triangle with 1 Singles triangle and 1 frank; roll up.

PLACE, seam sides down, on ungreased baking sheet.

BAKE 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with your favorite condiments, if desired.

Easy Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

I have married a big kid. Frequently when we go out to eat, my husband will still order macaroni and cheese. He loves it. He is always asking me to find a good homemade mac and cheese recipe. I've tried several.

I think this one is one of his favorites. And I made this for the missionaries last time we had them over for dinner and they loved it. (I tripled the batch, and it was ALL gone by the time they were done with it.) This recipe is from Kraftfoods.com.

It is easy, and really good, if you like mac and cheese...

1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper

1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut up

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 cups (8 oz.) elbow macaroni, cooked, drained

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix milk and eggs in large bowl. Add butter, red pepper, prepared cheese product and Cheddar cheese. Stir in macaroni; mix lightly.

POUR into 1-1/2-quart casserole.

BAKE 20 minutes or until heated through.

Enjoy!

Chicken over Rice...with bacon

This is yummy!!!

In a 9x13 pan lay bacon in a single layer covering the bottom. Then add 2 cups rice top with enough chicken to cover. and add 4 cups water, then add 1 can cream of celery soup (without the water). However I like it with 1 can cream of..celery, chicken and mushroom. Yum yum yum!!! bake in a 350 oven for 1 hour or until rice is done and chicken is cooked.

Sloppy Toms

And, here's my oats recipe. This sounds like a really wierd way to use oats, and it is, but it is really yummy. Apparently the oats help to thicken the sauce, plus they are healthy! It is my favorite sloppy joe recipe, besides Manwich! :) I also love that the recipe calls for ground turkey which is much leaner. I've used hamburger if I don't have ground turkey, but you can get ground turkey at a really good price at Costco, and of course, I freeze it. I think I'm the freeze queen.

Anyways, here's the recipe, we really like to put swiss cheese on our buns and toast them (that sounds a bit scandalous) and it is YUM. This is a family fun recipe so, click here for the full recipe. Oh, one more thing, you can freeze this if you make double! :)

EASY Burritos

This is the BEST 5 min meal you'll ever make! :) My sister got this recipe and passed it along to me! She doesn't like to cook and I'm always looking for fast and easy meals so this made us both happy! And you would NEVER know you're eating microwavable burritos! We even made it for our family reunion last week and everyone was asking for the recipe because it's so good. It was a little embarrassing to admit how easy it was though! :)

EASY Burritos:
Frozen burritos or chimichangas
2-3 cans El Pato Sauce (this is a "hot tomato sauce" usually in the isle with canned green chilies and salsa)
Grated Cheese

Use as many burritos as you want, we used the Jose Ole steak and cheese burritos and the bean and beef chimichangas, both were good, but anything works. Lay them out in a baking dish, pour the El Pato sauce over to cover them. This is spicy so leave it off for the kids portion! Then cover with grated cheese. Bake on 350 for about 20 min.
We took them out of the freezer and had them mostly defrosted before we put them in the oven. So it might take a little longer if you cook them frozen. Just cook until they are warmed through and the cheese is melted! Enjoy!!

EASY Spaghetti

When I first started dating my husband, he lived at home, so I saw his family ALOT. That also meant that I ate dinner with them a lot. His mom makes wonderful spaghetti and after watching her do it time and time again, I finally caught on to why it was so good and how to do it.

Just take a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce and doll it up! I like to add lots of fresh veggies: peppers, zuchini, grated carrots, etc. Then I always add some cooked ground sausage, and probably about 2-3 T. of brown sugar (depending on how much sauce you have). It is so yummy, it gives it a great flavor, along with the sausage. Then, after I cook the noodles I add some butter or olive oil and sprinkle them with garlic powder and italian herbs/seasoning.

Add some good garlic bread and a salad and dinner is delicious!!!

BBQ Cups

I'm finally back! I was out of town for a while and then my internet went down but it's fixed now so I can finally catch up! So here's my BBQ sauce recipe! Sorry it's late!

BBQ Cups
1 lb hamburger
BBQ sauce
1 can refrigerator biscuits
3/4 cup grated cheese
Brown Beef, add BBQ sauce and set aside. Place refrigerator biscuits in ungreased muffin cups, pressing dough up sides to edge of cup. Spoon beef mixture into cups. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 400 for 12 min.

Hot Roast Beef Sandwich Loaf

This is one of my husbands favorites. And it's so easy! I got this recipe from a friend.

Hot Roast Beef Sandwich Loaf
1 loaf French bread
1 red pepper cut in thin strips
1/2 ld thinly sliced deli roast beef
Garlic powder
1/2 cup cheese (we usually use mozzarella)
Heat oven to 375. Slice bread in half and spread both sides with butter and sprinkle with garlic powder. Layer bottom loaf with peppers, roast beef, and cheese. Top with the top of loaf. Wrap tightly in tin foil. Bake for 15-20 min.

Hamburgers

Okay so I have been trying to rattle my brain and figure out what my husband loves to eat and well, he enjoys hamburgers, I don't know that they are his favorite but he sure makes a good one.

Grill the meat, adding some crushed red pepper, salt and pepper along with liquid smoke, just a little of each, while meat is grilling.

Place meat on a bun with mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, avacado spicey brown mustard, and ketchup.


YUM, YUM, YUM

Buttermilk Syrup

Our easy meals (besides going out or ordering pizza) usually end being grilled sandwiches or spaghetti. Chicken Bundles and Tortilla Casserole are also pretty fast. But since I've already posted recipes for those then our other fall back dinner is pancakes! My kids LOVE pancakes so this is always a hit even if it's for dinner instead of breakfast. And I usually cook some bacon to go with it.
But here's the BEST part of our pancakes! Buttermilk Syrup! And I've always been a box pancake mix with store bought syrup mom before but then my mom gave me this recipe and it is SO SO SO SO good! And it's good for more than just pancakes! I think it would be good as a fruit dip or on ice cream! Yum... and it's easy to make! So here it is:

Buttermilk Syrup
1 stick butter
1/2 C buttermilk (or make your own by adding 1/2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar to 1/2 C milk)
1 C sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
Melt butter in saucepan. Add milk and sugar and stir to a boil. Remove from heat and add baking soda and vanilla. It will be runny at first but let it cool for a little bit and it will thicken. Make sure to lick the spoon!!!

My easy dinner

After traveling or being gone all day or having to make a really fast meal usually means that I make 1 of 2 meals. Spaghetti, or tacos. I always have frozen, cooked hamburger in my freezer, so it is always easy for tacos. When I do tacos, I always add a can of diced tomatoes, plus taco seasoning and then we eat it with whatever toppings we have, tortillas, or tortilla chips, lettuce, cheese, and whatever else we may have sitting around. It's pretty low key, but it tastes good, and Will eats it too! Spaghetti is always a family favorite. And, I can add hamburger to that too, plus I always add a little brown sugar to my jarred sauce, it makes it taste yummy, and if I have green peppers I add those too. Garlic bread is a cinch and add a side of frozen or canned corn, and it is on the table in 30 minutes or less. Boring, yes, easy, yes, tasty, yes!

I have to make dinner, again?

Now that we are getting nicer weather I have loved being at the park in the afternoons...and so have my kids!! It's fun to ask the other moms..."what are you making tonight?" By the time we get in from the out there's not much time to whip anything extravagant together. So here is a list of dinners that are a cinch to make...hence there are no real recipes attached...just good old easy ideas. I think sometimes it takes me longer to think of what to make than to actually make it. Here's some ideas with things people could have on hand, who spent too long at the park and need to whip something together quickly.


Idea #1--"The Pizza spin-off" English muffins topped with your favorite pizza toppers and baked until the cheese oozes.

Idea #2--"Cheesadillas" Fry a tortilla in a buttered pan with cheese and lunch ham inside (yes, we speak spanish in our house occasionally but for some reason quesadilla just sounds more fun when we call it a cheesadilla with a spanish accent.)

Idea #3--"The mac 'n cheese spin off" Cook some pasta, drain it, add some butter and some Parmesan cheese (NO! NOT THE GREEN CAN OF YUCK...I'm talking real Parmesan cheese grated) while it's still hot.

hmmm...what did everyone eat for dinner tonight?

Tortilla Casserole

This recipe is super easy and quick! And everyone in my family likes it, which doesn't happen that often.

Tortilla Casserole

Ingredients:
1 pkg flour tortillas, torn into bite size pieces (We get the big tortillas and I never use a whole pkg. I just mostly fill up a 8x8 dish, maybe 5-7 big tortillas)
½ cup chicken, cooked and cut up
1 can chopped green chili
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Put torn tortillas in dish. Heat other ingredients except cheese in a pan. Stir heated mixture in with tortillas in dish. Top with cheese. Bake

Temp- 350 degrees
Bake Time- 20 min
Serves- 4-6

Grilled Peanut Butter and Honey

Honey is a harder ingredient than I thought. I couldn't find a recipe to put up even though it seems like we eat a lot of honey. But one of my favorite meals does include honey... I just wouldn't call this a recipe.
When I was growing up instead of grilled cheese sandwiches my mom made grilled peanut butter and honey sandwiches and we all loved them. And all of us still love them. Brian thinks I'm crazy but Parker and Mayli are both fans as well. So on nights when I just really don't feel like cooking I just slap some peanut butter and honey on some bread cover the top and bottom of the sandwich with butter and throw on the griddle (or frying pan) and then cut up some fruit to go with. Try it! It's good I promise! :)

Frito Soup

This soup is one that my family asks for all the time and it's very easy too.

2 lg. cans chicken broth
1 lg. can black beans (drain & rinse)
1 can Rotel tomatoes (spicy, diced tomatoes)
2 C frozen corn

Heat all ingredients in large saucepan. Serve with toppings.

Toppings:
Fritos
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese

Tomato Soup

Okay, I know this sounds really boring. My favorite thing to warm us up in the winter is Tomato Soup with Grilled cheese sandwiches. Not just any tomato soup, we like to add like 1/2 c. rice to our bowls and pour the soup over it, then sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. And, grilled cheese sandwiches are the best made in a fry pan, with lots of butter, cheese, and thick slices of bread!

Sorry for the lame post, but this truly is a very cozy dinner (and EASY!)