Shepherd's Pie*

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed (or instant potatoes)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 carrots, chopped (or frozen carrots/peas/corn, thawed and drained)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound lean ground beef or leftover roast
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 cup water
• 1 packet of brown gravy
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• paprika

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. Mix in butter, finely chopped onion and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.)
3. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and cook until clear. Add ground beef and cook until well browned. Pour off excess fat. Combine gravy and water, add to beef. Add ketchup and worchestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Spread the ground beef in an even layer on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Next, spread a layer of mashed carrots (or frozen vegetables). Top with the mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and paprika.
5. Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook for 5 more minutes.

*recipe from allrecipes.com with my own alterations

Sour Cream Pork Chops*

• 6 pork chops
• salt and pepper to taste
• garlic powder, paprika, and seasoned salt to taste
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon
• 2 cups boiling water
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream (I used about 4-6 oz)
• Egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes

1. Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then dredge in 1/2 cup flour seasoned with garlic powder, paprika and seasoned salt. In a skillet over medium heat, lightly brown chops in a small amount of oil.
2. Place chops in slow cooker, and top with chopped onion. Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water, then add cream of mushroom soup. Add 4 Tbsp flour to a little cold water and combine with soup mixture. Pour over chops. Cover, and cook on Low 7 to 8 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
4. You can now serve it two ways: Pull out the pork chops, add sour cream to sauce and serve with sauce poured over chops and mashed potatoes. Or cut the pork chops into bite-sized pieces, add sour cream to sauce, and serve over egg noodles or rice. Top the meal with steamed green beans and ta-da! Delicious.

*recipe from allrecipes.com, with my own alterations

Liz's taco soup

I just realized this is the 2nd taco soup recipe I've posted on here. Oh well, they are both good. :) I love these easy "open some cans and toss them in a pot" recipes.

This is Liz's recipe that I used today for a large group. Yum yum.

1 lb hamburger, browned and seasoned
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 cup salsa
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato juice/sauce
2 cans kidney beans (drained)
2 cans corn

Simmer for 1-2 hours or put in a crock-pot.
Top with cheese and sour cream and serve with tortilla chips.

Turkey Pot Pie!

Got left over turkey? Us too! No pictures, we devoured it too quickly...

1 recipe pastry for a (10 inch) double crust pie (my pie crust is scrumptious, or if limited on time, you can use the "Jiffy" brand crust)
4 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 small onion, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 c. water
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 c. cubed cooked turkey (or chicken or ham or beef)
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 425*F. Roll out bottom pie crust, press into a 10-inch pie pan, and set aside. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bouillon and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, cook until tender but still firm. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter. Stir in the turkey and flour. Add the milk, and heat through. Stir the turkey mixture into the vegetable mixture, and cook until thickened. Cool slightly, then pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make 4 slits in the top crust to let out steam. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350*F and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Pumpkin dinner!

Disclaimer: This recipe has no pumpkins in it, nor is it anything scientific. In fact, I just made it up as I went, a dinner that needed to be simple using ingredients that needed to be used with a festive Halloween holiday as inspiration. Bon Appetite!


Ingredients:

Tortellini (fresh, found in the deli/cheese section)

1/2 - 1 cup pureed carrots

1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce

1/3 jar of alfredo sauce


The sauce turns into a nice orange color, very tasty, and adds a little excitement to dinner when you tell the kids to enjoy mini pumpkins! The great thing is they gobbled it up and had seconds, all without realizing they were eating their hidden veggies. I suppose you could also use this sauce with meatballs.

And here are my models enjoying the tastes! Don't worry, that's really a happy face from my little boy, not supposed to look like he just put his tongue on a fresh lemon.

Sante Fe Chicken, crockpot style

I got this recipe from my cousin...I don't know the exact amounts, just depends on how many you're feeding! :)

• 2-4 Chicken breasts
• 1 cup salsa
• 1-2 cans black beans, drained (depends on how much you like black beans!)
• 1 can corn
• 8 oz cream cheese (I halved the cream cheese because I thought a whole block was a lot - your call!)
• Fresh cilantro

Combine 1/2 c salsa, beans, and corn. Add chicken. Cover with remaining 1/2 c. salsa and cook 3-4 hours on high heat. Add cream cheese during the last 30 minutes - 1 hour. Top each serving with fresh cilantro.

Serve with rice and a green salad. The leftovers make a great burrito filler.

creamy chicken & pasta bake

This one is from Kraft. We had it tonight. It was really good, but only makes an 8x8 dish, so don't plan on leftovers unless you double it. Ari really liked it, too. Photo from KraftFoods.com

1 1/2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked (the whole grain pasta we used was really good in it)

1 small bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 3 cups)

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (I could have done with a little less chicken, maybe 3/4 lb?)

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 oz. cream cheese, cubed

1 cup mozzarella, divided (I realized last min. I didn't have mozz., but provolone was also good:)

2 Tbsp. parmesan

HEAT oven to 375º. Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding broccoli for the last 3 min.

MEANWHILE, heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 min. or until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Stir in broth; simmer 3 min. or until chicken is done. Add cream cheese; cook and stir on low heat 1 min. or until cream cheese is melted. Stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella.

DRAIN pasta and broccoli. Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Spoon into 8-inch sq. baking dish; cover.

BAKE 15 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake, uncovered, 3 min. or until melted. Let stand 5 min.

Smokey Ribs

1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c ketchup
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2c molasses
1/4 c spicy brown mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp liquid smoke
1 lb pork or beef (I use boneless) ribs

Mix ingredients. Put in the crock pot with meat. Cook 3-4 hours on high heat.

Creamy Italian Chicken

*Warning: this recipe is for a tiny crockpot meal for a tiny family! I added notes if you want to double it. I also added notes for my tasty reduced fat version.

I love good crockpot recipes! I've made this before, but just found a version that the kids and I devoured. I tweaked it a bit, and it takes little preparation for such a gourmet meal!

2 frozen chicken breasts
1/2 c. (fat free) Italian dressing (I actually didn't measure, I just dumped it in until it seemed good. By the way, not need for water, the chicken will make its own).

Put these in the crockpot on low for 4-5 hours (6 hours if you're doing 4 or more chicken breasts).

30 minutes before you're ready to eat, put on some pasta to cook. We used whole wheat penne, but fettucine would work. Pull out and shred/cut up the chicken. You could probably skip this step, but the little pieces seemed more moist as the sauce works its magic. Return the chicken to the crockpot and put in one can of cream of chicken soup and 1/3 block of (reduced fat) cream cheese. (For 4 or more chicken breasts, just add the whole block of cream cheese, no need to add more soup). Drain pasta and add to the crockpot with chicken and sauce.

Season the dish with garlic salt and parmesan cheese.

As a side dish, I steamed carrots and broccoli for color. Or you could probably add some other veggies directly into the chicken since this dish lacks veggies.

Yum!

Mexican Shredded Pork

1 (3 lb) boneless pork loin roast, cut into 2" pieces (for our small family, I buy 1 lb or less and that's more than plenty.)
1/2 tsp salt
2 (4 oz) cans diced green chili peppers
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chipotle sauce (I've used chipotle salsa)
3 1/4 cups water, divided
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

*Put the roast in a crock-pot and season with salt. Put chili peppers and garlic on top. Pour in the chipotle sauce and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low 7 hours.

*In a pot, mix rice with 2 3/4 cups of the water. Mix in the lime juice and cilantro and simmer 20 min on the stove. (In other words, just cook the rice as you normally would but with lime juice & cilantro.:)

*Remove roast from the crock-pot, and use 2 forks to shred. Return pork to the crock-pot and allow to sit 15 minutes to absorb some of the liquid.

*You can serve this just over the rice, or as we like to do, make burritos! Yum yum yummy. Set out cheese, salsa, beans (refried, black, whatever), cilantro, rice, pork, avacado, lime, etc, and tortillas so everyone can make their own.

Grilled tilapia

We're not fish lovers at all, but this makes it pretty tasty! We prefer to grill it outside so our house doesn't smell like fish for 2 weeks :), but this is also a good broil recipe if you prefer.

1 lb-ish tilapia (or any light fish of your choice)
1/4 c. parmesan
1/8 c. butter, soft
1 1/2 Tbsp mayo
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp pepper
pinch onion powder
pinch celery salt
smidgen garlic powder (really, this whole recipe isn't one to "measure" :)

Mix ingredients (except fish) in bowl and set aside. Grill the fish for a few minutes (we use a grill pan lined with foil), and when you flip it over, spread the prepared mixture on both sides. Cook through, la de dah, tasty fish. Oopsie, I forgot to take a picture before ... but as you see, it was good. :)

We like it served with steamed broccoli and rice.

Easy, healthy, and TASTY

Spiced Rubbed Turkey Breast with Sweet Potatoes

This recipe came to me from my Dad and it is easy and really tasty. It sounds nasty I know, but sweet potatoes are actually good even without the sugar and marshmallows!

1 1/2 teaspoons dried crushed rosemary

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)

6 teaspoons olive oil

2 boneless turkey breast halves (about 2 lbs each) skin removed

***My parents swear by the turkey, but I used boneless skinless chicken breasts equaling about 3-4 lbs and it was still tasty****

2 sweet potatoes about 8 ounces each cut in half lengthwise

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix rosemary, paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons of coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, lime juice, and 4 teaspoons of oil. Rub all over the chicken. Leaving space between them, place both halves in the center of a large foil lined (easy clean up) rimmed baking sheet.

Brush cut sides of sweet potatoes with the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Place cut side down on sheet with turkey. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of each breast half registers 160 degrees about 50 minutes (potatoes should be tender) Let stand for 10 minutes, loosely tented with foil to keep warm

Cut one breast half into thick slices. Cut potato halves into wedges. Transfer turkey and potatoes to serving platter and drizzle turkey with any remaining juices from the baking sheet.

Yummers

Taco Soup

Easy and yummy for "quick dinner" nights. This recipe makes a lot, so 1/2 it unless you like leftovers for lunches. I like the leftover option, personally. :) And FYI, it reheats very well.

Ingredients
1 lb. extra lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3 cans (15.5 oz. each) mild chili beans, undrained

1 can (14.5 oz.) whole tomatoes, undrained

1 can (14.25 oz.) corn, undrained (I used corn that my mom froze from the summer - yum)

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) taco seasoning mix

1-1/2 cups water

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Brown meat with onions in large saucepan; drain.

Add all remaining ingredients except cheese; stir, breaking up tomatoes. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min., stirring occasionally.

Serve topped with the cheese. It was also yummy served with tortilla chips on the side to dip and scoop, and sour cream would be good, too.

I got this from the Kraft Foods magazine, and the picture is from their website. You can actually just click on the picture to get the recipe from the website, but I put it here, too ... um, obviously. :)

Tortellini Vegetable Soup

This turned out more of a thick soup the first time I made it, but it was so good and super easy! Just the way I like it and the girls ate it too!

Tortellini Vegetable Soup

2 TBS. olive oil
1 med. onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, diced
1 med. carrot, peeled and diced
5 1/2 c. chicken stock
1 tsp. dried basil (more if fresh)
1-3 bay leaves
1/2 c. canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
8-9 oz. fresh or frozen tortellini (cheese or meat filled)
2-3 TBS. chopped fresh parsley
Black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium soup pot or large saucepan. Add the onion, zucchini, and carrot. Saute over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add the stock, basil, bay leaves, tomatoes, and salt to the pot. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a low boil. Add the tortellini and bring the soup back to a low boil. Cook it for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes longer. Gently stir in the parsley and pepper during the last minute or so.

Makes about 5 servings

Chicken Tacos

I found this recipe on the blog twomomsinthekitchen.blogspot.com and was surprised that I had all the ingredients on hand, so I made it that night and it was so good and super easy!

(Even Kajsa ate it and she claims that she doesn't like chicken! Shhhh...don't tell her!)

(Picture courtesy of twomomsinthekitchen.blogspot.com)

Ingredients:
1 pkg. frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained
2-3 frozen chicken breasts
1 jar salsa
cumin
chili powder

Directions:
-Place corn in bottom of crock pot, then beans, and chicken
-Sprinkle chicken with cumin and chili powder
-Add salsa
-Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours, or until chicken is done and shreds easily
-Remove chicken from crock pot, shred, return to crock pot and mix well with other ingredients
-Serve on tortillas

Quick Chicken Enchiladas

12 tortillas
3 c. cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
1 can (7 oz) diced green chilies, drained (I use salsa)
1 tbsp. dried cilantro
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp allspice
1 c. jack cheese, grated
2 c. enchilada sauce
2 c. lettuce, shredded

Combine chicken, chilies, cilantro, cumin, allspice and half of the cheese. Toss gently. Distribute equally among the tortillas. Roll the tortillas and place seam side down in a large baking dish. Pour 1 cup of the enchilada sauce over them and bake in a 400* oven for 10 min. Remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake 5 min. more. Top with shredded lettuce and serve with the remaining sauce for those that want more.

Chicken Puffs

I actually made these this week, so we've got pictures! :) This is an easy dish that gives off a gourmet look. Great with mashed potatoes and chicken gravy and green salad.

3-4 (1 lb) chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls (the kind that's "50% bigger", it's easier to use)
6 oz. softened cream cheese
2 Tbsp butter
seasonings - lemon pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt
bread crumbs (I prefer Italian seasoned, just to add that extra flavor)


Mix butter and cream cheese. Add shredded chicken. Use seasonings in filling to taste.

Separate the crescents into triangle. Drop filling on triangles, roll up into rolls.

Roll in bread crumbs. (The crescents are sticky enough to get a good covering, however you can rub a little water or olive oil on prior to rolling in bread crumbs)

Bake at 350*F for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Impossible Chicken Pot Pie

Melanie, here is your long-lost college recipe. :)

2 c. cut up cooked chicken
1 1/2 c. frozen peas and carrots, thawed and drained
1/4 c. chopped mushrooms
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 1/3 c. milk
4 eggs
3/4 c. Bisquick
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Heat oven to 350*, grease pie plate (10x1 1/2). Mix chicken, peas and carrots, mushrooms, and onion in pie plate. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth (15 seconds in blender on high or 1 min. with hand beater.) Pour into pie plate over chicken and vegetables. Bake 45-60 min. until knife inserted in center comes out clean. (Add or subtract veggies to suit your own taste.)

Makes 6-8 servings.