Quick, Affordible & Easy Recipies for Beginner Cooks!

Mexican Pizza

2010-06-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

I had some ground beef to use, and was planning to make tacos, until I had the bright idea to try and make a Mexican pizza for the first time! This was so simple and there are a couple different ways you can make this. For example, if you want a bigger meal if you are really hungry, you can place another tortilla on top of the beef and put all the toppings on the top. I must warn you- this is how I made my first pizza, and could only eat half of it! I am going to show you how to make a 1- layered pizza. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
10" flour tortillas
1 lb lean ground beef
1 taco seasoning package
1 onion, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno pepper
1 small jar Mexican Salsa
1 small jar chopped green chili's
1 can re-fried beans
2 cups Taco-blend cheese
Sour cream (optional)

Directions

Brown the ground beef on the stove top, and follow directions on taco seasoning package. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place one flour tortilla on a cookie sheet. Spread 2 tbsp. of re-fried beans on tortilla. Top with beef mixture, a hand full of onions and 1.5 tbsp. of both chopped green chili's and salsa. Slice the jalapeno pepper, and place pieces on top of ingredients.

Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove pizza and place a hand full of cheese on top, spread out evenly. Bake for 5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Cut into small pieces, diagonally, as shown below. Serve with sour cream (optional).

Chicken & Chorizo Stuffed Peppers

2010-05-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

I had some lonely chicken breasts sitting in my refrigerator and I didn't know what to make with it. While browsing the produce section in the grocery store, I came upon the colorful bell pepper section, and I came up with an idea. A southwestern style stuffed bell pepper! The end result of my dish was a colorful and tasty dish that is sure to please!

Ingredients
1 lb. chicken breasts
.5 lb. ground chorizo sausage
7 oz can salsa
10.5 oz can corn
Chicken taco seasoning package
4 bell peppers of assorted colors (red, orange, and yellow)
Shredded cheddar cheese.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut off top of peppers and remove the seeds. Blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes, then rinse in cold water.

Cut chicken into small pieces. Cook on stove top according to the directions on the taco seasoning package. When finished cooking and seasoning, drain corn and add to chicken, then set aside.

Sauté the chorizo until well cooked throughout. Add chicken & corn mixture, and add the salsa. Mix well.

Place 1 tbsp. of cheese to bottom of peppers, then fill with chicken/chorizo mixture. Top with more cheese.

Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.

French Onion Soup

2010-05-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

French onion soup is my favorite soup, and the cheese is by far my favorite part- with that being said, the Gruyere cheese is, in my opinion, the most important ingredient in this recipe. I would not substitute this cheese for any other kind. It is a great cheese for baking and the flavor is savory without overpowering the other ingredients.

Ingredients
2 yellow onions
2 cans beef broth
1 tbsp butter
1 cup unseasoned croutons
White wine
Gruyere cheese
Salt & pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°. Slice onions into rings, removing center pieces. Fry in a pan with butter until golden brown.

Add both cans of beef broth to onions and add salt and pepper to taste. Also, add a splash of white wine. Simmer for 20 minutes.

While soup is simmering, grate the Gruyere cheese. Place aside.

Pour soup into two oven safe bowls. (I used cast iron bowls) Add croutons to the top of the soup, and cover with shavings of Gruyere cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese begins to brown on top.

Handcrafted Earrings

2010-04-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I wanted to let you know of a great website for handcrafted earrings! The company is called JCEarrings, and all the handcrafted pieces of Jody Coyote jewelry are beautiful. Check it out! http://www.JCEarrings.com/handcrafted-earrings.html

Ps. When you buy a piece of jewlery, a portion of your online purchase goes to the Nine Lives Foundation. NLF rescues cats and kittens from Death Row at shelters all over Northern California and finds them forever homes!!

Chopped Salad

2010-04-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of salads made at home. I had not been able to find a dressing that I like, and salads always seem to be so boring when made at home.... until now. This chopped salad includes a lot of fresh produce ingredients, and there are so many flavors, colors and textures that your taste buds will be left wanting more!

Ingredients:

1 bag of shredded lettuce

1 avacado

2 tomatoes

1 cucumber

10 strips of bacon, fried and crumbles into pieces

Small container of crumbled blue cheese

French's French fried onions

Light Buttermilk Ranch dressing

Directions:

Dice the avocado, cucumber and tomatoes into small pieces. Fry the bacon strips and crumble into small pieces. Combine all chopped veggies with the lettuce and bacon in a large bowl.

Add crumbled blue cheese and just enough dressing to lightly coat ingredients when tossed (Don't add too much dressing, the flavors in all the ingredients are too delicious to cover up with too much dressing!).

Toss salad until well mixed. You can either keep the salad in this bowl, and top with French fried onions, or you can place servings into individual bowls or plates, then top with onions.

My Favorite! Spaghetti Bolognese

2010-04-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

This is one of my all-time favorite dinners growing up! This is an original recipe straight from my moms kitchen, and everyone who tries it- LOVES IT! I will never grow tired of this dinner, and you won't either- I promise.

Ingredients:
2 Jars of spaghetti sauce (we love Classico's Tomato & Basil)
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey or ground beef
1 onion (sweet onion)
1 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Chop onion and cook with ground turkey until no longer pink. Drain the grease.

In a large pot, bring sauce, Parmesan cheese, and all seasonings, including sugar to a simmer. Once simmering, add the meat and onion mixture. Simmer lightly for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Serve over your favorite pasta and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese. My mom always serves this with Texas toast or home made garlic bread!

Chicken Parmesan

2010-04-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs

1 jar Pasta Sauce

Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Beat egg in small bowl and set aside. Also place bread crumbs in a small bowl.

Dip each chicken breast into the egg, and then into the bread crumbs, coating well on both sides.

In 9x13 inch glass baking dish, arrange chicken side by side. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

Take out of oven and pour your pasta sauce over the chicken, and top with cheese. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until no longer pink on the inside.

Tortellini Amore

2010-03-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Tortellini Amore is one of my favorite pasta dishes. I got the idea from a restaurant back home in Maryland, and created it from scratch at home. Its a delicious concoction of tortellinis in a heavy creamy garlic sauce with peas and prosciutto. This recipe is really easy and makes 4-6 servings, depending on how hungry you are!

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) jar Alfredo Sauce

1 (15 oz) can peas

1 (20 oz) pkg tortellini

1 (3 oz) pkg Prosciutto (dry-cured ham)

1/8 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp garlic

Parmesan Cheese to taste

Directions:

Bring water to a boil. Cook tortellini according to the directions on the package, until al dente. Drain and set aside. While tortellini is cooking, chop up the prosciutto into small piece.

Heat peas in their own juices until warm. Drain the peas and place back into pot. Add the tortellini sauce, and seasonings. Mix well and heat until bubbling.

In large bowl, combine the tortellini, sauce, and prosciutto. Mix well. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Simple Baklava (Lower-Fat)

2010-03-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

Baklava is a delicious dessert made with layers of phyllo dough, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and usually nuts- among other things. However, I chose to make my baklava with a layer of crushed vanilla wafers, instead of nuts. It was cheaper and really yummy!My dessert came out flaky, sweet and savory. I know you will enjoy this one!

Ingredients:
1 package (11 oz) vanilla wafers, crushed (or 1 cup crushed walnuts)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Refrigerated butter-flavored spray (i used I Can't Believe its Not Butter)
1 pkg. frozen phyllo dough, thawed (14x9 inch size)

Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°. Crush vanilla wafers the easiest way possible. I have a magic bullet blender, so I used that to crush them up.

In a large bowl, combine the vanilla wafers, 2 tbsp of sugar, and cinnamon. Set this aside.

Cover a 13x9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, such as Pam. Unroll the phyllo sheets. Place one sheet of phyllo in the pan, and spritz with your butter flavored spray. Brush to coat evenly, be sure to get the edges really well. Repeat this step seven times, layering and spritzing each layer.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of your crumb mixture over the phyllo dough, spreading evenly. Layer with two more sheets of phyllo, spritzing and brushing each layer with butter spray. Then sprinkle again with your crumb mixture.... two more layers... repeat this step 11 times.

Now you want to repeat step one. Top with one phyllo sheet, spritz and brush with butter, and repeat seven times.

When the layering and spritzing is done, you now want to cut your baklava into squares or triangles. You want to do this before baking because the baklava becomes very flaky, and will result in a mess if you wait. Cut the baklava into squares, then cut each square diagonally, being careful not to tear the dough

Bake your baklava for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. I highly recommend keeping an eye on your dessert around 35 minutes, it can begin to burn on the edges very quickly!

While this is baking, you need to make your sauce. In a saucepan, bring the sugar, water, honey and lemon peel to a boil. DO NOT ADD VANILLA at this point. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat, and then stir in the vanilla. Let cool until lukewarm. Once the baklava is done baking, pour syrup all over the warm baklava.

BBQ'd Chili Beef Sandwiches

2010-03-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

This dish is so easy! I woke up at 7am on Monday and put the ingredients into my slow cooker, set the timer to low, and headed off for a day of snowboarding at Alpine Meadows. By the time I got home, it was done cooking and ready to scoop onto kaiser rolls and be devoured!

Ingredients:
3 lb. beef chuck roast
1 package of chili seasoning mix
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
4-5 Kaiser rolls

Directions:
In a 3.5 - 4 quart slow cooker, place the beef roast and sprinkle the dry chili seasoning mix on top, then drizzle with BBQ sauce.

Cover and cook on Low heat for 8-10 hours. When the beef is done, the chili seasoning will appear black in color.

Remove beef from cooker, place on a cutting board. Shred the beef with two forks and place back into the cooker. Mix with juices.

Fill each kaiser roll with beef and enjoy!

Sweet & Spicy Sweat Potato French Fries

2010-03-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a delicious twist on french fries. If you are planning on having fries as a side for dinner, buy a bag of frozen sweet potato fries, or yams if you want to cut them up yourself. Sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene, which the body converts to Vitamin A. They are also less starchy than regular baking potatoes.

For this dish, I placed the fries on a baking sheet. Then sprinkled them with cinnamon, brown sugar, salt and chili powder. Then I baked them according to the directions on the package. They turned out to be delicious! They were sweet, salty and had a little kick to them from the chili powder.

For a healthier version, you could toss the fries in some olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake according to the package.

Pasta Carbonara

2010-03-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

Pasta Carbonara is basically a spaghetti and bacon dish..... and it is delicious! In this recipe, eggs are added to the pasta raw, but don't worry, the heat from the cooked pasta will cook the egg. For different variations on this dish you could always add peas or mushrooms for added color and flavor.

Ingredients:

8-10 slices of bacon

2 eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb. spaghetti

Directions:

Fry 8-10 strips of bacon, and place on paper towel to drain, then chop into small pieces. Beat together 2 eggs, and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

TIP: You can either buy the cheese already grated in a container, or buy a block and grate it yourself. Check to see if either are on sale to save some money!

Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta and place into a large bowl. Toss with the egg mixture. Add the bacon and salt and pepper to taste.

Creamy Chicken Marsala

2010-03-10T18:04:00.000-08:00

This is the creamier style chicken Marsala recipe, and my favorite style of chicken Marsala. You can choose what to serve the chicken over, I chose egg noodles, which was pretty yummy! You may also think of serving it over rice too.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast fillets

1 (6.5 oz) jar or can of artichoke hearts (some prefer marinated)

1 (10.75 oz) can Cream of Chicken Soup (98% Fat-Free)

1/2 cup Marsala

1/8 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°. Spray a baking dish (I used an 8x8) with cooking spray. Brown chicken in a non-stick skillet on both sides. Place in the prepared baking dish and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together soup, 2 tbsp of the artichoke marinade, Marsala, seasonings, and pepper.

Drain the artichoke hearts and chop.

Stir artichokes into soup mixture.

Pour over the chicken and bake for about 20 minutes, or until juice is no longer pink inside chicken.

Remove chicken from oven when fully cooked. Serve over rice or noodles. Spoon sauce over noodles too!

~ Makes 4 serving ~

Twice Baked Potatoes

2010-03-04T17:03:00.000-08:00

Comfort food!!! You will love these twice-baked potatoes! The recipe calls for 3 large baking potatoes, so when you have the end result, you will have 6 total. These keep really well in the freezer, so you can pull one out at a time and save the rest.

You can also modify the recipe to your liking with 1-1/2 tbsp ranch salad dressing mix into the sour cream for a ranch potato!

Ingredients:
3 large baking potatoes
1-1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup butter, divided
1/2 cup fat free half & half
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Scrub potatoes with potato brush to remove any remaining dirt. Pierce potatoes all over with a fork. Rub oil into the skin of the potato. place on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Potatoes should be tender when done cooking. Let stand until cool enough to handle. (Microwaving the potatoes will help reduce cooking time, but this destroys nutrients and you wont get the yummy crispy skin that baking gives you!)

Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out the inside, leaving a thin shell about 1/4 inch thick. Mash pulp in a large bowl.

In a small skillet, saute the green onions in 1/4 cup butter until tender. Then stir this into the mashed potato pulp, along with half & half, sour cream, salt and pepper. Once this has been mixed well, fold in the cheese.

Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells. (If planning on freezing these, now is the time to wrap them up and put in freezer. You will finish baking them when ready to eat them)

Place on the baking sheet. Melt the remaining butter (be sure not to microwave for too long... it explodes, trust me) and drizzle over the potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika. (I love the taste of paprika, so I used a lot!)

Bake the potatoes, uncovered, at 350° for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 6 servings

Chicken Marsala

2010-03-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

There are many different ways to make chicken Marsala, but all of them include a chicken breast that has been seasoned, browned and braised in a rich wine sauce. Chicken Marsala is extremely easy to make, and an impressive dish for beginner cooks.

This recipe is for a not-so-creamy Chicken Marsala. It is very light and delicious, and the chicken remains extremely moist throughout the cooking process.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms (canned is fine, drained)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 cup dry Marsala wine or chicken broth

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix flour, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken with mixture on both sides, covering completely. Shake off any excess flour.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, mushrooms, and parsley to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the chicken to the skillet. Cook the chicken, uncovered, for about 8 minutes, then turn over. When chicken is brown on both sides, add the Marsala wine or chicken broth. Cook for another 8 minutes, turning chicken again half way through. If juice is clear when the center of the thickest part of the chicken is cut, its done!

Start to Finish: 45 Minutes Makes 4 Servings

Donut Muffins

2010-03-01T00:09:00.000-08:00

Is it a donut? Is it a muffin? Its an absolutely delicious combination of the two- oh yeah- and its filled with gooey jam!! How much better could this be?! I discovered this mouth-watering treat on one of my favorite cooking blogs, http://noblepig.com/. These are sure to go fast, so hide them under your bed so your roomies don't eat them!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg Topping

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup milk

jam (of choice)

Things You Will Need

9 or 12 cup muffin pan

9 muffin cups

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Whisk these ingredients until well combined. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the sugar, oil, egg and milk. Once combined, stir these ingredients into the dry ingredients, until lightly moistened. (Don't mix too much!)

This recipe makes only 9 servings, so you need at least a 9 cup muffin pan, but 12 works too, just leave 3 cups empty. Place 9 paper-lined cups into the pan, and fill them half full with mixture. The mixture can become kind of pasty, so be careful not to fill too high. Shake pan lightly or drop onto counter to level out mixture.

Place one tsp of jam in the center of each muffin. I used seedless strawberry jam and it was delicious!

Cover each jam filled muffin with more batter, enough to completely cover the jam. Each cup should be 3/4 full.

Bake muffins at 350° for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Place melted butter in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Immediately after removing muffins from the oven, dip muffin top into butter, then roll in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. I have seen some people take the muffin cup off of the muffin and roll the entire thing in the sugar. I would recommend doing this, it looks like heaven!!

Broccoli Corn Casserole

2010-02-28T21:35:00.000-08:00

Serve this side dish with dinner for a bunch of friends. This recipe makes 6 servings, so there is plenty to go around, and again, this is a very easy and inexpensive recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (10 or 16 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn

1 egg

1 1/2 cups stuffing mix

1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, combine the thawed broccoli, corn and the egg. Mix well. Spray an 8x8 (2 quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer broccoli mixture to baking dish. Sprinkle stuffing mix ontop and then drizzle with the melted butter.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Once the casserole is done cooking, I like to mix the stuffing into the broccoli so it gets a little softer.

Prep Time: 10 minutes Start to Finish: 35 Minutes Makes 6 Servings

Delicious Chicken Scaloppine

2010-02-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

Did you have a rough day at school? Too much homework? Finals on their way? If you need to let out some frustration, this it the recipe for you!! This recipe calls for pounding chicken until its super-skinny. So get out your mallets and let loose!!

I felt ambitious tonight and decided to make something I have never made before! I really had no idea what it was going to taste like, and once it was done and devoured, let me tell you- it was absolutely delicious! I had most of the ingredients already in my cupboard, so it cost me under $6.00 at the grocery store, which is always nice! HINT: It always helps to cut costs if you buy your chicken in bulk, you can keep what you need in the refrigerator and freeze the rest for another recipe on another day.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (this is about 1 1/4 lb.)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup chicken broth (or 1/2 cube of chicken bullion in 1/2 cup hot water to dissolve)

1-2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro for a southwestern taste!)

Things You Will Need:

Plastic wrap or waxed paper

Rolling pin, mallet or a small sauce pan to pound chicken

Directions:

Place chicken breast with the smooth side down in between pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Gently pound chicken with mallet or rolling pin until it is about 1/4 inch thick. I used a small sauce pan, which worked out well. I also used a serrated kitchen knife to butterfly the chicken breasts so they were half the thickness. (You should do this if you are afraid of disturbing your neighbors while pounding out your chicken!) The reason for flattening your chicken is to achieve a more even cooking, also it helps to tenderize the chicken.

In a small bowl, mix the flour, cumin and salt. Set aside about 1 tsp of the flour mixture. Coat the chicken pieces with the flour mixture.

In a non-stick skillet, heat vegetable oil on medium heat. Once heated, add the chicken. You will want to cook the chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side. Once it is golden brown and no longer pink inside, the chicken is done. Remove chicken from skillet and cover to keep warm.

In another small bowl, mix the remaining 1 tsp of flour mixture into chicken broth. You can use canned chicken broth or simply heat 1/2 cup of water until hot, then add a half of a chicken bullion cube to make a 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Gradually stir broth mixture into skillet, be careful when pouring it into hot skillet! Heat to boiling, then stir in lime juice and parsley. You can use cilantro for a more southwestern taste.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Start to Finish: 30 Minutes Makes 4 Servings