Quick, Cheap and Easy

Chicken Cheese Soup

2013-10-21T13:42:00.001-06:00

This recipe comes from my Mother-in-law. It is a family favorite! When you are feeling down/sick/cold/or pretty much anything, this is the soup you need.

Ingredients:
12 cups water
12 cubes/tsp. Chicken bouillon
6 Carrots (More! I actually used a whole bag of the baby carrots)
6 potatoes
4 celery stalks
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of flour
Cooked Chicken – diced
Cooked noodles (about 4 cups)
Cheez Whiz 14 oz. jar
1. Cook your chicken then dice it. It’s nice if you already have some set aside. I used around 5 chicken breasts. Boil your noodles and drain.
2. Get your 12 cups of water and bouillon on to boil. Wash and cut your carrots, potatoes, and celery. Add to your water as they get done. Bring to a boil.
3. When that is getting close to a boil start on your rue. Put your butter in your pan first and melt completely. Then slowly start to add your cup of flour. Add a little and then whisk in. Repeat until your flour is completely mixed in.
4. Add your rue to your soup. Stir together. Then add your chicken and noodles. Last comes the Cheez Whiz. If you add it in smaller scoops it will melt faster. Once the Cheez whiz is melted it is ready.
*This soup is great fresh, but tastes just as good as leftovers. It also freezes really well.

Amazing Taco Salad Dressing

2013-03-19T09:37:00.002-06:00

I had the pleasure of feeding a bunch of men last night. They helped removed some trees so I figured I could at least feed them something other than the 'hotdogs' that were suggested. I decided to try out some Taco Salad on them. I had a recipe for a dressing that I really wanted to try. It passed the test with flying colors. ALL of the guys complimented me on it and my picky eating brother ate 2 helpings of SALAD because of it.

I found the recipe here.
Meatless Taco Salad

Here is what I did.

Ingredients for Dressing
1-1/3 cup of mostly squashed Avocado
1 cup Sour Cream
3 Tbs finely chopped Green Onions
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Chili Powder
Dash of Pepper

Mix all of those together and then set in the fridge so the flavors can mingle.

Our Taco Salad consisted of 1 lb of browned Ground Beef mixed up with the Western Family Taco seasoning packet (prepared as the packet suggests). I added 2 cans of Kidney Beans that had been rinsed thoroughly to the meat and put it in a crock pot to keep it warm while the guys worked.

We had lots of Red Leaf lettuce, cherry tomatoes that were quartered, sliced olives, freshly chopped cilantro, and grated cheese. (Corn Chips optional)

I had some Mexican Rice that I had meant for a side dish, but the guys put it in the salad and it really added to the dish. Very delish!

I just made up this kind.

Anyway, it was a very good dinner. Everyone loved it. I can't wait to eat some leftovers.

Secretly Healthy Chocolate Brownie Cookies

2013-03-15T14:02:00.000-06:00

I haven't tried these yet, but I wanted to make sure I had the recipe in a place I could find it later. I'm hearing all sorts of rave reviews about them. Let me know if you try them too!

http://www.elizasedibles.com/2012/12/16/secretly-healthy-chocolate-brownie-cookies/

Tomato Chicken Noodle Soup

2013-01-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

This was a pretty fun and simple recipe to come up with. I had some boiled chicken breasts in my fridge and no idea what to do with them. I've been feeling the need for some tomato soup. That is where it started. I didn't want to sit over a pot for forever so I pulled out my crock pot. It's a pretty big batch. Not sure on the servings yet, but it's definitely more than 8.

Ingredients
6 cups of Water
2 cups of Creamy Tomato Soup Dry Blend (My Personal Pantry)
3-4 Chicken Breasts, cooked and diced
4 stalks of Celery, washed and diced
1 bottle of Stewed Tomatoes (a large can of tomatoes would work too)
1 lb Pasta
1-2 tsp Salt
Other Seasonings

1. Pour your water and soup blend into your crock pot. Whisk until soup is incorporated.

2. Add your chicken, celery, and stewed tomatoes. Set your crock pot on High for 2-3 hours.

3. About 20 minutes before you are ready to eat boil some water for your pasta. Then cook your pasta and add it to your crock pot.

4. Add your salt and any other seasoning you'd like. I added 1 Tbsp of Italian Seasoning and a tsp of Garlic Powder.

Eat up and Enjoy!

Safely Storing Food

2013-01-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

Whether you are only buying food as you need it or are saving it for emergencies the way that you store food is important. Not only does it waste a lot of money if you don't store things properly, but it can sometimes be dangerous. We want our food to last as long as it can, while keep as much nutritional value as possible. I'm going to touch base on some basic food storage tips.

Grains-
Unprocessed grains (meaning not ground up) can last 8 years and many a lot longer than that. To last that long they need to be stored properly. Before they are ground, rolled, etc it is recommended that they be stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place. After they have been processed or their sealed container has been opened they all have varying times until they have lost their nutritional value. They should still be kept in airtight containers in a cool and dry place. Here are a few examples.
-Rolled Oats: Unopened- 8 years, Opened- Use within 1 year
-Wheat: Unopened - 12 years or more, Opened- 3 years (Once ground use within a few days)
-Cornmeal: Unopened - 5 years, Opened- Use within 1 year
-Rice: Unopened - 30 years, Opened- As long as you keep it dry and in a cool place probably just as long

Legumes-
Beans, peas and lentils are the best source of protein that you can get from vegetables. They are also a good source of fiber. When you find yourself in a place where you don't have meat or can't eat it pairing these with a healthy grain creates a complete protein and an excellent substitute for meat.

Legumes will usually keep indefinitely when stored in a cool, dry place.

Here is an information sheet I received while taking a class. Feel free to print your own copy. I love having a list of guidelines for how long I can store things safely. Now the hardest thing is keeping track of when you opened something. It really isn't that hard. I like to keep a permanent marker in my kitchen so I can write the date it is opened right on the container. Works great for me!

Another tough decision that I'm sure EVERYONE has is 'How long can I keep this in my fridge?', 'Is this still good to eat?', and other questions similar to that. Here is another page with great guidelines to follow.

Here are a couple of extra 'rules of thumb' I have learned over the years.

Eggs- The date on eggs is a 'sell by date' you can often use them for a week or so after. The best way to know if an egg is still good is to do the Float Test. Gently place the egg completely submersed in water. If it floats, stands on it's end, etc it is bad. As the egg ages the membrane inside is deteriorating. This lets air in which makes it buoyant. If the air can make it in, so can bacteria.

Baked Potatoes- This is an interesting thing I learned and have tried to pass on. When you have extra baked potatoes left take them out of the foil to cool off and store them in an airtight container. If they are just put in the fridge in the foil the heat will stay in. Potatoes are a great place to grow bacteria. Also make sure you use them within a couple of days.

"When in doubt, throw it out." But also do your part to save your money and store your food safely!

Marble Pumpkin Brownies

2012-10-27T14:17:00.000-06:00

http://jjmouthgasm.blogspot.com/2012/10/marble-pumpkin-brownies.html

Oh My! These were divine!

Just thought I'd share my friend's recipe. Thanks Jess! You are inspired!

The only difference I did with this recipe is I didn't layer the pumpkin mixture in between. I put all of the brownie batter on the bottom of my Large Bar Pan (Pampered Chef Stone), then poured the pumpkin mixture in stripes across the pan. I then took a butter knife and cut through the batters in both directions to get the marble look and get the pumpkin distributed.

This is what it looks like. Not a picture of the actual brownies.

Enjoy these (I know you will) and check out the other amazing desserts and recipes that Jess has posted!

Aumu

2012-10-06T15:56:00.002-06:00

This recipe was introduced to me by one of my first college roommates. Many thanks to Valerie and all of her delicious recipes. A pan of these never lasted long enough to even cool. So good!

Ingredients
2 cans Whole Water Chestnuts
1 lb Bacon cut into 1/3 slices
1 1/2 cups Ketchup
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Dry Mustard
1/4 cup Pineapple Juice
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 tsp Pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a 9x13" pan mix everything but your Water Chestnuts and Bacon.

3. Slice your bacon into thirds and begin wrapping around your Water Chestnuts. Secure the bacon with a toothpick (make sure you've poured your toothpicks out so you don't contaminate the clean ones you'll use later).

4. Place your Bacon Wrapped Chestnuts in your pan and swirl around to cover them in the sauce. Once all are wrapped and covered in sauce (they don't have to be completely covered since the sauce will be boiling and such) cover your pan in tinfoil and place in your oven.

5. Bake for 45 minutes.

Make sure to give them a little time to cool. It is hard, but you do want to be able to taste them.

Taco Soup - TexMex Style

2012-09-28T16:16:00.000-06:00

I'm back to trying out some delicious products done by My Personal Pantry. This recipe was a spur of the moment "Ah-Ha" type of thing. I wanted to mix together some Taco Soup (don't you love Soup Weather?). My one dilema here is that I'm never prepared with a list of spices to throw in. I was about to go look something up when I remembered the small little can waiting for me.

It was all very easy from there.

Ingredients

3 cans of beans (I used Black, Kidney, and Pinto)
1 lb of cooked ground beef (I used canned because I was really feeling lazy)
1 bag of freezer corn
4 cups of water
1 cup of TexMex Tomato Soup Mix
Anything else Taco Soupy

1. Rinse your beans really well

2. Pour all of your ingredients in a decent sized pot. Heat over medium to medium-high heat until your soup is boiling. Lower heat to a simmer until you are ready to eat.

3. Top with things like sour cream, cheese, olives, etc.

So Easy! Very delicious!!!

Quinoa with Black Beans

2012-08-06T20:16:00.000-06:00

I've been playing around with the idea of trying Quinoa for awhile. I have two friends that have been really good at promoting it on Facebook. Thanks Adree and Tricia! It really is delicious and has lots of benefits. It is pretty much a substitute for things like rice.

Both of my friends recommended this recipe. I did it just like it said (except I didn't have any broth at all so I ended up using chicken noodle soup juice watered down until I had enough). One friend doesn't use the cayenne because she feeds it to her kids (and they like it). I tried it with. It had a fun kick!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-and-black-beans/

Turkey-Stuffed Bell Peppers

2012-08-06T20:11:00.000-06:00

I've started participating in Bountiful Baskets again. I figure it will force us to eat more healthy foods. I'm pretty excited about it. If you don't know much about Bountiful Baskets check out their website and see if they have something set up in your area.

When looking in my fridge last week I had a scrumptious idea to make some stuffed peppers. My neighbor brought us some last fall and they were delicious. I went on a hunt.

This recipe was found on the Taste of Home website. It was wonderful!!!

Ingredients
5 medium bell peppers
1 large onion, chopped (I used some onion powder instead)
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1-1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I used Pampered Chef)
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheese (I chose Colby Jack)
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups rice (their recipe calls for soft bread crumbs)
1/4 teaspoon paprika (I skipped)

Directions
1. Cut peppers in half lengthwise and discard seeds. In a large pot, cook peppers in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. in a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the turkey, cumin, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper; cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.

3. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the cheese, tomatoes and rice. Spoon into pepper halves. Place in a baking pan and sprinkle with paprika.

4. Bake uncovered, at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated.

Eating Healthy for Less

2012-04-27T18:58:00.002-06:00

This is an article that I read on KSL.com the other day. I thought it had a lot of good points and reminders. Enjoy!

Living in a fast-paced society, it can be difficult to eat fresh, healthy foods. “Pre-packaged” and “drive-thru” seem to be the key words of the day. But not only are foods made from scratch or homegrown healthier, they're often less expensive. Here are a few tips for eating fresh and for less.

1. Stay on the “outside” of the grocery store box

Grocery stores are arranged in an interesting fashion: By walking around the perimeter of the store, shoppers will encounter foods in their freshest state. This includes not only items in the produce section, but artisan breads still piping hot and deli items sliced up fresh, not to mention meat before it’s been wrapped in those plastic and Styrofoam cages.

Surprisingly, prices tend to be lower on these items as well. A half-pound of cheddar sliced up at the deli will often run a dollar a pound less than the pre-packaged kind. Even bringing home the bacon, literally, can be a better deal if the butcher slices it up for customers.

Because fresh items are so perishable, they’re constantly being discounted and placed in “must sell” bins. For someone planning on eating it tonight, they can save on it today.

2. Think local

Farmers markets are wonderful places to come across all kinds of fresh produce and homemade goods. Shoppers can find freshly-picked produce, and often, they'll have a bounty of homemade jams, breads and even salsas to choose from.

Not only will shoppers be supporting local farmers, but prices will usually be more reasonable because they don’t involve transportation and other third-party fees.

To find farmers market locations along the Wasatch Front, visit Wasatch Front Farmers Markets.

3. Eat seasonally

Making a salad with strawberries in January? Plan on paying close to $5 for those berries, if you find them.

Knowing what kinds of produce are in season may help you better plan your menu and navigate the grocery store. Prices for produce are lower for those items farmers and grocery stores have a bounty of. It's also a more sustainable way of eating.

Epicurious has a helpful map of of each state's growing season.

4. Learn to share

Americans throw away up to a quarter of all of the food they purchase, leading to a staggering amount of wasted money and depleted resources.

There’s a classic joke that around harvest time, look out for that pile of zucchini anonymously left on your front porch. In reality, there are probably plenty of people willing to take any freebies that come out of a neighbor’s garden. It’s often just a matter of getting the right produce to the right person. It might be prudent to make a neighborhood list at the beginning of the season, not just to get first dibs on some fresh tomatoes, but also to reconsider what could be planted in your own garden.

On the website Shareable.net, expert bloggers give some ideas for sharing a vegetable garden.NeighborhoodFruit .com is designed to help fruit tree owners share their bounty with others instead of allowing their crops to go to waste. Many such organizations exist, but if one isn’t available in your particular area, consider starting it yourself.

5. Use it or lose it

The biggest obstacle to eating fresh is using up items before they go bad. According to Jonathan Bloom, author of “American Wasteland,” Americans throw away up to a quarter of all of the food they purchase, leading to a staggering amount of wasted money and depleted resources.

There are many strategies to prevent this, the first of which is to carefully plan out meals so that fresh food isn’t purchased before it can be reasonably used. Also, be cautious about the amount of food purchased to begin with. Buying items that are on sale or in bulk won’t pay off if they’re not eaten.

Freezing or storing items properly are the next step to preventing waste. The National Center for Home Food Preservation lists some important information on how to preserve food safely. Many items, especially produce, simply need to be removed from the plastic bags or containers they come in. Meats, cheeses, even breads, can also be frozen and easily thawed for later use.

Tomatillo Chicken Soup

2012-04-05T22:36:00.002-06:00

A BIG thanks to my friend Kate Desmond for sharing this recipe with me. It's one of my new favorites!

Kate’s Tomatillo Chicken Soup

Saute the following in big stock pot approx 10-15 min:
1/2 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb tomatillos, diced (about 5 medium size, don’t forget to remove the husk and wash)
1 tablespoon cumin

add the rest & simmer approximately 15-25 minutes:
3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
1 49 1/2oz chicken broth can
1 16oz fresh salsa from the grocery store deli
1 15.5 oz cans yellow hominy (drained)
1 15.5 oz cans white hominy (drained)

**serve with:blue or white tortilla chips
avocado chunks
white rice
shredded cheese
sour cream
fresh lime juice

*Tomatillos without the skin stuff vs. with it.

*Here is my chicken in the pot. I use the wooden spoon trick over the top to keep it from boiling over. It TOTALLY works!

Cheddar Baked Chicken

2012-02-20T14:20:00.001-07:00

Found this on allrecipes.com. Very Scrumptious!

I was looking for a good baked chicken recipe. I had one from my mom… but I kind of wanted to branch out a little and add some more flavor. This recipe had a great rating and lots of good reviews. After making it for a double date with my brother and soon-to-be wife we give it our full support!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs
2 Tbl milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups cornflakes, crunched up
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts- cut in half
2 Tbl butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a medium baking dish with 1/4 cup of melted butter.

2. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a separate bowl, but together the eggs and milk. In a third bowl, mix the cheese and cornflakes. Dredge chicken pieces in the flour mixture, dip in the egg mixture, then press in the cornflakes. Arrange in the prepared baking dish.

3. Pour your remaining cornflakes and cheese over the top of the chicken then drizzle the 2 Tbl butt evenly over the chicken.

4. Bake for 35 minutes in the oven. Make sure to check the temperature (170 degrees)

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2012-02-20T14:13:00.002-07:00

WOW!!! This is my new favorite recipe! Seriously!!! It tastes amazing and is so much healthier than your normal stuff. Thanks to Pinterest and wonderful friends who pointed it out on Facebook. This really is an amazing recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups low-fat milk (I used 1%)
1/3 cup cream cheese (you could also buy low fat)
2 Tbl Flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbl Butter
1 tsp garlic powder or 1 Garlic Clove
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Place milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. If you’re using a Garlic Clove: In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don’t want to burn it.

3. If you’re using Garlic powder, In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter then add your garlic powder. Mix it together, then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly until it just comes to a simmer. Once it has come to a simmer keep stirring and let it cook for 3 more minutes. It should be getting much thicker at this point.

4. Remove pan from heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover as quickly as possible. Let it stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing

If you have leftovers in the fridge the sauce will thicken to almost a solid. Just re-heat it and add a little milk. It will be back to normal and just as good.

Santa Fe Chicken

2012-02-20T14:04:00.001-07:00

This was inspired by some Pinterest Recipes I’ve seen floating around. I didn’t have everything on hand that I wish I had, but it was still really good.

Ingredients:
2-3 Chicken Breasts
1 can Black Beans
1 can Kidney Beans
1 bottle Salsa
1 bag Freezer Corn (Canned corn would work too)
Southwestern Seasoning

Wish I had had:
1 bunch of Green Onions, diced
1/2 bunch of Cilantro (or more depending on if you like it a lot)

1. Cook your chicken up (170 degrees internal temperature) with some of your favorite Mexican-like seasoning. Mine is Pampered Chef’s Southwestern Seasoning. Once it’s cooked, dice it up and throw it in your crockpot.

2. Drain and rinse your beans.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients into your crockpot. Where everything is already cooked or safe to eat you are mainly letting things simmer and heat up. The mixture of flavors…. yum! Cook it on HIGH for 1-2 hours or LOW 3-4. Make sure to put it on high for the first little bit either way so that your food can all get to the safe food temperature fast, then turn it down if you are using your low setting.

If I had had Green Onions and Cilantro I probably wouldn’t have put them in, but left them for a topping afterward.

This was really good over rice. It would also be good on salad.

Green Monster Smoothie

2012-02-20T13:36:00.001-07:00

There is a new trend going around about these things. It is blowing up on Pinterest and I’ve seen them a few times on Facebook. I decided to try my hand at them and see what I thought.

I’ve kind of been on a health kick lately (counting calories and such). That’s kind of what piqued my interest on these. I wanted something healthy, yummy, and easy to put together in the morning or for a snack during the day. These are so easy to put together and to change up to your liking also.

Ingredients:
1 cup (or generous handful) fresh and clean spinach leaves
1 frozen banana
1/3 cup yogurt (I used WF Vanilla)
1/2 cup milk

1. Put everything in your blender and blend it on up.

This is 235 calories and makes about 1 1/2 glasses full. I didn’t actually measure it yet, but that is what it serves as in my glasses. I you want it a little thinner you can add another 1/2 cup of milk (50 more calories) and it will probably be two glasses of smoothie.

This is kind of a starter recipe that would be easy to add more things to. Here are suggestions:

1 Tablespoon of Peanut Butter (90 Cal)
Some frozen or fresh berries
Cocoa Powder
Flax Seed (tons of health benefits and adds a fun flavor)

Have fun with it!

Chicken and Black Bean Wrap

2012-02-20T13:05:00.001-07:00

While trying to lose some weight lately I’ve been focusing on some fairly simple and healthy recipes.

Ingredients:
2-3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 can Black Beans
1 cup Freeze Dried Green Bell Peppers
1/2 cup Freeze Dried Onions

1. Get your bell peppers soaking so they can hydrate. Make sure that they are covered in water and then let them sit.

2. Cook your chicken in a skillet deep enough to prepare everything in. (Don’t you love one pan meals!) Once some of the juices and oils from the chicken start working around in the pan go ahead and throw in your Freeze Dried Onions. I didn’t reconstitute mine because I often like to just use the natural juices from the meats to do that. You can reconstitute them if you’d rather.

3. Once your chicken is cooked through and the temperature is at least to 170 degrees go ahead and slice it up. I don’t have a nylon knife that is safe to use in my non-stick pan so I forked them out and cut them into strips on my cutting board.

I guess I added the beans and drained peppers before I cut it. It really doesn’t matter.

4. Add your peppers and beans to your hot pan so they can get warmed up.

5. Serve over some rice or in a tortilla

Golden Graham Smores

2012-02-20T12:46:00.001-07:00

I found this recipe on cooks.com.

Ingredients:
3/4 c. light corn syrup
3 Tbsp. butter
1 pkg. (11.5 oz) milk chocolate morsels
3 c. miniature marshmallows
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. (12 oz) Golden Graham cereal (9 cups)

1. Grease 9x13 pan

2. Heat syrup, butter and morsels to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.

3. Pour over cereal; toss until coated. Fold in Marshmallows (it suggests one cup at a time, but I just poured it all in at once. Press in pan with buttered back of spoon. I added some extra marshmallows on top for fun. Let it stand for 1 hour.

4. Cut into 2 inch squares (or the serving size you want). Store loosely covered at room temperature up to 2 days. Makes 24 squares.

These are DELICIOUS!!! I heard my sister talking about something similar to this and I had to try them. This is the only recipe I’ve tried, but I love the proportions and the easiness of it all. It comes together really quick.

Funeral Potatoes

2011-12-03T11:26:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite dishes. I don’t know why I’ve never tried making it before. I’ve actually found myself wondering the same thing about a lot of other foods recently.

I absolutely love these potatoes. The idea to try these with freeze-dried ingredients actually came from my good friend Rose (Thank you for the inspiration!) They turned out perfect!!! It was so easy and I love the fact that my potatoes/hashbrowns don’t have to be taking up space in my freezer.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of freeze dried onion, reconstituted
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
2 cups of powdered sour cream, reconstituted (2 cups of powder, one of water)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups of grated freeze dried cheese, reconstituted
6 cups of freeze dried potato shreds, reconstituted (or 2lb bag of frozen hash browns)
3/4 c cornflakes, crushed and firmly packed
4 Tbsp butter, melted (optional)

1. Combine your onions, soup, sour cream, salt, and cheese. Stir in potatoes. Pour into a 9x13 inch pan.

2. *Combine crushed cornflakes and melted butter.

3. Sprinkle cornflakes over the top of your potatoes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Makes 12 servings

*If you are interested in more onion flavor feel free to add more. The original recipe calls for 1 medium onion, chopped and cooked in 1/2 cup of butter until soft.

It’s delicious and can be served with all sorts of meats and other entrees.

Yes-a Yes-a Taco

2011-12-03T11:05:00.001-07:00

Okay, this is kind of a family joke. It is the come back to “Nada Nada Enchilada”. That’s probably as much as you need to know.

We were having a dinner-time dilemma the other night. I had been called into work and hadn’t planned dinner accordingly. I had pulled some beef out in preparation for something, but hadn’t quite decided what. When I got home my husband had browned that beef (thank you!), but didn’t really know what to do after that (my fault since I didn’t have a plan).

So here is where the impromptu, it’s late and we’re hungry, taco night came into play. We didn’t really have all of the stuff fresh and ready that we usually like, so we decided to try out the freeze dried food we had.

So here you go, pretty much everything on this taco (minus the beef, the tortilla, and a little salsa that I added) can come from the dry food storage. It was all good too.

Ingredients:
Ground Beef, cooked and drained (I did ad some of my favorite seasonings to mine. Pampered Chef Southwestern Seasoning and Chipolte Lime Rub)
Tortillas
Cheese, reconstituted
Onions, reconstituted or thrown in while the beef is cooking. We used about 1/4 cup
Green Bell Peppers, reconstituted
Sour Cream, reconstituted (2 parts powder, 1 part water)
Tomato Cubes, reconstituted

You could also include olives, beans, or any other topping that you’d like. I just appreciated the fact that we could hurry and eat something without having to have had it fresh

Orange-Spiced Sweet Potatoes

2011-12-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

I am a HUGE fan of candied yams and the like. Especially around Thanksgiving. In fact that’s generally the only time of the year that I eat them. It’s kind of sad now that I think about it. If there is something that you enjoy so much, why don’t you eat it more often? Maybe it’s just part of the tradition that makes it so good.

Anyway, this year I volunteered myself to bring them to Thanksgiving dinner. We had made a plan to do as much in Crockpots as possible though. That is where my journey started. I was just trying to look for some basic instructions for cooking yams in a crockpot when I fell about this one. I couldn’t resist trying it. It turned out perfectly! I loved it, the family loved it, and even people who generally don’t eat the candied yams tried it and liked it. So anyway, thank you CDKitchen. If you’d like to check out more of their recipes you can go to their website www.cdkitchen.com

Ingredients:
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (It was about 5 potatoes for me)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 medium orange, juiced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
toasted chopped pecans

1. Place your sweet potatoes in the bottom of your slow cooker. Mix your spices together in your orange juice. Pour over the top of your sweet potatoes and stir to coat.

2. Sprinkle your brown sugar over the top of your sweet potatoes and stir it in.

3. Cook on HIGH for 2 hours or on LOW for 4 hours.

4. Before serving stir in your toasted pecans (or set on the side for those that want them and those that don’t).

*Tip: To juice and orange (or any other citrus fruit) I have found that if you roll it around with a little pressure before you cut it it is easier to get more juice out.

Parmesan Fries

2011-11-29T10:31:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine mentioned these on Facebook and I pretty much immediately asked for the recipe. They are delicious!!!! Thanks Heather! :)

I’ve always been a fan of potato wedges, or things like them. I am usually pretty boring about them though. I could get daring and through some different spices on them, but I haven’t. For some people playing around with recipes, or even just ideas and flavors, is a little scary. Here is a recipe that you can just stick to.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic
4-6 potatoes

1. Scrub your potatoes really well and then pat dry. Cut them into 8 wedges (or maybe more if they are really big). Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Melt your butter and mix in your seasonings and cheese. I use Italian seasoning quite often. You can buy the dry packets used for making salad dressing or there are lots of other seasonings out there that you could use. Just pick your favorite one. After everything is mixed dip your wedges into the butter and coat them.

3. Cover your cookie sheet with aluminum foil (It makes the clean up sooooo nice). If you’re using a stone don’t worry about the foil. This is also a good recipe to use if you’re trying to season said stone. Place your coated wedges on the pan and bake for 30 minutes.

*Tip: Don’t use the powdered parmesan (and not just on this recipe, always!). The fresh stuff is really worth it. It lasts forever in your fridge and adds such a great flavor.

Spaghetti (Freeze Dried Sauce)

2011-11-29T10:16:00.001-07:00

I am amazed with this tomato powder. It is really so simple. The spectrum of things you can do with it is so broad. I decided that my first experiment I would try was a basic spaghetti sauce.

One great thing about using the freeze dried tomato powder is that you get to choose how thick or thin you want the sauce. I opted for a thicker sauce.

Ingredients:
Tomato powder
Water
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Oregano Leaves
Salt

Extras:
1 lb Ground Beef
1/4 cup Freeze Dried Onions
1 cup Freeze Dried Green Bell Pepper dices
1 cup Freeze Dried tomatoes cubed
1 can Olives

1. My sauce was made of about 1 cup of Tomato Powder and 6 cups of water. Add more water until you get the consistency that you’d like.

2. Mix in your favorite spices. I wanted to go for sauce with a ‘kick’. I probably could have added more kick though. Season and taste until you get it where you want it. Start with a teaspoon of each and then adjust from there. Here is my suggestion according to my taste buds:

1 Tbs Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Oregano Leaves
1 tsp Salt

3. Brown your beef. As you reach the end of the browning process through your onions right in. They will reconstitute in the grease drained off of your beef.

4. Pour your tomatoes and green bell peppers in bowl then cover in water. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then drain.

5. Combine everything in your pan that you browned your beef in. Let it heat to your liking. Serve with noodles.

This made enough sauce to go over an entire bad of spaghetti noodles. Probably made at least 10 servings.

Beef Stroganoff

2011-10-27T09:53:00.001-06:00

This has to be the BEST Stroganoff I have EVER tasted. Wow! I absolutely love it! The Hubby has been getting free lunch from his company this week, so guess who gets to eat most of the leftovers? ME!!! and I totally don’t care because it is so delicious. I’m kind of glad that I don’t have to share. :0)

I’m sure I’ll be using this one a lot in the future. Having the powdered sour cream makes it so easy to have everything on hand too. I normally would have to plan on making something like this because I don’t often keep sour cream without already having planned something for it. Anyway, without further ado, here you go.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef, cooked
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup dehydrated sour cream, reconstituted
1 soup can of milk
Egg noodles (I used about 2/3 of a bag. So around 10 oz.)
1 can of Mushrooms, drained

1. In a medium pot, boil water for your noodles. Most egg noodles will probably need about 10 minutes in boiling water to cook.

(Side note: I have heard that if you place a wooden spoon over a pot of boiling water it won’t boil over. My pot didn’t boil enough to show me if it worked, but I’ll keep testing it.)

2. Meanwhile, reconstitute your sour cream. 1 cup of powder + 1/2 cup of water. Whip well and stick in your fridge.

3. In the same pan that you cook your beef in (or a large skillet), mix in your cans of soup and the one can of milk. Let it heat on medium-low stirring frequently. Once your sauce starts to bubble add your mushrooms and sour cream. Mix in well and keep heating.

4. Drain your cooked noodles and add to your sauce. Stir well and serve.

I thought about adding some spices (like garlic) to it for fun, but when I tasted it it was perfect. I didn’t even add any salt or pepper. Make sure to taste test it and see what you think before you play around with more flavors.

I think I may need to go reheat me a bowl right now. Just typing this up and looking at the pictures has made me hungry. That’s another good thing about this dish. It’s been just as delicious for leftovers.

*You could easily use freeze dried mushrooms as well as powdered milk. If you use powdered milk it will be one cup of powdered milk and one cup of water mixed well. You could also just as easily use fresh mushrooms and sour cream.

Cordon Bleu Casserole

2011-10-25T11:02:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite things to order when I go to a nice restaurant is Chicken Cordon Bleu. There are many different kinds, and yet they are all delicious. There have been a few times that I’ve been tempted to try it myself at home, but it seems like there are too many steps. Maybe I just need to toughen up and actually try it… I’ll think about it.

In the meantime, this recipe was extremely easy and quick and tasted just as good! It might not be as pretty or as impressive, but sometimes that doesn’t need to matter.

Ingredients:
4 cups of turkey or chicken, chopped or shredded
3 cups of ham, cubed
1 cup freeze dried shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped freeze dried onion (I think I will omit the onion next time)
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups cream or half-and-half
1 tsp dillweed
1/8 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Topping:
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp dillweed
1/4 cup freeze dried shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup walnut (I didn’t use)

1. Reconstitute your cheese and onions by pouring water over the top and letting it sit for 5 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine your meat and cheese. Set aside.

3. In a saucepan, sauté your onion in butter until tender. Add your flour and stir until it is coated. Add your cream, stir and bring to a boil until it thickens. Add your spices then remove from heat.

4. Pour over your meat mixture, mix well, spoon into a 9x13 pan.

5. In another bowl combine your bread crumbs, butter and dillweed. Stir in your cheese and walnuts.

6. Sprinkle over the top of your casserole and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

*Tip*: One way to save money on bread crumbs is to save the heels of your bread (no one likes to eat them anyway). Have a plastic bag set aside that you keep in your freezer for just this sort of occasion. I would crumble the bread before putting it in the bag. That way it is all prepared and ready for you when you need it in a pinch.

The 1 cup of onions was a little much for me. Next time I think I will probably cut it to at least 1/2 cup, maybe 1/4. I will also be trying some broccoli in there. Despite my problem with the onions it was still amazingly good. If you really like onions then you would probably like it with the measurement listed originally.