Beef Enchiladas (red)

DELICIOUS! I have to say.. but very spicy, at least these were. Probably because I used a lot of peppers when I should have used 5 or 6.. oh well! I had to water the sauce down to a bearable hotness and now I have sauce for the next time I make these! But this sauce is so much better then the package kind.. and better for you too!

Sauce:
1 small can chili peppers (I'm not sure exactly what I used.. these were in my freezer leftover from something else.. they were red, and hot.. and whole..you could also use dried ancho chilis, just reconsitute them in some water for 5 minutes) just remember, the more chilis, the hotter it is. So I'd say about 5-6 chilis.

2 cups beef broth (could use chicken if you're making chicken enchiladas)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 can tomato paste
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano

Boil the chilis in broth for 5 minutes. Puree in a food processor and then strain to get rid of the seeds and other pulp. This takes a while.. I did add a little more water just to help it drain and get some more good juices out, just not a ton. The best bet is to use the back of a spoon to mush the pulp and squish all the juices out. Then return to the stove and simmer with the rest of the ingredients. You can add more seasoning to taste.

Filling:
1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 chopped onion (I actually sauteed the onion first and pureed it so my husband would eat it..yes, I go to great lengths just to add in my beloved onions!)

Saute onions in a little canola oil and add beef. Drain all fat.

*To fill:

2 cups shredded cheese (cheeder, jack, your favorite, I used almost 2 cups shredded cheese total).
corn tortillas (about 12 or so.. 1 pkg)

I can never get my enchiladas to stay whole so I always end up making a lasanga-type dish.. layering the sauce, meat, tortiallas and cheese. You can do whatever you'd like.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 with a little sauce. Place 6 tortillas on bottom. Cover with a little cheese Put a little of the meat mixture on the cheese, cover with some sauce and add another layer of tortillas. Keep layering until meat is gone and finish with a layer of tortillas, sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

*You could also add beans, corn, bell peppers or rice in the filling.

Eggplant parmasian

This can be vegetarian but I did cheat (for the husband's sake) and put some ground beef in the sauce.. just a little to appease his carnivorous ways. This was OK, mainly because I think I cooked the eggplant too long so it was a little mushy..also, it was almost a week old. That could be it too.. I'll have to try it again.

1 medium eggplant (serves about 4) slice into 1/2 inch cross-section slices.
Bread in flour, then egg and then bread crumbs all seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and italian seasoning.
Fry in olive oil on both sides about 5 minutes (until browned).
Then bake in 350 preheated oven (just keep in the same pan) for about 10 more minutes.
Toward the end I also covered them with a little sauce and mozzerella cheese.

Serve with pasta and your favorite sauce. Not too shabby! Even my baby ate some!

Artichoke chicken

Super easy.. pretty good too. This is from All Recepies (love this site!) here but a little tweaked. I couldn't help it.

1 jar (8oz) marinated artichoke hearts
1/4 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup sour cream
salt, pepper
1/4 cup shredded parm
olive oil
bread crumbs
4 chicken breasts (or 2 big ones like I used)

Drain and squeeze artichokes so all the juice is out (this eliminates extra liquid). Chop them. Mix with mayo, sour cream, and cheese. Salt and pepper the chicken and drizzle oil in bottom of your baking dish. Top chicken with your mixture and sprinkle bread crumbs on top, just a little. Bake at 350 for about half an hour, until chicken is cooked. Yum!!

Tuna noodle casserole

OK, I have a few disclaimers for this post.. well 1 mainly: I DON'T LIKE SEAFOOD. Anything that comes from the sea is a foe to my tastebuds.. so my opinion on this dish is severely tainted. My husband said it was OK. We also had a few other guys over and I graciously offered them some, albeit to get rid of it so we didn't have a ton of leftovers (I hate wasting food, even if I don't want to eat it myself)..and they said it was pretty good. It was edible..but I wouldn't eat it again unless absolutely necessary. I honestly thought as I was putting the tuna in, am I really going to ruin it by adding this tuna? ..sigh.. maybe it won't be that bad. This recepie is almost exactly from the back of the soup can.

However, the reason I made this dish was:
1. Because we have a stockpile of tuna for various reasons and I figured why not use it
2. Because I sometimes like tuna.. on rare, rare occasions (not this one)
3. I'm all for trying new things.

2 cans tuna, drained (I think it would be better with the albacore, I only had chunk light)
1 can cream of celery (you could use mushroom too)
1/2 cup sour cream (I added it for extra flavor..didn't do much)
1/2 cup milk
about 4 cups cooked egg noodles
1 cup frozen peas
salt and pepper
bread crumbs for the top
2 tbsp butter
cheese of your choice (for top.. I used parm)

Make noodles. Drain, rinse and add in other ingredients. Top with bread crumbs mixed with butter and cheese. Pour into large baking dish, but smaller then 9x13. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Again, I DON'T like seafood so I didn't care for this dish.. you may.

Semi-homeade Samoas

My husband LOVES the Samoa Girl Scout cookies but I couldn't bring myself to buy them at a whopping $3.50 a box.. I just couldn't do it. So I promised him I'd make him some for his birthday.. soo easy! But I think next time I'll make the cookies from scratch. They'll be fresher.

1 pkg Keebler Fudge Shoppe cookies
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

Caramel sauce for the topping     
WARNING: You will not be able to stop yourself from licking this sauce the spoon or your fingers just be sure not to burn yourself :)

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp whole milk (I used cream)

Melt butter, mix in sugar and milk and stir on medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved and sauce is thickened. About 5-8 minutes. Let stand until cool or put in fridge to cool completely. Mix in 1 1/2 cups coconut. I really didn't measure.. just add enough so that it's all coated but not dry.

Layer carmel mixture on top cookies and be gentle, the cookies break easily. I ended up not worrying about the whole in the middle and just plopped the caramel on top!

Let the cookies sit and the carmel harden for a few minutes.. then enjoy! I can't stop eating these!

Spinach and tofu stuffed shells

This was really good, even my husband liked it! I used firm tofu (left-over from another recepie) but I think you could use the not firm kind too.

1 box large shells
1 box frozen chopped spinach
8 oz tofu
8 oz ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese because that's what I had, tastes very similar)
2 cups shredded mozzerella (or more if you like it)
1 cup shredded parmasian (the real stuff, no cardboard flakes here!)
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce (24 oz) any kind, your favorite

In a food processor, puree tofu and ricotta (or cottage) cheese until smooth. Pour into a bowl and mix in italian seasoning,oil, salt, pepper, garlic and 1/2 cup mozzerella and parm cheeses. Defrost spinach in microwave and squeeze through a strainer until the water is almost all out of the spinach. Mix in cheese mixture. *you won't need eggs like in normal shell/lasagna recepies because of the tofu, in case you were wondering.

Cook shells about 10 minutes, until al dente (mostly cooked but with a little bite still). Drain carefully so you don't break the shells and rinse in cold water to cool them down and stop the cooking.

Pour a cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish or just enough to lightly cover the bottom of the dish. Carefully fill the shells with the cheese mixture. I filled mine to the brim and had shells leftover..so I'd only fill them halfway so you don't have to steal from other shells at the end! Cover with the rest of the sauce and cheeses. Cook at 350 for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Yum and healthy!

Welcome food-lovers!

I'm so glad you're here! I'm trying to keep myself accountable and organized (I think) by starting this blog. I like to make week-long menus to help keep the grocery shopping and wallet-usage in check (doesn't always work, but hey, I try). My goal here is to post my dinner recepies every week along with other favorites, family secrets and personal cooking tips I've picked up from my grandmother, friends, and over my 15+ years of watching cooking shows. :) I try my best to cook healthy, diverse meals but I do have quite the sweet tooth so there will hopefully be a mixture of everything.

There are some things you should know before you try anything...

• I don't like measuring, it takes up time and makes thing unessisarily dirty. So I approximate a lot and guess on amounts. It almost always turns out great except when it doesn't and my husband makes a plea for me to measure.
• Unless otherwise mentioned, these meals yield 2 portions with some leftovers much to my hubby's delight. Soups, desserts, bread..stuff like that, make a lot more though.
• Feel free to CHANGE it up when you cook..add more or less of anything to fit your needs. I always change recepies to my taste so be aware that my tastebuds and your tastebuds are different..but I'm sure they will become friends from my food. :)
• My oven cooks really hot so my cooking times are usually faster then on normal recepies. So your dishes might take longer than mine.
• Not everything I make is tasty. I'll be first one to say it (well, maybe the hubby) I don't claim to be a Martha Stewart or Julia Child but the hubby will also say I'm the best cook he's ever had (equal to his mamma)
• I love cooking..it's fun to me..and so rewarding when I can make someone happy with my food. So I hope I can make you happy and make your life a little easier with some of my ideas. As Julia Child would say, "Bon appetit!"

Pesto chicken

This is a staple in our house and so easy!

2 chicken breasts
2 heaping tbsp Classico pesto sauce
about 2 tbsp diced sun-dried tomatoes (the ones soaked in oil are the yummiest)
Parmesan cheese to top
cooked veggies to throw in if desired (peas, green beans, carrots, squash, broccoli, etc.)
pasta (your favorite, enough for 2+)

Cook chicken. I either fry it in oil with some garlic powder, salt, pepper, italian seasoning and add balsamic vinegar at the end OR cook in the crockpot with everything above except the vingear for a few hours and it's perfect and much easier. Especially if you have split-rib chicken breasts. Just be sure to watch the chicken so it doesn't dry out from cooking too long. Then dice the cooked chicken.

Cook pasta and drain. Add everything else and mix. You can add more pesto, cheese, tomatoes, chicken if desired. My husband loves a lot so he always adds more everything. Can be served hot or cold.

Rosemary baked potatoes

Enough of a mixture of your favorite potatoes (sweet and other)
rosemary
olive oil
salt/pepper

wash and peel ONLY sweet potatoes or all of them if you like. Again, extra fiber but sweet potato skins are really tough so I peel them. Chop into bite-size pieces. Toss in baking dish with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary. Bake at 350 for half hour or until done. I stir them during baking so they don't burn and cook evenly. It also helps them from sticking to the pan. My husband LOVES potatoes cooked this way.

Turkey meatloaf

This is an adapted recepie from the Joy of Cooking cookbook.

1 lb ground turkey (or beef, the turkey really does taste good)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs (I used unseasoned because then I can add my own)
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp dijon mustard
a shake of werchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
*you can add some onions too if you want, I don't for my husband's sake

Mix all ingredients together. You may need to add more bread crumbs so it's not completely soupy but not too dry. Like thick batter consistency is what you're looking for. Pour into oiled loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until browned and edges have pulled away from the side. You can make a pan gravy or just serve with ketchup (what I like). It's tasty enough on it's own.

Artisian bread

This bread is from my sister's secret stash of recipies. It's really easy and makes you look like a professional baker.

Yeild: 4 small rounds

6 1/2 cups flour
3 cups warm water
1 1/2 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp yeast

Let yeast sit in warm water until bubbly (about 5 minutes). Mix in salt and flour, knead until combined. Spray with PAM and cover. Let rise 1-2 hours. Divide into 4 loaves and round them. Let rise another hour. Bake at 450 on a heated stone (I used a cookie sheet and it worked OK) but COVERED for 20 minutes. Covering steams the bread. I used my Kitchenaid mixing bowl. Then cook uncovered for 10 more minutes. Enjoy! I'm going to try making this with wheat flour in the future..stay tuned!

Cheesy broccoli soup

2 cups chopped onion (didn't use this much because the husband doesn't like 'em)
2 tablespoons margarine
2 1/2 pounds peeled and cubed potatoes, about 4 medium potatoes (didn't peel them, extra fiber!)
2-3 cups cauliflour..adds fiber and flavor
5 cups boiling water 4 cubes chicken bouillon
3 cups fresh broccoli, cooked and drained (don't have to cook it, just add it in after pureeing)
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups shredded Cheddar (or more to taste)

Cook onion in butter until translucent. Add water, potatoes, cauliflour, bouillon, salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are done. Puree SLOWLY in blender-don't burn yourself! Put back into pan and add broccoli and cheese. I also added about 2 oz of cream cheese for extra creaminess and a cup or so of milk. Cook until broccoli is done but on low so the bottom of the pan doesn't burn. SO DECLICIOUS! I served it with the artisian bread for dipping.. or you could make soup bowls!

Classic chili

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 chopped onion
chili seasoning packet
1 tsp chili powder
1-2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt/pepper to taste
1-2 cups frozen corn
1 can kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes (I used petite diced)

Follow instructions on back of chili packet..I usually add more seasonings as mentioned above and sometimes I make my own seasonings without a packet. I'll post that another time. I add corn to make it healthy..haha.. you could also different kinds of beans or veggies like bell pepper for variety. I served it with corn muffins, cheese and sour cream. I know it's a cop-out to use seasoning packets but it's an easy dinner and yummy!

Tofu fried rice with veggies

I decided I wanted to try to make 1 meal a week vegetarian..so I figured I'd try my hand at tofu which is not my favorite but edible. This was surprisingly good but a little bland. I added a lot more soy sauce then I originally thought.

8 oz firm tofu (it could have used more) diced into cubes
2-3 cups chopped veggies, your favorites (I used snow peas, broccoli, carrots, onions-yes, I need an onion fix sometimes, the hubby just picks them out)
1 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp ginger (I use jarred for both of these)
conola oil
3 cups cooked rice (I cooked it earlier in the day in beef broth to add flavor. Then I put it in the fridge to cool and dry, this way the rice doesn't stick together, easier for frying)
2 eggs
2 tbsp soy sauce (or more)
pinches of red pepper flakes
1 tbsp hoisin sauce (I don't really like this sauce but it does add a little flavor)

Cook veggies in a little oil with garlic and ginger about 10 minutes. Remove and cook tofu about 10 minutes or until browned (not too long). Remove and add eggs, scrambling. Add everything together and mix slowly. You can add more seasonings to taste.