chicken & red potato foil dinners

Gina and I were talking the other day about making foil dinners more fancy, and this is what I came up with! I made them for dinner tonight and they turned out yummy. Because I only made the recipe for 2, I'll just list what I put in each meal.

1 chicken breast, thawed {if you use frozen chicken, you'll need to adjust the cooking time}
1-2 red potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup frozen corn
a few small wedges of red onion {if you don't like onions, i would still recommend adding a dash of onion or garlic salt for flavor. that's what i did for my picky husband}
a dash of salt
a dash of black pepper
a dash of thyme {i'm sure italian seasoning or oregano would be yummy too}

Turn on the grill to a medium-low setting. Spray the foil with Pam. Pile on the ingredients & wrap up the meals. Cook on the grill for about 25 minutes. Flip them over once or twice during cooking. Check them at about 15 minutes to determine how much time they still need. Unwrap & enjoy!

The final product:

salsa fresca

In my opinion, there is nothing better than fresh salsa with tortilla chips. Especially homemade salsa. This is my recipe:

6-8 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped {red onions are my personal favorite}
2-3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped {dried cilantro is just not the same}
juice from 1 lime
a couple shakes of chile powder {however much you like, depending on how hot you like it}
a pinch or 2 of salt {i don't like to over-salt it because tortilla chips have plenty of salt on them}
a pinch or 2 of sugar

and voila. the best snack in the world {ok, at least it's MY favorite!}. healthy, too!

sweet chili

This is a family recipe; it's a really yummy chili that has my most fave ingredient: sugar. And, again, this recipe is pretty easy....it just requires some time to simmer.

The great thing about this chili is it makes for a great next-day-lunch item. We like to eat it with cheese sprinkled on top and tortilla chips...not exactly the most healthy choice of toppings, but it's dang good. :) Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef (I've used just one pound before, and it works just as well)
1/2 chopped onion
1 can diced tomatoes
2 sm. cans tomato sauce (or I sometimes use 3/4 of a reg. size can)
1 can kidney beans
2-3 Tbs chili powder
2 Tbs sugar (yum!)
1 med. can mild green chilies (or less if you're not a fan)
1 can chili beans
a touch of cumin and oregano

Instructions:

Brown beef with onion in large pot. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer for about an hour.


Serves: 5+ (or 2 and have the rest for left-overs!)
Time: 1 hour 20 min (or you can cheat, like me, and simmer for only 30 min.)

**TIP: If you have several recipes that call for onion...consider buying diced onions in the freezer section of your local grocer. Beats cutting that nasty stuff up yourself every time and trying to keep it fresh until your next use. (In fact, I do the same with green peppers, peas, carrots, and broccoli)

sweet-n-sour meatballs

So obviously I'm all about fast-n-easy...and these fabulous meatballs are no exception. I decided to go against the grain and take a picture of the cooking in process. :) These are super good, and super easy.

Ingredients

1/3 - 1/2 package of frozen meatballs (I dunno, like 15-20 meatballs?)
1 can pineapple (chunks or diced)
1 green pepper, sliced
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 cups rice

Instructions:

Cook meatballs according to package (you're basically just warming them up and browning), add pineapple (with it's juice!), green peppers and BBQ sauce. Serve over rice.

Serves: about 4
Time: about 20 minutes

*TIPS: You can thicken the sauce by adding some cornstarch. And I buy my meatballs at Walmart in their frozen section, the "Homestyle" kind.

fave: jiffy blueberry muffin mix

I grew up eating these yummy muffins. They are super easy to make {add 1 egg & 1/4 cup milk} AND they actually taste like muffins, not cupcakes! One box costs $1-$2. Tip: After you have distributed the batter into the muffin cups, press in frozen or fresh blueberries. yum!

simply delicious

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THE ULTIMATE OREO COOKIE

2 devils food cake mixes

4 eggs

1/2 cup flour

2 cubes butter softened

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mix & roll into walnut sized balls, bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for 9 minutes (no longer, they wont look done, take them out anyway). when cool frost with premade cream cheese frosting or home made (if you ambitious) and make into sandwich....

simple and delicious!!

Suddenly Italian Salad (MY FAVE!!)

Speaking of salads...this salad is MY favorite to bring to potlucks, bbqs, etc. And it's so unbelievably easy, you'll just die...

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Ingredients:

1 box suddenly salad, classic

2 tbs veggie oil

3 tbs water

1 cucumber, sliced and quartered

1 big tomato, diced (or you can use cherry tomatoes)

Pepperoni slices, quartered (I use about 1/3 to 1/2 of bag)

More veggies can be added, like: olives, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

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Instructions:

Prepare salad according to box instructions...then add veggies. That's it! Tastes great after being in the fridge for a while...to cool and crisp-up.

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Serves: probably about 8-ish (but if you double the recipe, can feed up to 15)

Time: 15-20 minutes

spinach salad with poppy seed dressing

When it's my turn to bring a salad, this is a yummy alternative to a boring bowl of iceberg lettuce.

Salad:
1 bunch spinach {1-2 bags baby spinach}
1 head lettuce {1-2 bags iceberg lettuce}
6 strips bacon, cooked & crumbled
2 hard boiled eggs
1-2 cups swiss cheese {depending on how many you're serving... and how much you love swiss cheese}, grated
*in the picture, I didn't have a boiled egg handy. I also added craisins.

Dressing:
1/2 Cup red wine vinegar
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 Cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
3/4 tsp dry mustard
{combine all & shake well}

Combine spinach & lettuce in a large bowl. Apply dressing just before serving. Top with bacon, boiled eggs & cheese.

Tip: For a lower-fat dressing, try 3/4 Cup vinegar & 1/4 Cup oil.

Serves: 8+
Time: about 20 minutes if eggs are already boiled & chilled.

marvelous mini meatloaves

okay so it doesn't look marvelous...but i promise they're delectable! this is my favorite meatloaf recipe i've come across. and sooooo easy.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg (6 oz) stove top stuffing mix
1 cup water
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup bbq sauce
3/4 cup shredded cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven tp 375 degrees. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water, and garlic powder until well blended. Press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with non-stick cooking spray; make an indention in the center of each with spoon. Spoon bbq sauce into center of each meatloaf. Bake 30 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Top with cheese, continue baking until cheese is melted.

Serves: 6
Time to make: about 40 minutes total