Want a super easy, yummy dinner? My sister-in-law taught me this one. Only 5 ingredients.
ingredients
1 can rolled crescent dough
2 cups chicken, cooked & cubed
2 cups broccoli, cooked (I steam mine)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
Salt & pepper
instructions
Place chicken, broccoli and cheese--at the proportion you want--in the middle of each doughy triangle. Fold up the sides, line up on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 until golden brown.
While they are cooking, heat up the cream of chicken soup in a medium saucepan. Salt and pepper to taste. Use this as a dipping sauce for your rolls.
P.S. Something I learned this from my friend while she was in culinary school was to always season my meat, and it has made a difference in the taste of my food for sure. So when making this dish, salt and pepper your chicken too!
It really has been too ridiculously long since I've posted a recipe. Summer has me everywhere but in front of my computer lately. But you better believe I have still been cooking and taking pictures. Just not finding time to post! Sigh But here we are finally. My kids are with Dad doing yard work so I thought I'd steal a few seconds to post some fabulous things I've been cooking this summer, even though I should be doing the dishes. They can wait.
This has been my 2nd* favorite salad this summer. (Remember this favorite way back when?) I'm loving this new, extremely easy, salad my very health-conscience friend made for me one evening. Thank you dear! ;)
My husband calls this salad Rabbit Food. Haha. Men. See what you think. I think it's fresh, crispy, and new. Just what the Doctor ordered during this heat . . .
ingredients
cucumbers
green peppers
celery
green onions
baby spinach leaves
Salad dressing of your choice (we use Ranch - not the healthiest, but hey. It's good.)
*Stay tuned for my number one favorite salad this summer. You're going to die it's soooo yummy. Now if I can just steal another minute away to post it... ;)
I know I have mentioned this before, but I do not believe that Rachel Ray's 30 minute recipes only take 30 minutes to make. Even with everything out on the counter, ready to go, yup, over 30 minutes. I am a pretty darn quick chopper of veggies and the like, but still, over 30 minutes. I look at a recipe and think, oh that will be a quick meal to prepare, nope, not the case. I hope you are better than I at preparing meals because this one looked quick. (I suppose in my defense, though I multitask and say chop veggies while pasta is boiling, being quite OCD, I clean up every little mess that I make and wash my dishes as I go. So that probably adds to my prep time, but really cuts down on the post dinner clean up.) This is a really simple recipe I found on the Pioneer Woman's website, with as usual, a couple of my alterations as seen in italics.
Sour Cream Noodle Bake
Ingredients
1¼ lb ground chuck (and I did use ground chuck)
1 - 15oz can tomato sauce
½ t salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8oz egg noodles (I used the whole bag, I think it was 12 oz)
½ c sour cream (um, the recipe name has sour cream in it and the recipe only calls for 1/2 cup? I just put the full carton - I think that is 2 cups worth.)
1¼ c small curd cottage cheese (like the sour cream, I just added the whole carton)
½ c sliced green onions
1 c grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used medium cheddar, and a lot more that 1 cup) Basil leaves, I chopped up about 15 basil leaves I had left over from another meal Instructions
Cook egg noodles until aldente. Drain and set aside.
Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce, basil, salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.
In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Mix with the noodles. Add green onions and stir.
To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese.
Spread the green onions a top the cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.
The picture at the top, well, I didn't read the last part of the instructions. So I did a layer of noodles, but didn't want too much noodle because I wanted the sauce to be on the noodles, so I added about half the sauce and cheese and then I just made a second dish. It would have fit in one dish if I'd read to layer it, like a lasagna. We ate up the first dish really quickly. I quickly snapped a photo of the second dish before we dug in. Yummy stuff.
Well I'm not sure that we qualify for super healthy eating at our house, but we are definitely trying. I have a very picky 5 year old and every meal other than breakfast is a challenge. So one thing we have tried recently that seems to be helping is the everything in 3's rule. There is something about variety that usually gets him to start eating and if he eats 2 of the 3 items than I'm a happy camper. We do this with dinner's as well (although sometimes I have more than 3 things). Plus I found these cute little divided plates at target and we love them.
Here are three examples of what we've tried to do around here. I always try to include some fruit or vegetable as one of the 3 choices. Luckily he will eat raw veges, just not cooked ones. As well as some dairy. We are also trying to cut back on the breads since he would eat sandwiches everyday if I would let him. (fyi it does not always work out so well, but we try)
day 1... today we had 4 things
lil smokies with bbq sauce, orange slices, string cheese, and yogurt, with apple juice
day 2...
toast with peanut butter on it, carrot sticks, and string cheese, with milk
(he is not a fan of jams or honey right now so we just toast a piece of bread and add PB)
day 3...
cheese and crackers, pepperoni slices, and bananas, with apple juice
(if I have cottage cheese we will put that on the crackers as well, or lunch meat)
Kevin is always good about taking leftovers and if there is enough then I will usually have that the following day as well, if not then Ty and I will eat the same sort of things. This seems to be working well for us and it keeps Tyler full longer so he isn't always wanting snacks. The same goes for me too!
Soup: 5-6 chicken breasts, cubed 2 Tbsp butter 1 32 oz container chicken broth Minced onion 1 1/2 cup baby carrots, chopped 1 1/2 cup celery, chopped 8 cubes chicken bouillon Seasoning salt 1 16 oz. package of Grandma's frozen egg noodles (can be found in the frozen aisle)
Brown chicken tenders with butter, minced onion and seasoning salt.
In a 1 1/2 gallon pan (I think it is how big it is) fill pan half with water. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add carrots, celery, chicken bouillon, seasoning salt (to taste). (If you don't have seasoning salt, you can add celery salt and onion salt.) Add browned chicken and noodles. Cook until noodles and vegetables are soft.
Breadsticks: I get the bread dough from Dick's bakery. Or you can use any white bread dough of your own recipe.
Flour surface and roller and roll out dough until flat. Cut into thin short strips and put on greased baking sheet. Let rise for several hours. Spread melted butter on dough and sprinkle McCormick's Salad Supreme on. Bake at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes or until done. If you are butter lovers, you can add more melted butter to the breadsticks right after you take them out of the oven.
This recipe is so easy, it's almost embarrassing, but easy and fast is the best way to go when it comes to cooking for me.
Ingredients:
1 packet pesto mix {you could easily substitute for fresh pesto sauce or from a jar}
1 package noodles {I used half a box of whole wheat rotini and half a box of bow-tie}
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
fresh basil
1 TBS white vinegar
How To:
Prepare your pesto according to directions {I used McCormack's brand and I believe it called for water and olive oil}
Boil noodles according to instructions
Once noodles are cooked, let them chill in the fridge for a little while
Slice cherry tomatoes in half
Put noodles in serving dish and add your tomatoes, basil and cheese {for this salad to taste good you really need fresh basil and the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, I wouldn't substitute}
Pour your pesto sauce over the salad along with your vinegar and stir together
Let it chill in the fridge until serving, it is best served as a cold salad
Now wasn't that easy! You could also add chicken to the salad, or basically anything you want, but this was how I made mine, and it was pretty tasty!
I got this recipe out of one of my favorite recipe books called The Domestic Art: A Collection of Fine Recipes - a book my sister in law gave me a few Christmases ago. It seems almost every recipe I've tried out of this book has been a success and new favorite. So I'm pleased to share yet another recipe from it . . . super easy Sweet Salsa Chicken.
ingredients
1 pkg. taco seasoning
4 chicken breasts
2 T. oil
1 c salsa
1/4 c apricot jam (I used apple)
1/4 c water
1 T cilantro
1 T lime juice
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
instructions
Cut chicken into bite size pieces. In large skillet heat oil; add chicken and taco seasoning and cook until juices run clear. Add salsa, apricot jam, water, cilantro, and lime juice. Bring to a boil. Stir in beans, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over rice.
2 cups soy sauce 2 cups sprite 1 cup oil 3 T horseradish sauce
Mix well. It looks weird but it will taste yummy! Add raw turkey strips and soak overnight. You will need to flip sides for all sides of the turkey to be marinaded. When done, grill and enjoy!
So the picture isn't that great (I took this picture in the winter, so I had no natural light...hate that). However, this soup is AMAZING. My family yums this up. Probably in the top five favorites for my husband (and me). Super easy, super cheesy. Super delicious. You've got to try it.
ingredients
*for soup:
2 quarts water (8 cups)
8 chicken bullion cubes
1 bag frozen broccoli
Handful of peeled and diced potatoes
1 1/2 squares of butter
3/4 cup flour
1 bottle of cheese whiz (sounds gross . . . but it adds amazing flavor)
*for bread bowl:
1 bag of frozen Rhodes loaves (3 come in a bag - you can make as many as 9 bowls from this!)
*Soup: Boil potatoes and bullion in water. Meanwhile, thicken the butter and flour in a sauce pan. Once potatoes are tender, add butter and flour mixture to thicken. Then add frozen broccoli (you can even toss in shredded carrots!) and cheese whiz. I use the tall glass bottle of cheese whiz and almost use the entire thing, but not quite. Add as much or as little as you like. Simmer until veggies are cooked through.
SERVES: a lot! Probably 5-6. Be prepared for fabulous leftovers.
*Bread bowl: Cut thawed loaf into thirds. From each third into a ball. Place on baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Brush with egg. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and slice off top. Hollow out bread and fill with soup. (For larger bowls, cut loaf in half.)
directions: unthaw rolls they don't need to raise, and flatten out into circles. In a bowl mix cheese, pepperoni, sliced olives, and mushrooms, or other optional ingredients, with the egg whites. This will help it took stick together and cook better. Place large spoonfuls onto each dough circle. Then fold in half and pinch the ends together.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until tops are golden brown. Use pizza sauce or ranch for dipping. Enjoy! :)
I found this recipe off of another food blog... justgetoffyourbuttandbake. It is packed full of yummy things to try. They were also featured on if I could. I have a cute friend who is pregnant and craves cinnamon so I made these just for her, and they were delicious.
ingredients:
12 Rhodes Dinner rolls thawed, but still cold 1 stick of butter, melted 2 tablespoons corn syrup 1 1/4 cups brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Cut each dinner roll into 6 equal pieces. In a bowl, combine butter and corn syrup and stir until well mixed. In another bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Dip each roll piece in the butter mixture and then in the sugar mixture. Place 6 pieces in each well sprayed cup of a 12 cup muffin tin. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let double in size. (Watch them so they don’t rise too much!) Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 15-20 minutes. Combine icing ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over monkey breads if desired.
Cool at least 5 to 10 minutes before removing from pan, or they fall apart.
These are really scrumptious . . . make sure that you aren’t home alone. You might just eat them all!
this is a very simple rub that would also be good on chicken.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt {i used less}
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
mix all rub ingredients well.
brush olive oil onto the tilapia fillets. rub the spice mixture onto the oil-coated fillets. grill the fillets on medium heat for three to four minutes per side.
{at the last moment, i realized my grill is out of propane, so i cooked them in a pan on medium heat for 3-4 min on each side. they turned out great.}
this is a copycat of cafe rio's rice. doesn't taste the same, but still good! i served mine on a cafe rio style salad, but it would be a great side for any mexican dish.
ingredients: 3 cups rice 3 cups chicken broth {you can use water + boullion if you want} 4 tsp garlic, minced 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped 1 can green chiles 3/4 ts salt 1 Tb butter 1/2 onion, chopped juice from 1/2 lime
directions: bring broth to a boil and add all the ingredients. cook approximately 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.
note: i ended up adding some water so it cook could longer. also, this makes a lot! so consider halving it!
2 cups chopped fresh or frozen broccoli
1\2 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 can reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 can fat-free evaporated milk
How To:
In a saucepan, combine broccoli, onion, celery and broth; simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Puree half of the mixture in a blender; return to the saucepan.
In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of milk until smooth. Gradually add remaining milk. Stir into the broccoli mixture. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes.
I was super excited about this challenge but have slacked a little bit on getting my postings up. Better late than never!
Last Friday's dinner was nachos. This is a favorite, fast meal in our house. While the picture does not make them out to be appetizing, they were delicious!
We spread tortilla chips on a baking sheet and then top with grated colby jack cheese, and then drop a mixture of refried beans and salsa on top. If we have diced green chilies we also add. After placing them in the oven for about eight minutes, we put on more salsa and sour cream. I am sure everyone has their own way of making nachos, but for us. this is the only way to go
Thursday at Gina's house--well, Gina's Primary Teacher Improvement Dinner---brought delicious French Dip roast beef sandwiches and this potluck perfect salad that I love.
ingredients
sliced roast beef (we used already cooked roast beef fresh from the deli)
sandwich rolls (we used Costco's Sandwich Rolls...mmmmm.)
Au Ju sauce (1 packet/per pound of roast beef)
instructions
Mix Au Ju packet with water (amount given on packet) directly in crockpot. Add roast beef to Au Ju sauce. Turn crockpot on low for 3-5 hours (no cooking needed if you bought it cooked--low for 8 hours for uncooked beef).
Pull meat out with tongs and layer on a toasted sandwich roll. Use Au Ju sauce to dip roast beef sandwich in.
When my mom use to live on the reservation in southern Utah, she learned how to make some great Indian food including fantastic, authentic Navajo Tacos. However, I'm sorry to disappoint because this recipe is not the authentic one (I gave up hand-making my Navajo Bread about two years into my marriage), this is the quick 'n easy version using my favorite thing in all of the world: Rhodes Rolls. Just as yummy. And waaaaay quicker. Don't tell the Navajo Indians though, because I'm sure my method is on the brink of being deemed sacrilegious. :)
However, I still follow Navajo tradition by making a small hole in my dough before I fry it to "let the evil spirits out". Try it, it's fun!
Enjoy!
ingredients:
1-2 cans of your favorite chili
lettuce, sliced and diced
tomatoes, diced
cheddar cheese, shredded
sour cream
Rhodes Rolls (approx. 2 per/person)
veg. oil for frying
instructions
Thaw your frozen Rhodes Rolls (I put my frozen rolls in a Ziploc baggie, then place it in a sink full our lukewarm water for about 30 minutes). Pour about 1/2-1 inch thick of oil into a small frying pan. Allow oil to heat (on medium heat) for about 5 minutes or until you think the oil has reached a moderately hot temperature. Stretch out thawed roll into a circle just a bit larger than your hand (Don't forget to make a small hole in it to let the evil spirit outs!). Place in oil to fry, flipping it over and over until both sides are golden brown.
Serve each fried taco with chili and other optional taco toppings.
In the Thompson home there were a few qualifications for a dessert that would work for us. This one exemplifies the rule: it can be made with chocolate and without chocolate (for those who don't know, I've been allergic to chocolate since I was about 2 years old.) I liked this one especially because if those prepared with out chocolate ran out first, I could easily pop the chocolate top off and eat the lower layer. Yum, yum.
Ingredients
*1 c butter, either room temp (my preference) or melted *12 oz peanut butter (though I use a 16 oz jar since I can't find 12 oz. Also, I've only used creamy, but I bet it would be yummy with crunchy too) *1 lb powdered sugar (if you also use a 16 oz jar, I add one extra cup of sugar) *1 c crushed graham crackers (this is about one sleeve worth, though again, if using 16 oz PB, use a little extra crumbs too) *1 bag chocolate chips (you can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate - whatever you prefer. Having never eaten chocolate, I don't know the difference - though I made them with milk on Friday for some friends and with semi-sweet on Saturday for other friends and they both received compliments.)
Instructions Mix the butter and peanut butter until totally smooth. Add the graham cracker crumbs until again totally smooth. Add the powdered sugar and mix until it's seems like it's a bit dry, the mixture is kind of crumbly, if that makes sense. That's when you know you added enough sugar.
Spread the mixture into a cookie sheet or a 9"x13" cake pan depending on the thickness and the quantity of the bars you want out of the recipe.
Melt the chocolate chips. I use a double boiler, but everyone has their method that they like best. Spread the chocolate over the PB mixture (don't forget to leave some w/o chocolate for me).
Allow them to cool in the fridge, or if the season permits, in the garage on top of the car like my mother did.
Once the chocolate has cooled and hardened, cut up the individual bars (I use a pizza cutter), and serve.
(They don't have to be stored in the fridge, but it doesn't hurt.)
Ok, so the picture is only of the mess I make when I make the rice. But i'ts SOOO good and SOOO worth it
I got this recipe from Rachel Ray 30 minutes meals show. I don't know about you, by I guess I tell time differently than Rachel does, plus I don't get commercial breaks. Nothing I cook of hers ever takes only 30 minutes... but this one is worth the maybe hour that it did take. Oh, and here's a photo of the meal prepared by Rachel so that my mess doesn't scare you away...
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Ingredients
Rice:
4 c chicken or vegetable stock, divided
1 bay leaf
2 c white rice
½ c fresh cilantro leaves
½ lb spinach leaves, deveined and coarsely chopped
4 scallions, coarsely chopped
2 limes, zested, juiced
1 c shredded Chihuahua cheese, Asadero or Monterey Jack
Chile Relleno:
4 large poblano peppers
6 ears corn on the cob or 3 c frozen corn kernels
3T corn, peanut or vegetable oil, divided
1 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained well
1 ½T ground cumin, ½ palm full
½ t dried oregano, eyeball it in your palm
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat broiler or grill pan to high.
Heat about 3 ½ c stock in a sauce pot with a bay leaf to boiling. Add rice, cover pot reduce heat to low and simmer 18 minutes until tender.
Place poblanos under broiler or on hot grill and char evenly all over, 15 minutes.
While peppers and rice are working, scrape the corn off the cobs or defrost frozen corn and dry by spreading out on clean kitchen towel. Heat 2T light oil in a skillet over high heat. When the oil smokes or ripples add corn, onion, jalapenos and toss until the vegetables char at edges and onions are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high and add in garlic, fire roasted tomatoes and season with cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook another minute or 2 then turn pan off.
Place the cilantro, spinach, scallions, lime zest, half a c of stock and a T of oil in food processor and process into coarse green paste. Stir into your rice pot in the last 3 to 4 minutes of its cooking time.
Sprinkle the lime juice over the corn mixture.
Split the charred peppers open but not in half with small sharp knife then scoop out the seeds with a small spoon. Place peppers in a shallow baking dish and stuff each split pepper with lots of the corn mix, top each pepper with ¼ c cheese and place back under broiler to melt and char the cheese.
I'm so excited to be part of the wonderful world of, Eat Your Veggies, Peas! I love cooking and finding new recipes as well as sharing what fun things I come across. Hope you enjoy!
1 c. Italian breadcrumbs
2 tbs. chopped fresh basil
1 c. buttermilk (I used soy milk)
1/2 c. flour
6 chicken tenders or 4 large chicken breads
Salt and Pepper
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1. In a shallow dish, stir together the breadcrumbs and 2 tbs. basil. In a separate shallow dish, add the buttermilk; in a third dish, add the flour. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Working with 1 piece at a time, coat the chicken in the flour, then dip into the buttermilk and coat with the breadcrumbs, shaking to remove any excess.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 c. olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown (about 5 minutes) drain on paper towel.
I thought the chicken could use a little something extra so I squeezed 1 lemon over all the chicken after it was cooked.
