It seems winter has found me sooner than I thought it would and let me tell you I'm COLD! So many good foods sound fantastic when the cold comes a calling, today's lucky winner .... ...... The Casserole! Mexican style! Sorry no pictures, but Ill find my camera one of these days.
Melissa's Manic for Mexican casserole
Turn up the heat! 375 to be exact
Spray one 9x13 glass baking dish with Pam
Ingredients:
1/2 or 1 lbs of ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can enchilada sauce ( the red kind)
1 can black beans
1 can mexi corn
1 can sliced olives
2 cups cooked rice
crushed tortilla chips ( as many as you like)
1 cup of shredded cheese plus 1/4 cup reserved for later
Cook ground beef in a skillet, add taco seasoning and follow directions on package. Set aside
In a large mixing bowl combine cream of chicken soup, sour cream and 3 /4 of the enchilada sauce, stir well to combine. Drain and rinse the beans, corn and olives, add to soup mixture. Stir in rice and beef, as well as 1 cup of cheese. Mix together until well blended, pour into greased casserole dish and bake for 35 minutes at 375. Remove from oven, sprinkle with crushed chips, cheese and then drizzle with remaining enchilada sauce, bake for 5-10 more minutes. Let cool a little bit, then serve with sour cream if you like.
This casserole was created based on what I had on hand, I had not been to the store in awhile, I had the rice precooked from another meal, I always make extra rice and store it in a large ziplock bag, then microwave for 2-3 minutes and the rice comes out hot and moist like I just cooked it in the rice cooker. I hope you enjoy this meal, please ask questions if you have any or let me know about suggestions! Enjoy!!!!!!!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
I have a policy that I live by..........Don't trust a skinny cook and more importantly, don't trust people who don't eat meat. There I said it, so EAT MEAT PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So for your meat eating pleasure, I give you this delicious and EASY ( yes easy, for all you non cooks, or moms on the move!) dinner idea. Beef Tips over mashed taters. Please keep an open mind when you read the ingredient list, you might see something that seems as if it does not belong.
Beef Tips with Mashed potatoes
1 lbs cut up stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet Lipton french onion soup mix
1 can diet sprite
1 container simply mashed potatoes or ones you make yourself
Plug in your crock pot, make sure it is set to low.
Place the stew meat in the crock pot, cover with cream of mushroom soup, pour dry soup mix on top of meat/soup mixture, then pour can of dite sprite on top. Stir till combined, cover and let cook on low for 7-8 hours. If you like a thicker gravy, at hour 7 take 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and mix with cold water. Mix into the beef tip mixture, and let thicken. Serve over warm mashed potatoes. Its SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and good for you, add a veggie and ta-da dinner is done!
Enjoy
Beef Tips with Mashed potatoes
1 lbs cut up stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet Lipton french onion soup mix
1 can diet sprite
1 container simply mashed potatoes or ones you make yourself
Plug in your crock pot, make sure it is set to low.
Place the stew meat in the crock pot, cover with cream of mushroom soup, pour dry soup mix on top of meat/soup mixture, then pour can of dite sprite on top. Stir till combined, cover and let cook on low for 7-8 hours. If you like a thicker gravy, at hour 7 take 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and mix with cold water. Mix into the beef tip mixture, and let thicken. Serve over warm mashed potatoes. Its SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and good for you, add a veggie and ta-da dinner is done!
Enjoy
Im Back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So...I had hoped this little food blog would bring you lots of yummy mouth watering food ideas more often...but can I just say, busy...drama...and so many other reasons for letting my blog flounder are the reason for no recent posts. But, Im back...so here we go.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Who you calling a shrimp!
Ahhhhhhhh Shrimp, I LOVE shrimp.....boiled shrimp, fried shrimp, Creole shrimp, shrimp scampi, shrimp cocktail...ok you get the picture, thanks Bubba!! Shrimp is in my opinion, one of the most perfect foods, delicious, low fat and so stinking good that you don't even care that in reality that shrimpy shrimpness is super good for you. There are few foods that I would eat my weights worth in, shrimp is one of them....another...avacado, but we will devote a whole entry to that green goddess later on. So we know that shrimp is good for us, but, hold on to your seats, super quick and easy to make! See perfect food! I recently tried a new shrimp concoction on my hubby and butter bean, they loved it and now for your dinning pleasure, I'm passing on that shrimp gold to you!
I forgot to mention that this recipe is cooked on the grill ( used a gas grill, if your a charcoal buff, rock)
Please crank your grills to....lets say medium
Gather for your digesting pleasure:
30-40 jumbo shrimp ( you may use uncooked or cooked that have been frozen) about 1 1/2 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 table spoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce ( I use franks hot sauce)
1/4 salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
Honey
cooking spray
Wooden skewers ( soaked in water for at least 2 hours)
OK so here's how you do it.
Rinse your shrimp in a strainer, have the frozen kind? Put them in the fridge overnight to lose their chilly status, then run them under water.
After your lil shrimpys are rinsed place them in a bowl that has a nice snug lid. Set aside.....
Now place all remaining ingredients ( Except! the honey and cooking spray!) in a bowl and whisk till blended, after its mixed pour over your shrimp friends, they will thank you later for this intoxicating BBQ bath. Let the shrimp have a ball in the marinade pool for at least an hour, I prefer two. Once you have deemed them all swum out for the day, take those bad boys and skewer them on the sticks that had been having their own pool party. I like to do 7-8 on each skewer. Discard any extra marinade.
Now place your shrimp stick/skewer things on a diagonal across the hot grill. I would cook between 2 and 2 1/2 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and then.......drizzle with honey!!!!!!!!!!!!! I take mine off the stick before I drizzle with the honey, but for presentation purposes it looks nice on the skewer on a plate with whatever side you might be serving.
Bon appetite my shell fish loving friends!
I forgot to mention that this recipe is cooked on the grill ( used a gas grill, if your a charcoal buff, rock)
Please crank your grills to....lets say medium
Gather for your digesting pleasure:
30-40 jumbo shrimp ( you may use uncooked or cooked that have been frozen) about 1 1/2 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 table spoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce ( I use franks hot sauce)
1/4 salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
Honey
cooking spray
Wooden skewers ( soaked in water for at least 2 hours)
OK so here's how you do it.
Rinse your shrimp in a strainer, have the frozen kind? Put them in the fridge overnight to lose their chilly status, then run them under water.
After your lil shrimpys are rinsed place them in a bowl that has a nice snug lid. Set aside.....
Now place all remaining ingredients ( Except! the honey and cooking spray!) in a bowl and whisk till blended, after its mixed pour over your shrimp friends, they will thank you later for this intoxicating BBQ bath. Let the shrimp have a ball in the marinade pool for at least an hour, I prefer two. Once you have deemed them all swum out for the day, take those bad boys and skewer them on the sticks that had been having their own pool party. I like to do 7-8 on each skewer. Discard any extra marinade.
Now place your shrimp stick/skewer things on a diagonal across the hot grill. I would cook between 2 and 2 1/2 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and then.......drizzle with honey!!!!!!!!!!!!! I take mine off the stick before I drizzle with the honey, but for presentation purposes it looks nice on the skewer on a plate with whatever side you might be serving.
Bon appetite my shell fish loving friends!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Why did the chicken cross the road?
My husband LOVES to golf, so several times a week he will spend the afternoon on the green. I support this 100%, as a happy and relaxed husband makes for a happy and spoiled me! Kidding, the spoiled thing at least.
On these nights that are filled with golf, my toddler, who will from now on be referred to as Butter bean, spend our evening outside, walking, playing, swimming or if its winter, digging out of a snow drift. So with all these fun things on our agenda, unless we have been super supper planners, we find ourselves hungry and in need of a good meal...quick!
This brings me to the chicken...so much you can do with one, the casseroles...soups...I could go on and on. But here is the deal, so often I want to make something and it calls for cooked, chopped chicken, and lets face it, many of us don't just have precooked chicken just hanging out, unless your a certain famous homemaker...who has lots of "good things", I have tried the precooked stuff out of the freezer and fridge...yuck...weird texture and hello sodium! So I took it upon myself to be prepared! Today's tip/cooking thing....roasted chicken breasts!
You can chop these up or leave whole, just make sure you put them in a good freezer bag and date or a plastic container with a date.
Please dial your ovens to 350 degrees.
You will need:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry.
2 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt ( any salt, but I'm a fan of kosher and sea salt)
fresh ground pepper ( again any pepper is fine)
garlic powder
1 baking sheet
aluminum foil
Start by pouring the olive oil into the middle of the pan. One at a time, take a chicken breast and rub in the oil till covered, do this till all of chicken is covered. Next sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic on both sides. Wash hands....then take the foil and cover the chicken and the pan, make sure the sides are covered. Place in the oven that you pre heated to 350. Set your timer for 30 minutes, now walk away and go drink something cold and yummy or chase your child around the house. In 30 minutes remove the foil, and let cook 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Once cool, chop up or leave whole, or eat it, I don't care :-) But if you do choose to store for a later date, be sure you mark on the bag how many cups of chicken. I usually package into 2 cups a bag. Remember this recipe, because I will post lots of recipes where this little chicken adventure comes in handy! Enjoy
On these nights that are filled with golf, my toddler, who will from now on be referred to as Butter bean, spend our evening outside, walking, playing, swimming or if its winter, digging out of a snow drift. So with all these fun things on our agenda, unless we have been super supper planners, we find ourselves hungry and in need of a good meal...quick!
This brings me to the chicken...so much you can do with one, the casseroles...soups...I could go on and on. But here is the deal, so often I want to make something and it calls for cooked, chopped chicken, and lets face it, many of us don't just have precooked chicken just hanging out, unless your a certain famous homemaker...who has lots of "good things", I have tried the precooked stuff out of the freezer and fridge...yuck...weird texture and hello sodium! So I took it upon myself to be prepared! Today's tip/cooking thing....roasted chicken breasts!
You can chop these up or leave whole, just make sure you put them in a good freezer bag and date or a plastic container with a date.
Please dial your ovens to 350 degrees.
You will need:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry.
2 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt ( any salt, but I'm a fan of kosher and sea salt)
fresh ground pepper ( again any pepper is fine)
garlic powder
1 baking sheet
aluminum foil
Start by pouring the olive oil into the middle of the pan. One at a time, take a chicken breast and rub in the oil till covered, do this till all of chicken is covered. Next sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic on both sides. Wash hands....then take the foil and cover the chicken and the pan, make sure the sides are covered. Place in the oven that you pre heated to 350. Set your timer for 30 minutes, now walk away and go drink something cold and yummy or chase your child around the house. In 30 minutes remove the foil, and let cook 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Once cool, chop up or leave whole, or eat it, I don't care :-) But if you do choose to store for a later date, be sure you mark on the bag how many cups of chicken. I usually package into 2 cups a bag. Remember this recipe, because I will post lots of recipes where this little chicken adventure comes in handy! Enjoy
I'd like myself...to, er, introduce myself
Hello people of the Internet! I'm so excited for this blog and hope that you will find it interesting and informative. I have pretty much failed as a blogger when it comes to keeping people updated on my family and daily activities, perhaps on a subconscious level , I just don't want to share. But I love to write and bring a smile or two, to the faces of people I know...so I welcome you to my....cooking blog! Inside the walls of my very own blog spot, I will share my thoughts, feelings and recipes that make my good looking husband a little bit soft in the middle ( the food is good! not bad for you, he just stopped working out!)
As a full time mom, I know how busy we can get and forget all about dinner, or spend hours trying to come up with the perfect meal but hoping to do so in as little time as possible. So this blog will be filled with yummy recipes and tips for making the whole meal process a little easier. Like I said, I'm a busy mom, so there might not be a post everyday but I sure will try, and I hope to even master the art of adding pictures!! Please enjoy this blog and all the tasty treats our tummies can handle!]
Melissa....
P.S.
I got the nickname " the singing chef" from my love of music, if you are in the kitchen with me, not only do you get awesome food to feast on, but you get a concert too!
As a full time mom, I know how busy we can get and forget all about dinner, or spend hours trying to come up with the perfect meal but hoping to do so in as little time as possible. So this blog will be filled with yummy recipes and tips for making the whole meal process a little easier. Like I said, I'm a busy mom, so there might not be a post everyday but I sure will try, and I hope to even master the art of adding pictures!! Please enjoy this blog and all the tasty treats our tummies can handle!]
Melissa....
P.S.
I got the nickname " the singing chef" from my love of music, if you are in the kitchen with me, not only do you get awesome food to feast on, but you get a concert too!
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