Mexican Stuffed Shells

Mexican Stuffed Shells

1/2 of meat/bean mixture (see  below)

20ish jumbo shells cooked al dente

1 cup salsa

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup taco sauce

1 cup cheddar cheese

green onions

sour cream

Put 1/2 of the meat/bean mixture in a skillet and add cream cheese.  Heat until cheese is melted.  Remove from heat.

Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish.  Stuff each shell with the meat mixture (about 2-3 TBSP per shell). Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed.  Top with any condiments you’d like (green onions, black olives, etc.) Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.

Adapted from: Mexican Stuffed Shells - the way to his heart

Meat/Bean Mixture

(I use 1/2 of this for the above recipe and the other 1/2 for serving on top of rice for lunches)

1 lb ground beef

1 15 oz can black beans

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic

1/2 tsp onion powder

Cook ground beef until done.  Drain any grease.  

Return ground beef to pan and add the beans and spices.  Mix well.

Recipes I've Made Recently

I haven't posted any new recipes in ages, but I have been trying new recipes.  I thought I'd put together a quick list of some recipes I've recently tried that we really liked!  All the pictures are from the original website I found the recipe at!

Rotisserie Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Mostly Food and Crafts

This was really good!  The flavor was fantastic and leftovers can be used in tacos, on top of salads, etc. Yum!

Caramelized Chicken with Jalapeno Cream

How Sweet It Is

This recipe had me at "jalapeno" but seriously, this was really good. Not necessarily a healthy recipe, but delish!

Lazy Sunday Casserole

Let's Dish

This was a pretty different recipe, I think primarily due to the addition of balsamic vinegar - it was really good.  Caleb loved it!

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Wraps

Homemade by Holeman

These are a great appetizer or snack - easy to make and packed with flavor!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I first found this recipe three years ago on Frugal Upstate's blog.  Since then, I have made them every fall.  They are a nice change from ordinary chocolate chip cookies and they're really easy to make.


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/2 C Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 C Softened Butter
1 1/2 C Sugar
1 C Canned Pumpkin
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Egg
1 C Chocolate Chips


Cream butter and sugar together.  Add pumpkin, vanilla and egg. Beat until the mixture is light and creamy.


Mix all dry ingredients together well in a bowl.  Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well.


Fold or gently mix in chocolate chips.  Drop by the rounded teaspoonful onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (until lightly browned).

It’s a Keeper 

Quinoa, Tomato and Corn Salad

Quinoa, Tomato and Corn Salad

I made this last week and it was really good.  Unique recipe and lovely flavors.  I didn't change a thing about it (eh, except for omitting the cilantro) so definitely check it out!

Monday

Dittle Dattle: Amaze Me Monday

Tuesday

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam: Tasty Tuesday

Wednesday

This Chick Cooks

A Beach Cottage

The Trendy Treehouse

Good Cheap Eats: What’s On Your Plate?

Bouffe e Bambini

Thursday

It’s a Keeper

Friday

Mom Trends

Home and Family Fridays – Home is Where My Story Begins

I’m Lovin It – Tidy Mom 

Homemade Peach Crisp

I bought some peaches on Saturday at our local farmer's market.  

Today is Thursday and instead of ripening, they were shriveling. Bummer.  

So, I decided to make peach crisp!

I took a tried and true recipe, cut out all of the sugary stuff and came up with this. 

I love it because you actually taste the peaches instead of sugar.  Delicious!

Peach Crisp

5 cups sliced and peeled peach slices

2 TBSP organic maple syrup

½ cup regular rolled oats

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

3 TBSP butter

1 TBSP organic maple syrup

Vanilla frozen yogurt

For filling, place peaches in an ungreased 2-quart square baking dish. Stir in the 2 TBSP organic maple syrup.

For topping, in a mixing bowl combine oats; flour; and cinnamon. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping over filling.

Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is golden. If desired, serve warm with frozen yogurt or ice cream.

Adapted from this recipe 

Linked Up to:

It’s a Keeper 
Mom Trends
Home and Family Fridays – Home is Where My Story Begins
I’m Lovin It – Tidy Mom 

Easy Chicken Quesadillas & Rice

rainy day photography

Adapted a bit from Taste of Home. :) Besides cooking the chicken, making the quesadillas and the rice only took about 15 minutes of prep time and then 10 minutes of cook time. Very easy and delicious!

Chicken Quesadillas

2-1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken

2/3 cup salsa

1 teaspoon onion powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

6 flour tortillas (8 inches)

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

Sour cream, salsa and guacamole

In a large skillet, combine the first six ingredients. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and place tortillas on baking sheet. Spoon 1/3 cup chicken mixture over half of each tortilla; sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese.

Fold plain side of tortilla over cheese. Bake at 475° for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Cut into wedges; serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Yield: 6 servings.

Zippy Beans & Rice

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained

1 cup frozen corn

3/4 cup water

1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon salt, optional

1 cup uncooked instant white or brown rice

In a large skillet, combine the beans, tomatoes, corn, water, jalapeno and salt if desired. Bring to a boil; stir in rice. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Sprinkle with onion. Yield: 6 servings.

Greek Rice Salad

Greek Rice Salad

Modified from Cooking Light

2 cups uncooked white rice

4 oz jarred sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped

1 ½ TBSP olive oil, divided

8 oz bag prewashed spinach

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled

¼ cup chopped black olives

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

15 oz chick peas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

Cook rice according to package directions.  Cool to room temperature, set aside.

Heat 1 ½ tsps olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add spinach and garlic; sauté 3  minutes or until spinach wilts.  Combine rice, sundried tomatoes, spinach mixture, and the remaining ingredients.  Drizzle with remaining olive oil, toss gently to coat. Serve immediately. 

Yields 10 cups

Notes: I served it warm the first time and then ate it cold the next day.  Tastes amazing both ways.  I halved the recipe since it was only for the two of us.  I used Valencia white rice, which gave a nice chewy affect.  Next time I think I will use brown rice, just because of the extra health benefits. 

Broccoli & Squash Bake

Broccoli & Squash Bake

4 medium yellow squash, peeled and sliced

12 oz frozen broccoli florets

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

2 slices Swiss cheese

1/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

black pepper and cayenne to taste

1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

Steam squash and broccoli until crisp-tender.  Place in casserole dish.  Mix melted butter with egg, milk and seasonings.  Pour over broccoli and squash.  Top with Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350* degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly brown.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Variations: Feel free to change the cheese types, I just used what I had on hand.  Cheddar cheese would probably be great too! You could also use fresh broccoli instead of frozen.

Thursday's Eats ~ Hummingbird Cupcakes

I saw this recipe on Let's Dish a few weeks ago and knew I wanted to give it a try.  

Hummingbird Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cake

3 cups self-rising flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 very ripe large bananas, mashed

8 oz crushed pineapple, drained

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Frosting

1 pound confectioners’ sugar

8 oz package cream cheese, softened

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. In a large bowl combine the sugar, oil, bananas, pineapple, vanilla, and eggs.  Blend in the cinnamon and then the flour.   Stir until smooth.  Pour batter into lined cupcake tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tops spring back. Let cool.


Make the icing by mixing the sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. If needed add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to reach desired consistency. Frost between the layers and on the top and sides. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. 

The original recipe is for a cake, but I easily made 24 cupcakes out of it and cooked them for 20-25 minutes.  The recipe also called for nuts mixed in the batter, but I just sprinkled some nuts on top of the frosting.

Don't forget to checkout my giveaway for Purex Complete Laundry Detergent.  Giveaway ends tomorrow night (4/22)!

Thursday's Eats ~ Basil Pasta Shells

Basil Pasta Shells

2 ½ c uncooked medium shell pasta (or any type of small pasta)

2 tsp olive oil

15 oz diced tomatoes

4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

¼ c minced fresh basil or 1 ½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp coarsely ground pepper

¾ c shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, sauté oil, tomatoes, cooked bacon, basil, and pepper; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Rinse and drain pasta; stir into tomato mixture. Add half of the cheese. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered at 375* for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serves 4

~ ~ ~

This is one of the recipes I reach for when I'm not feeling too creative, because I typically have all of the ingredients on hand.  Also, because of the small addition of bacon - Caleb typically doesn't complain about the lack of meat in this meal. :)

If I'm really in a hurry, I skip the baking part - just return pasta to the pan, stir in the tomato mixture and add all of the cheese.  Heat until cheese is melted.

This recipe tastes great, uses ingredients on hand, and is easy!

Thursday's Eats ~ Bona Fide Chili

I have been seeing several recipes lately for chicken chili, fajita chicken chili, fajita chili, etc.  This past week I decided to create my own and it was great (if I do say so myself). 

Bona Fide Chili


2 cups chicken, cooked and diced

1 14oz can diced tomatoes with chillis

1 can of rotel tomatoes

1 15 oz can of black beans

1 15 oz can of kidney beans

1 29 oz can of tomato sauce

1/2 tsp garlic

dash of cayenne pepper

1 tsp chilli powder

salt and pepper
cheddar cheese and sour cream (optional)


Place all ingredients in crockpot, mix thoroughly and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Garnish with cheese and sour cream.  This was so easy and very delicious!  I liked using black beans and kidney beans, as it spiced up a normal chili recipe.


I put leftovers on top of pasta for chili mac a few nights later.  Delicious again.  Love planning for leftovers during this busy time in our life.

Do you have any tried and true chili recipes? I'm always looking for a good one

Jazzing Up Lunch!

Here’s an easy way to jazz up a typical tuna fish sandwich
and add some veggies!

1 can light tuna, packed in water, drained
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
¼ c chopped red pepper
2 TBSP relish
2 TBSP mayo
salt, pepper and onion powder (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  This makes enough for two sandwiches.  I like to toast my bread and add a leaf of lettuce.  Easy and yummy!

How do you make your lunches more interesting?

Thursday's Eats ~ Mexican Lasagna

LOVED this recipe! Mexican Lasagna has always sounded delicious to me, but then I see “corn tortillas” as an ingredient and I think “eugh” I was happy to find this recipe that uses regular pasta and has wonderful flavor! I adapted the recipe a bit. . . I cut the cheese by about 50%, used onion powder instead of onions, etc. Please take a look at the original recipe (link provided below) and feel free to concoct your own rendition!





Mexican Lasagna
Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café’s Mexican Lasagna


1 teaspoon onion powder
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
dash of ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ cup frozen corn kernels, white or yellow
1 (6 ounce) can olives, chopped
9-12 no-boil lasagna noodles (I used the Barilla brand)
1 cup shredded 5 Italian cheese blend
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream, light or regular
4 ounces cream cheese, light or regular


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan and set aside.


In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil, minced garlic, and onion powder over medium heat. Add the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, oregano and salt and pepper. Mix well. Add the diced tomatoes, black beans, corn and olives. Mix well and heat through, about 5 minutes.


Remove the skillet from the heat. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer three noodles over the sauce. Spread 1/3 of the sauce over the noodles. Dollop 1/3 of the sour cream and 1/3 of the cream cheese (just pinch off chunks and toss them on top) across the sauce. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheeses. Repeat the layers two more times until all the ingredients are used.


Cover the lasagna with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes more, until the lasagna is hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into and serving.


*Serves 6-8

Thursday's Eats ~ Chicken, Mushroom and Brown Rice Bake

Chicken, Mushroom and Brown Rice Bake - Adapted from SnoWhite @ Finding Joy in my Kitchen, who Adapted it from Amy @ Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free

1 1/2 C brown rice
1 T butter
12 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced thick
1 tsp onion powder
1 bag frozen broccoli florets (16 oz)
1 C chicken stock
2 C shredded chicken/turkey
2 T corn starch
1 C ½ and ½ , divided
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook the brown rice whichever way you’re used to.  I used the stovetop method, you can use a rice cooker, etc.  I always do half water, half chicken stock when I cook rice because it increases the flavor.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add in the mushrooms and onion powder.  Saute until the mushrooms have evaporated much of their liquid. Then, add in the broccoli.  Stir in the chicken stock and the shredded chicken/turkey. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and add 1 T of cream and mix well until cornstarch is dissolved and the mixture is thick.  Add remaining cream to the chicken mixture, and cook -- stirring once you add the cream.  Then add in the cornstarch mixture and stir constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove the mix from the heat.

When the rice is done, pour it into a 9x13 glass baking dish.  Spoon the chicken mixture over the top.  Cover again - tightly. I used a cookie sheet to cover the dish ... works just like tinfoil! 

Bake in the oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes until all the liquid is gone, and the dish is bubbly.  Remove the cover, add the Parmesan cheese, and return the dish to the oven to melt and, if desired, slightly brown the cheese. 

This makes a lot of rice casserole!  It fed us 2 dinners and 2 lunches, so you could easily freeze half of it for later.  Enjoy!

Thursday's Eats ~ Black Bean Quesadillas

These quesadillas are so easy to make and have great flavor!  

No reason to get quesadillas at  a restaurant anymore,

because these smear anything you can get out. :)

Black Bean Quesadillas

2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion (I used 1 TBSP onion powder)
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed (learn how to make your own here)
1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained (I used frozen corn)
1 tablespoon brown sugar  (this is the magic ingredient, don't skip it!)
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas (use 100% whole wheat tortillas to make this extra healthy)
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided (I use 2% cheddar cheese)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in beans and corn, then add sugar, salsa, and pepper flakes; mix well. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Place a tortilla on a cookie sheet, sprinkle evenly with cheese, then top with some of the bean mixture. Place another tortilla on top. Bake at 350* for 5 minutes (until cheese is melted) and then broil until the tops are crispy (about 1 minute) flip and broil the other side (for about 1 minute). Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.

 

 

Homemade Croutons

One of my kitchen goals for March is to clean out my freezer.  I have had stuff piling up in there for months so it is time to empty it out. 

Last night I used the remainder of my peaches from last summer in a cobbler and it reminded me that I need an organized freezer so that I can stock up on produce this summer! J

I have had this bag of bread in my freezer for a couple of months.  

I knew I did not want to use it for anything that required the bread to be soft, because its soft days were over.  That is when I decided making some homemade croutons was in order.

I cut up the bread into crouton sized chunks and put them on a cookie sheet that I sprayed with olive oil. 

Next, I lightly sprayed the top of the croutons with olive oil as well.  This helps the herbs stick and provides additional flavor to the croutons. 

I sprinkled the croutons with salt, coarse ground pepper, garlic and Italian seasonings.  You can really do whatever dried spices you fancy.

I put them in the oven at 260* and set the timer for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, I stirred the croutons to make sure they didn’t get brown on one side and set the timer for another 10 minutes.  I followed this technique two more times.  All in all, the croutons spent about 30-40 minutes in the oven.  You know they are done when the croutons are hard to the touch.  I just taste tested to make sure they were at the appropriate crunchiness.

Once the croutons were out of the oven I sprinkled them with a little bit of parmesan cheese (Kraft style, not shredded) and transferred them to an air tight container.

Verdict? Best croutons I have ever had.  Seriously.  I love that they didn’t cost me anything either! J