Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Italian Dressing Chicken Tenders

Italian Dressing Chicken Tenders
 
 
Ingredients:
 
Boneless/Skinless Chicken Tenders
Italian Dressing  
 
Marinate the chicken tenders in Italian Dressing for at least 24 hours. Then cook them in a skillet or put them on the grill.
 

Again another super easy recipe that doesn't take much time. The entire family LOVED it and they can't wait to have it again! This is also a great freezer meal to make up and freeze for dinner swaps or just because!

  

Monday, July 16, 2012

Red Beans and Rice Crock Pot Style

I must admit this is the first time I have cooked Red Beans & Rice using this recipe. This won't be the last for sure! This was super easy and it smelled yummy!


Ingredients:
1 pound of dried red beans

7 cups of water
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 pound to 1 pound of andouille sausage, sliced
3 tablespoons Creole season
white rice, cooked



Place all the ingredients in a crock pot except the white rice. Cook, covered at HIGH 7 hours or until beans are tender. Serve with hot cooked rice.
Bonus- MY KIDS LOVED this!!! =)

    Breakfast Burritos

    So I have already posted this recipe before but I just wanted to share again! Breakfast Burritos are always such a hit with the kids and so easy to make! It makes plenty of leftovers which makes it nice to freeze them and have them for breakfast a few mornings out of the week. If you haven't already checked out the recipe scroll down and find it, you've got to try it!

    Wednesday, July 4, 2012

    7-UP Grilled Chicken


    7-UP Grilled Chicken was a HUGE hit with the family!

    Ingredients:
    1/2 cup soy sauce

    1/2 tsp Horseradish
    (highly recommend using it- add the perfect amount of zip)

    1 (12 oz) can of lemon-lime soda (not diet)

    1/4 cup vegetable oil

    chicken breasts

     
    Mix all ingredients together in a Ziploc bag. Add 4-5 chicken breasts and marinate overnight. Grill until cooked all the way through.

    Even my picky eater LOVED it! 

    **If you try it or any of my recipes let me know what you think my commenting on my blog!




    

    Happy 4th of July

    

    Easy Cheesy Cheese Quesadillas


    Need an quick dinner idea??
    Cheese Quesadillas are super easy takes no time at all and it's always a hit with the kids!

    Monday, July 2, 2012

    Don't Peek Chicken!

    
     Oh my goodness! I have found a super easy recipe that I can't wait to share! =)
     
    It's called Don't Peek Chicken!
     
    Ingredients:
     
    1 box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain Wild Rice (original recipe)
     
    3-6 Chicken Breaks (Boneless/Skinless)
     
    1 Can of Cream of Mushroom
     
    1 Can Cream of Celery
     
    1 can of water
    (you can add another can of water for moister for the rice)
     
     
    In a greased 9 x 13 pan, mix the box of rice, cans of celery and mushroom soup and one can of water. If you wish you can add a second can of water if you like moist rice.
     
    Arrange the raw chicken on top of the rice mixture. Cover and seal with foil.
    Bake at 350 degrees for 2 1/2 house and "Don’t Peek!!"
     
    Your house will also smell AMAZING! Did I mention the kids LOVED it!
     


    

    Sunday, July 1, 2012

    Tijuana Pie

    If you are like me and LOVE Mexican food you will love this! Besides that it was a hit with the whole family and it was very easy to make. =)

    Ingredients:

    1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
    1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
    2 lbs. Hamburger Meat
    1 Onion
    1 Can Ranch Style Beans
    1 Package of Nacho Cheese Dorito Chips
    Cheddar Cheese

    Brown meat and onion and drain. Mix all ingredients, except cheese and chips. Layer Doritos, meat mixture, layer cheese and repeat until all ingredients are gone. Top with jalapeno peppers if desired. Bake on 350 degress until cheese melts.

    

    I'm Back!

    Goodness! It has been a while! =) I have been slacking on my blogging!
    I promise you I'm back!

    Monday, May 7, 2012

    English Muffin Pizza

    I forgot to blog this last week but we made English Muffin Pizza's for the kids and they were a huge hit! We just sliced the muffin in half and topped it with pizza sauce, mozerralla cheese and pepperonis. Then baked it in the oven on 350 till it was warm and the cheese was melted. The kids LOVED it!
     
    Next time we make these I promise to take a pic!

    It's a Taco Kind Of Night!

    Kevin is working 12's this week so it's really just the kids and I at dinner time. So I'm challenging myself to cook every night and post on the blog! It would be way easier to just pick up something with this kids BUT I'm not going to do that so this is holding me accountable!

    Tonight I kept it super simple! I bought a box of the Ortega Whole Gain Taco Shells and made old fashioned tacos. I also made a side of Mexican corn to go with it and the kids loved it! They love tacos and could care less if it was a taco shell or taco salad so I knew I couldn't go wrong with that tonight! Ohhh and by the way if you haven't tried the whole grain taco shells you need to! They were good!

    Monday, March 26, 2012

    Cream Cheese Chicken (Crock Pot)

    This is super easy to make!! =)

    3lbs chicken (boneless breats or thighs)
    1 pkg dry Ranch Salad dressing mix
    4 Tbs. melted butter
    1 10 1/2 oz. can cream of chicken soup
    8 oz. cream cheese, softened

    Place chicken in crock pot. Pour melted butter over chicken and then add salt and pepper and Ranch dressing mix. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Add cream of chicken soup and cubed cream cheese to crock pot. Stir until melting and smooth. Cook on low for an additional hour. Serve hot over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.

    *This is good served with crusty bread and a salad.
    *Recipe easily doubles and freezes well.

    Monday, February 20, 2012

    Breakfast Burritos Take 2

    We made breakfast burritos tonight which I have already posted the recipe for on the blog. If you haven't checked out the recipe please do! It is so simple and there is a lot leftover to freeze! I think I just bagged about 20 burritos in the freezer for later! Makes a great breakfast for busy mornings!

    Thursday, February 9, 2012

    Valentines from my two Valentine's!

    So I know this does not relate to my cooking blog! But this is just too cute I had to share! This afternoon we made our Valentine's for Maddie & Sawyer's Valentine Exchange next week! These are super easy to make and oh so cute!!
     
    I Dig You! Happy Valentine's Day from Sawyer!
     
     
    These were super easy! The hardest part was finding the actual shovels which was a challenge! I just got the mini plastic bags and put a shovel's amount of conversation hearts in the bag! Tied it with a ribbon and made a card for it!
     
     
    Bear Hugs from Maddie!
     

    The picture does not do these justice! But I used the same small bags and put a handful of the Teddy Graham crackers in them and then a few heart shaped fruit snacks! Tied a ribbon and put a card on it! Super easy!



     

    Wednesday, February 8, 2012

    Crescent Pepperoni Roll Ups

    Wednesday & Thursday Night's I especially need an easy meal since the kids have activities in the evening. Tonight I decided to try the Crescent Pepperoni Roll Up that I found a recipe for on Pintrest! This is super easy and I'm sure your kids will enjoy it just as much as mine!
     
    Ingredients:
     
    1 tube of crescent rolls
    Pepperoni's
    Mozzarella Cheese
     
    *The recipe I had called for you to half a stick of string cheese but instead I used shredded mozzarella.
     
    Preheat oven per directions on the crescent roll package. Lay out crescent rolls and place pepperoni and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Roll up and pinch the sides together. Back for 10 minutes and they are done and ready to serve!

    Tuesday, February 7, 2012

    Old Fashioned Tacos!

    Some nights you just have to go back to the basics and enjoy some old fashioned tacos! I bought the Old El Paso box that had hard and soft shells and mixed up the taco meat and added rice! Maddie and I actually ate Taco Salad which she LOVES!
    Can't get any easier than that!

    Monday, February 6, 2012

    Oh so easy Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas!

    Another SUPER easy recipe for you! This time it's Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas!
     
    Ingredients:
     
    1 can of corn (drained)
    1 can of black beans (drained)
    Shredded Cheese
    Large Tortillas
     
    Heat black beans and corn in a large saucepan over medium heat until heated through. You can put the tortillas in a skillet but I actually do them on cookie sheet. Lay out one tortillas and sprinkle with cheese and the spoon in the black beans and corn. I also topped with a little more cheese to make it melt well. Then place your second tortilla on top! Place in the oven on 350 till tortilla is crispy and the cheese is melted! Serve with salsa, sour cream, or guacamole!  

    Tuesday, January 31, 2012

    Crock Pot Hamburger Stew

    The kids and I are not big pot roast fans! So I got the idea to try something a little different and did the Hamburger Stew! I pre-cooked the hamburger meat last night and put in the fridge over night so I could just dump it in the crock pot this morning. I'm not sure about you but my morning routine trying to get kids off to school is already hectic enough without throwing in trying to brown some hamburger meat! =) Anyways, the kids LOVED this and Sawyer even ate a TON of carrots, which he has never done before! When I made the pot roast, it was a struggle getting them to eat it so this was a great response from my kids and I plan to have this again!
     
    Ingredients:
     
    1 pound of hamburger meat
     
    2 cups of Tomato Juice
     
    2 cups of Water
     
    I can of green beans (drained)
     
    2 cans of corn (drained)
     
    1 package of Baby Carrots (raw)
     
    10-12 Red Potatoes (raw and cut into quarters)
     
    Salt & Pepper to taste
     
    Directions: Brown and drain the hamburger meat then add in crock pot with all other ingredients. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours and enjoy!
     
    This was DELISH and of course super easy!!!
     
     

    Tostados

    
    If you know me you know I love Mexican food! And for the most part so do my kids. Homemade Tostados is something very easy to make and yet very filling!!
    Ingredients:
    1 packets of Tostado Shells
    (I purchase mine from Target)
    1 pound of hamburger meat
    1 can of refriend beans
    I package of taco season
    1 package of shredded chesse
    (I used the Mexican blend butany will do.)
    Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Brown and drain the hamburger meat. After the meat is cooked, mix a package of taco seasoning (per package directions) and let simmer. On a cookie sheet lined with foil lay out the desired amount of Tostado shells. Put a layer of refriend beans on each shell then top with a scoop of hamburget meat and then top with shredded cheese. I generally will heat up the refriend beans before spreading on the shells. Bake in the oven about 10 minutes or until the chesse is meleted. After you have baked the shells you can top with any of your favorite Mexican indegrediants (japlaones, olives, slasa, etc.)
    What did I tell you, these are SUPER easy!!! The kids will love them!
    This picture is before I add toppings!

    Monday, January 16, 2012

    Chicken Spaghetti

    Chicken Spaghetti

    Just FYI, this makes a HUGE amount. We will make this a lot of times when we are cooking dinner to bring to someone that is sick or just had a baby. It is easy to split into two pans and like I said it makes a lot. I have also made it several times without chicken!! Which makes it pretty easy. Since you cook the noodles in chicken broth you still have the chicken taste.

    Ingredient's:

    4-6 chicken breasts
    1 green pepper, chopped
    1 onion, chopped
    1 stick of margarine
    1 1/2 lbs. Velveeta, cut in chunks
    1- 16 oz. package of spaghetti
    2 cans diced rotel (drained)
    2-3 cartons of chicken broth

    Boil chicken breasts until tender. DO NOT DRAIN! Remove breasts; cool, then chop. Cook spaghetti noodles in chicken broth (need at least 1/2 pot of broth) until tender. DO NOT DRAIN! Saute' chopped green pepper and onion in margarine. Add to noodles with the 2 cans of Rotel, Velveeta chunks, and chicken. Stir until cheese is melted. Pour in baking dish (covered) and cook 30-45 minutes until headed through on 350.

    

    Friday, January 13, 2012

    Chicken & Corn Chili

    Chicken & Corn Chili is whats cooking!
    This recipe is pretty easy and it was great! I got this from one of my dinner swap girls when we were doing freezer meals. But I haven't eve cooked myself until today!  Thanks Claire for the wonderful and easy recipe! =)

    Chicken & Corn Chili

    4 boneless chicken breasts

    16oz jar of salsa

    2 tsp garlic powder

    1 tsp cumin

    1 tsp chili powder

    Salt and Pepper to taste

    2- 11oz cans of mexi-style corn, un-drained

    15 oz can pinto beans, un-drained

    Combine all ingredients in crock pot EXCEPT corn and pinto beans. Cook either 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. For last hour, shred chicken with a fork and add the corn and pinto beans. Serves six.

    You can put the chicken in the pot frozen or thawed. I also used regular canned corn instead of mexi-con and added some green chili's.

    Got a 3 thumbs up from the fam, which makes this recipe even better!!


    Wednesday, January 11, 2012

    Quick and Super Easy Homemade Nachos!

    Wednesday nights are busy for us because Maddie and Sawyer have evening activities at church. So I'm always looking for a quick and easy meal to fix them before heading out. Tonight I made homemade oven baked nachos! Of course I paired it with some Mexican corn and rice and the kids loved it! Also added some fruit to go with it.
     
    Baked Nachos
     
    Tortilla Chips (just use whatever kind you prefer)
    Shredded Cheese (whatever kind you prefer)
     
    Set oven to 350 or you can use the broiler. Lay your tortilla chips out on a cookie sheet and sprinkle the shredded cheese. Leave them in the oven about 7-10 minutes till the cheese is melted and serve!
     
    How easy is that?? And the kids LOVED them!

    Saturday, January 7, 2012

    Breakfast Burritos

    We did this Friday night so I'm going to go ahead and post it! BEST OF all it got 4 thumbs up from my family! My three year old twins even enjoyed them- and they don't like eggs! Go figure!

    This has got to be one of my most favorite recipes! It is super easy to make and it makes a good amount! There is two ways you can make these. (1) Ahead of time and freeze them individually and just pull out the number you want to cook or (2) make them fresh and freeze the leftovers individually. I have done them both ways and really prefer to fix them ahead of time to freeze! You wrap them individually in foil after you roll them and I put them in gallon size plastic freezer bags. I have also done these in large quantity like over 100 for a monthly dinner swap group. The cooking part is easy but takes FOREVER to roll!!

    Breakfast Burritos

    Recipe makes about 25 burritos! Yay for lots of leftovers!!!

    Ingredients:
    1 regular 16 oz. package of sausage with sage
    1/2 small bag of hash browns
    1/2 bag of frozen chopped bell pepper
    1 large bag of shredded cheese (I use Colby & Monterrey Jack)
    1 1/2 dozen eggs
    25 fajita style flour tortillas (small)
    Salt, Pepper, and Tonys to taste


    Directions:
    Brown sausage and crumble. Cook hash browns till lightly browned. Whisk 18 eggs with ¼ cup milk and softly scramble. Brown bell pepper. Mix all together and season to taste with salt, pepper, and Tony’s seasoning. Warm tortillas in oven as directed on package. Scoop approx ½ cup of mixture or more onto burrito. Sprinkle with cheese and roll up.

    If you freeze, thaw and heat in microwave about 25 seconds. Serve with sour cream, salsa, or hot sauce. Add more cheese if you desire.

    BBQ Chicken

    This morning I was heading out of town bright and early for a Spring Product Premiere with Thirty-One Gifts (a company I'm a consultant for). I was anticipating being back around dinner time and so I wanted something for dinner that would cook on it's own and be pretty easy!! Of course I decided to pull out my trusted crock pot (which I love) and prepared dinner before heading out of town!

    Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

    4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
    *I threw them in there thawed- but you can throw them in frozen as well

    1 bottle BBQ Sauce - I love Sweet Baby Ray's

    1/4 cup vinegar

    1 tsp. crushed red pepper

    1/4 cup brown sugar

    Place the chicken in the crock pot. Mix BBQ Sauce with all ingredients and pour over the chicken. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. The chicken is so tender and falls apart!

    This recipe was so easy! I paired it with green beans and crescent rolls!  Most importantly I got 3 thumbs up from the family!


    Why I'm Blogging


    

    In an effort to help me with one of my New Years Resolution, I have started to blog about family dinner time! Two things you need to know before you start following this blog! (1) I am not a cook by any means!! I actually HATED cooking. However, cooking is something I have started to enjoy. Over the last year I have participated in a monthly dinner swap that really changed my mind about cooking and I got lots of great recipes that my family really seems to enjoy! (2) I'm not a blogger!! So hopefully I can stick with this- and see it as a way to stick to my resolution.

    I know for me it is hard to find quick and easy recipes that my family enjoys. So I also hope in blogging about this experience it will help you with more family friendly cooking ideas!