I have labeled recipes based on main ingredients, if they are great for kids, parties, showers, holidays, etc. Just type what you are thinking of in the search box below & it will bring up all the recipes that fit what you are looking for.

Search This Blog

Showing posts with label quick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quick. Show all posts

04 June 2010

Taco Soup

We have come to love this "soup".  I use that term loosely as its much more of a stew consistency, though you can make it soupier if you prefer it that way.  We make sure we have at least one bag of scoopable tortilla chips & lots of good chilled drinks on hand too!

2lbs ground beef
2 cans corn
4 cans diced tomatoes (with jalapenos if you like some heat)
1 can dark kidney beans
1 can light kidney beans
1 can northern beans
1 sm. jar favorite salsa (though it will lose some heat, so take that into consideration)
pkgs taco seasoning

Brown ground beef, add taco seasoning, stir to coat well.  Add remaining ingredients, stir well...bring to a boil, reduce heat to low & allow to simmer for no less then 30 min, better if closer to an hour, but that is up to you & how much time you have to let it go.

serve w/grated cheese, chips, sour cream, whatever you like on your tacos!

***You can use any kinds of beans that you like.  You can use all one kind or cut back on them...that is up to you.  You can also put the cayenne pepper on the "goodies" tray for people to add some kick to their personal bowl if you want to make it milder for the kids.

27 March 2010

Beef Stroganoff

Easy way to toss together dinner on those rushed nights...quickly became a family favorite!

Serves 4

1lb beef, cooked, cubed
2 c sliced mushrooms
1 med onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c sour cream
1 bag wide egg noodles

Cook noodles as directed on pkg...while water is heating & noodles are cooking make up the rest of the meal
In a skillet, melt 1 Tbs butter & saute mushrooms & onion untl tender
Add soup & sour cream, heat to boiling.
Add meat to skillet & heat through.
Put the noodles on the plate first, then top with the beef mixture

Frito Dip

Another fabulous dip from Len's amazing mom!  Great for after school snack, as an appetizer at a party, or one of those "but mom, we're starving to death!!!" after you already made dinner & they are watching a movie...

2 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 Hormel chili with beans
1 Hormel chili without beans
1 pkg shredded cheese

Mix cream cheese & chilis together, spread in a small baking dish
Sprinkle cheese on top
Bake at 325 until cheese has melted & its bubbling

Serve with frito corn chips or scoopable tortilla chips

Taco Dip

Len's mom gave me several fantastic dips...which I confess, we don't make up nearly as much as I should for how much the kids love to snack!

8oz cream cheese
8oz sour cream
1pkg taco seasoning

Mix together & spread onto pizza pan

Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, diced cucumber, diced onion (all are optional based on your family's preference)
Finish the creation by topping it all off with shredded cheese
Serve with corn chips or tortilla chips

Hot Chocolate Mix

Fun way for the kids to help make a jar mix to give at Christmas or any time.  Its also a great way to save money on a staple for your own house over the cooler months if you go through as much as we do!

1 box powdered carnation milk (8qt size)
1 lb can Nestles Quick Mix
6 oz Coffee Mate Powdered Creamer
3/4 c powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together, then put into jars or desired containers.
Attach the following instructions:
Use 1/2 c mixture with 1/2 c boiling water.  Top with marshmellows & stir with a candy cane!

***You can add mini marshmellows to the mix if you like  Some stores carry the super tiny ones found in most store bought pkgs of hot chocolate mix.

Pumpkin Pecan Biscuits

Fantastic fall (or anytime) biscuit to have with supper, or on its own for a great snack.

12-16 biscuits

2 c flour                                                1/2 c butter, cut into pieces
1/4 c sugar                                            1/3 c pecans, chopped & toasted
4 tsp baking powder                             2/3 c pumpkin, mashed if fresh cooked, puree if canned
1/2 tsp salt                                            1/3 c half & half
1/2 tsp each cinnamon & nutmeg

Sift together flour, sugar, powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg
Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles small peas.
Stir in pecans
In a glass measuring cup, combine pumpkin & half n half.
Stir into flour mixture, dough should be stiff
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead several times.
If too wet, add some flour.
Pat dough into 1/2" thickness, cut out with a 2" cutter.
Place biscuits on lightly greased baking sheets, about 1" apart
Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve hot with butter & honey!!

Cheese Danish

This is a different version of the cheese danish...my favorite kind...the one that requires little work out of me!

Serves 8 (1 danish each)

1 (8oz) can refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (3oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
3/4 c sugar, divided
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp butter, melted

Unroll crescent rolls into 4 rectangles; press perforations to seal.
Cut each rectangle in half cross-wise, and place on a baking sheet.
Beat cream cheese, 1/2 c sugar & vanilla at med speed until smooth.
Spread over half of each rectangle, leaving a 1/4" border.
Fold dough over filling, and press edges to seal.
Combine remaining sugar & cinnamon.
Brush dough with melted butter & sprinkle evenly with sugar mixture
Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm & enjoy!!

Chicken Caesar Pasta

Fun, warm pasta salad for lunch, or a great dish for a light dinner.

Serves 2-3

8oz bow tie pasta
2 boneless, skinless checken breast halves, thinly sliced
8oz bottle Caesar dressing, divided
2 green onions, thinly sliced
10oz frozen sugar snap peas
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 c torn fresh spinach

Cook pasta according to pkg directions.  Keep warm!
Saute chicken in 3Tbs dressing in a lg non-stick skillet 4-5 minutes, or until almost done
Add sliced onions, frozen peas & carrot, stirring occassionally.
Add spinach, cook 1-2 minutes, or until wilted, stirring.
Toss mixture with pasta, serve immediately with remaining dressing.

Bonnie Blair Chicken

Leave it to my fantastic mom to find another awesome grilling dinner!  This is such a huge family favorite that my sister wanted it for her rehearsal dinner...now that is saying something! :)

Serves 4

1/2 c mayo
2 Tbs dijon mustard
1 Tbs honey
1/4 tsp tarragon
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Mix dressing & coat chicken.  Grill chicken flipping once, brushing dressing on periodically.
Serve with your favorite fruit salad, rolls & veggies.

Fettuccini con pollo (Chicken Fettuccini)

This is a huge favorite in our house!  Kids love it because its fantastic, I love it because it calls for so little & is quick for me to throw together.  Win Win for everyone!

Serves 2
(yes, 2 people, so multiply accordingly!!)

10oz fettuccini
1 c chicken, cubed (if you already have cooked chicken, use that & skip down the directions to the adding mushrooms & garlic)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs basil
1/2 c quartered mushrooms
1 clove minced garlic
2 c heavy cream
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese

Heat saute pan.  Add olive oil & saute chicken until almost done.  Add mushrooms & garlic, saute 2 min.
Add basil & cream, reduce sauce by 1/3 (this is another way of saying cook till it thickens).
Add parmesan & pasta, mixing well.

Pasta Primavera

I found this recipe shortly after Len & I got married.  At first I thought "hmm, this looks interesting" and tossed it into the box.  It wasn't long before I was digging for that recipe because we were running out of money & I had to come up with some wild concoction for supper that would fill him up, but that I should have on hand!  It instantly became a favortite that has continued to bail me out over all these years. 

Serves 4 (which in our house means triple since everyone loves spaghetti any way they can get it!)

1 can (10 3/4oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 c water
3 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp basil leaves, crushed (dried is best)
1/8 tsp EACH garlic powder & pepper
1 bag (16oz) frozen california blend (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
4 c hot cooked spaghetti

In a lg pan, bring water to boil & cook spaghetti according to pkg.
While the water is coming to a boil & you are cooking the spaghetti, in a lg skillet, mix soup, water, cheese, lemon juice, basil, garlic powder, pepper & veggies.  Over med heat, bring to a boil.  Cover & cook over low heat for 5 min or until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally.
Toss with spaghetti
We like to top each serving with a little more freshly grated Parmesan cheese but that is up to you.

26 March 2010

Chicken Tetrazini

Another fantastic "comfort food" and highly appreciated on those blustery days...This is also one that is super easy to multiply for large crowds, or when the boys have over all their friends & you are sure there is no amount of food that will stop them from raiding your cupboards bare!

2 Tbs chopped onion
1 Tbs butter
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 c water
1/2 c shredded sharp cheese
1 Tbs sherry
2 c cooked spaghetti
1 1/2 c chopped chicken

Saute onion in butter, add soup, water & cheese till cheese melts.
Add remaining ingredients & heat through.
Serve with veggies of choice & some biscuits for a fantastic, quick, filling meal!

Cheesy Beef & Rice Casserole

This is one of my wild inventions that came out of desperation & amazingly, it is one of our family favorites.  An exchage student that lived with us for a bit said it was wonderful comfort food...that sealed it up in the vaults of "prized meals" for us :)

4 c cooked rice
1 lg can cream of mushroom
1 sm bag of broccoli, frozen or cooked
1lb browned ground beef
2 c shredded cheese (we like Mexican but you can use any you like)
1 Tbs tarragon

Mix all ingred. together excpet 1 c cheese. 
Pour into greased 13x9 dish
Top with remaining cup of cheese
Cover & bake at 350 for 35-45 min or until heated through.

Our kids love this kind of dish served with the ice cold cranberry sauce...

Chicken Stuffing Bake

My grandma would make this up from time to time when I was little.  Always a fantastic meal on a cold & blustery day anytime of the year!  Since it includes veggies, meat & stuffing, dinner can easily be a one dish meal...if you feel you want to add something to it, our kids go nuts over cranberry sauce ice cold from the fridge!

says it serves 6

1 (12oz) can Evaporated Milk
3 Tbs butter
1 (7oz) box herb seasoned stuffing mix
1 can cream of mushroom
2 c diced, cooked chicken
2 c shredded swiss cheese
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 c broccoli (cooked)
1/2 tsp thyme

In saucepan, blend 3/4 c milk and butter to scalding. 
In a bowl, pour milk over stuffing, toss to mix well.  Pat 1/2 stuffing into buttered 13x9 dish.
In another bowl, stir soup, remaining milk, chicken, 1 c cheese, celery, broccoli & thyme until well mixed.
Spoon evenly over stuffing, topping with the remaining stuffing from the bowl.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot through.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese & cook till melted.

Fantastic dish to use up leftover chicken & broccoli from a previous nights grilled dinner!  We have used cornbread stuffing in place of the herb too & both are just as delicious!

Sweet & Sour Meatball Sauce

I posted another sweet & sour meatballs recipe that is for a crockpot...this is similar but meant to be made on the stove.  I have no reason to believe that you could not also mix this & pour into a crockpot with a bag of frozen meatballs & let it cook on low all day too.  Both can be served over rice for a dinner, or stand alone for an appetizer.

1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 can pineapple chunks w/syrup
1/3 c vinegar
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 sm green pepper, diced

Combine the ingredients in a sauce pan over med-low heat until well blended, pour over frozen meatballs in a 13x9 & bake 40-45 minutes.
Remember to heat water for rice when you have 30 min. left on the meatballs, as it will take the rice 20-25 minutes to cook the rice.

serve as a dinner option with a tossed salad, greenbeans, peas or your favorite veggies.

Meatballs & Rice

This is a tomato based meatballs & rice dinner.  Very simple, especially if you use frozen meatballs.

1 can tomato soup
1 c brown sugar (packed)
2 Tbs vinegar
1 tsp mustard

Mix this all together, then pour over meatballs in a 13x9.
Cook at 375 for 45 minutes.
Remember to start heating water for rice when there is 30 minutes left to your meatballs...it will take 20-25 minutes for the rice to cook once the water has boiled!

Add a side of greenbeans & you are set for a fantastic filling meal!

Sweet & Sour Crockpot Meatballs

This particular recipe came from the world's most awesome neighbor!!!  Kris was infamous for making some really fantastic food that Len & I were priviledged to enjoy...this is a fantastic way to have dinner ready when you get home after a long day, by serving it over rice...otherwise, its a great dish to take to get togethers or family dinners where there is sure to be a hungry crowd.  We love to pair this up with Len's mom's crock pot Mac & Cheese...mmmmm

2 12oz jars chilli sauce
3/4s of a 12oz jar of cheap grape jelly
lg bag of frozen Italian meatballs

Combine in a crockpot & cook on low all day!
If you feel really daring, you can add a can of diced pineapple chunks!!

Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake

Another favorite around here, especially because I use a cake mix in place of making it from scratch...fantastic to make up the day before & enjoy on a rushed morning or to take in to work, sunday school, or church to share.

One vanilla cake mix, prepared as directed before putting into baking pan
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c butter
1 c Granny Smith apples, chopped (I peel them too)

Grease and flour a fluted tube pan (or plain if that is what you have).
Pour half of the cake batter into the pan.
Top with half of the crumb mixture (to make the crumb mixture, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon...cut in butter till crumbly, then stir in chopped up apple)
Top crumb mixture with remaining batter followed by the remainder of the crumb mixture.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour
Remove from oven, cool 5 min in pan before inverting on a plate to serve.
Let cool completely before slicing.

Rich Biscuit Shortcake

SO...sometimes you just want a great desert that doesn't require you to bake & toil in the kitchen...if that is you, here is a quick way to enjoy a shortcake...if its not you, feel free to bake up your very own biscuits!!

Buy (or make) as many biscuits that you need
If they are cold, warm them up in the oven, split then spread one half with a little butter.
Use about 1/2-3/4 c sliced, crushed, or sweetened berries for each serving.
Put fruit between halves, top with other half of biscuit, then more fruit on top
Top with a dollop of whipped cream

***If you had made up the pound cake also on this blog & frozen it, you would use the same amount of fruit over one slice topped with whippped cream***

Chewy Picnic Brownies

This recipe comes from VEGETARIAN TIMES magazine, July/August 2009...a fantastic brownie recipe for those who like to stay on the vegetarian side of things...though it does contain dairy by way of butter & eggs

1 c flour
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
6oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
6oz (1 1/2 sticks) nonhydrogenated butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 c light brown sugar
3 lg eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 325
Coat 9" square baking pan with cooking spray
Whisk together flour, cocoa, and powder together in lg bowl.
Melt chocolate and butter in double broiler (or two saucepans, bottom one with an inch of water, top one cocked so it doesn't touch the water where you melt the chocolate & butter)
Remove from heat, and whisk until smooth
Stir brown sugar into chocolate mixture.  Fold in beaten eggs. 
Spread in prepared baking pan.
Bake 25-30 minutes, or until brownies look set, still soft in center.
Cool, then slice into squares.