Easy Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:

1 can green enchilada sauce
1 small (2.25 oz) can sliced olives
Mexican cheese
regular sized tortillas (4)
1 package chicken breast tenders or equivalent

Directions:

Cook chicken in small skillet with garlic, onion, and black pepper to taste. Once mostly cooked, cut into small pieces.
Lower heat to Low and add in sauce, olives, and afew handfuls of cheese.
Cook for another 3-5 minutes
In 9 inch casserole dish layer: tortilla, chicken mixture, cheese. Repeat for three layers. Top with a tortilla. A little bit of melted butter or residue sauce on top will help it not burn.
Cook uncovered at 350 for 18 minutes. Allow to rest. Cut and enjoy!

Tuna Pasta Salad

It’s a hit… Baby E’s favorite thing right now.

Ingredients:

16oz (1 box) spiral noodles

2 (6 oz) cans of tuna

1 (6oz) can of peas

1 package dry ranch dressing mix

1 cup mayonnaise

½ cup milk

Can of black olives

Pepper to taste

Directions

Cook pasta, drain, rinse in cold water

Mix tuna and peas into the pasta

Mix dressing, milk, and mayo together and then add to pasta. Toss with olives.

Chill before serving.

Marshmallow Accompaniments

These things are great.... plop one in your coffee, plop one in your cup of hot cocoa... plop one in your milk... plop one in your mouth! So many options!

Ingredients:
Marshmallows (as many as you want)
1 package (4oz) chocolate bark (any flavor but I recommend plain chocolate)
5 candy canes

The measurements are all really based on how many you want to make.

Grind the candy canes up in your food processor (magic bullet for the win!) so that you have a peppermint powder









Melt the chocolate.

(Break it into pieces, place in microwavable bowl, heat on high for 30 seconds, stir -I use a plastic chop stick to stir- repeat until the chocolate is creamy... You can also use the little kits but buying the chocolate is usually cheaper and works just as well.)




Stick toothpicks into the marshmallows, dip in the chocolate, swipe through the peppermint powder and place on wax paper on a cookie sheet, plate or lasagna pan (9 by 13).

Refrigerate at least an hour - better if overnight-.

Done!

Now plop away!!!

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

These cookies come out with just a lovely peppermint glaze on top... a tid bit of peppermint to go along with your cookie! What's not to love?

Ok... so you can either buy a bag of sugar cookie dough mix at the store or use my sugar cookie recipe .. (just don't add in the sprinkles).

Either way you will have sugar cookie dough.

Grind up candy canes in your food processor (hooray for the Magic Bullet!).

Pinch the dough out to form little one inch balls and roll them through the peppermint powder.
Bake as normal!


Now... wasn't that simple?

And delicious!

Oreo Balls of Awesome!

Oreo Balls of Awesome

There are so many variations that can be done with these, but I am going to discuss the basic approach first.

To make the balls themselves…

Ingredients

1 package regular oreos (resist the urge to buy double stuffed etc)

1 package cream cheese

don't do this.

Crush the oreos and mix with softened cream cheese.

Note: At first I used a rolling pin to crush the oreos… this made a mess and was totally the wrong thing to do. Thankfully, I remembered that I own a Magic NBullet (keep your naughty thoughts to yourself, it is a food processor thing) and thus I was able to carry on properly.

Once the cookies and the cream cheese have become one, pinch out a bit at a time, roll them into little balls and set on wax paper. I laid my wax paper in an aluminum baking sheet (lasagna 9 by 13) which worked perfectly.

Pop in the fridge for around 20 minutes

Stick a toothpick into each ball, put back into the fridge… for at least an hour, preferably over night.

Now it is time for the toppings! Again I am going to discuss the basic approach first.

Melt one package (4oz) of chocolate bark in a microwave bowl.

Break it up into pieces, warm on high for 30 seconds, stir, repeat. It took me three times before the chocolate is all nice and melty.

Pick up the ball by the toothpick, swipe it through the melted chocolate and place on new wa paper.

Back in the fridge for at least an hour!

Ok… now to make it fun….

I crushed candy canes in the Magic Bullet (food processor) into a fine peppermint powder. I used this in one batch by mixing it with the cookies and the cream cheese so that the balls were already a bit peppermint flavored. Another time I swiped the balls through the powder after the chocolate for a crusty peppermint coating. (This was by far the favorite.) You can also use mint oeros, flavored oreos, and of course different flavors of bark… The possibilities are endless!

Whatever you do to make the balls your own, you won’t regret the bit of prep time entailed…. These treats and so darn yummy they are dangerous. (The sticks can be removed prior to serving if you wish…. Makes transport easier too!)

Potatoes Au Gratin?

Potatoes Au Gratin (Easy!) 

Some people say that if you don't make thing by scratch then you are a dirty rotten cheater.

I'm ok with that

Because life is short and if it tastes good when it is done, well I say huzzah and let's eat!

On that note, here is my easy "cheater" recipe for potatoes au gratin.

1 package of frozen hash browns (1.5 – 2 pounds)

1 can condensed cream of celery soup

1 can condensed cream of potato soup

1 package of sour cream (8 oz)

1 and ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Garlic Salt, Salt, and Pepper to taste



Directions:

Preheat Oven to 300

Cover bottom of pan (9 by 13 casserole dish) with frozen hash browns

Mix soups and sour cream in bowl until blended

Add spices to taste

Layer goopy mixture over the frozen potatoes

Sprinkle a bit of the cheese on the top

Cover pan with foil

Back for 60 minutes

Add rest of cheese to the top

Bake for another 30 minutes (without foil)

Allow to cool.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies

I wanted to make cookies that would be yummy and yet wouldn’t be that hard or time consuming. I adapted a recipe I found online and created these.

By far the easiest cookies to make and they were a HUGE hit with the family.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies 

Ingredients

·         1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

·         1 egg

·         1 (17.5 ounce) pouch sugar cookie mix

·         ½ bag of chocolate chips

(See what I mean... only 4 ingredients!)

Directions 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft and fluffy with an electric mixer, then beat in the egg until thoroughly combined. Mix in the cookie mix, then stir in the chips.

Drop the dough about 2 inches apart onto the sprayed baking sheets. Lightly pat the cookies to flatten. (They won’t flatten or spread out at all)

Bake in the preheated oven until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden 12 minutes.

Cool before serving. Enjoy!

(Makes 44 cookies)

Battered and Fried Zucchini

I was given a rather large zucchini over the weekend. What does one do with a zucchini this big, I wondered. 

This is a big zucchini.

Then I remembered that I am the daughter of a chief and a red blooded American.

 So I fried it.

I did a bit of looking online for ideas and then came up with this recipe.

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

8 mighty shakes of Oregano
1/4 cup water

2/4 cup milk (2%)
2 eggs, separated
2 tbsp. oil
1 big ass zucchini
Oil for frying

Mix flour, salt, garlic salt, pepper, and Oregano.

Add egg yolks, water, milk, and 2 tablespoons oil.

Mix just until combined. Batter will be a little lumpy.

Beat egg whites. Add to batter.

slightly lumpy batter

Slice zucchini into thin slices.

That big zucchini all sliced up! No blood at all!

Dip zucchini in batter and fry until golden brown, 1-2 mins on each side.

 

I had a bit of batter left over, but had I not been so worried about running out, I don't think that would have been an issue.

Note 1: This amount of spice was okay, but next time I will use more pepper and maybe play with other spices.

Note 2: The batter had a bit of trouble staying on the zucchini in the pan, I found if I had the heat up high it cooked better and quicker while staying put.

Note 3: I had the over on Warm and added the cooked zucchini to a plate inside to keep warm while cooking the rest.

Note 4: I served the fried battered zucchini with an Indian bean soup (for protein). Next time I will serve with turkey burgers.

Note 5: Next time I will also either have more than 2 eaters at the table or make vastly less. The two of use only got through about half of the plate.

Finished Product! Yumm!

Home Made Chicken Soup

This is less of a recipe and more of a guideline or a list of what I did my 3^rd time making home made chicken soup. This time it turned out yummy!

1 bag regular carrots (I used all but 3)

1 cluster of celery (all)

½ a large white onion

3-5 garlic cloves (the little bits that you pull off)

2 packages of chicken broth, 32 oz each

6 cups water

3 tablespoons pepper (or to taste)

3 liberal shakes of basil (or to taste)

Chicken: I used half a package of frozen boneless thigh pieces, thawed and chopped.

Ignore the cherries, they don't go in the soup.

Bring broth and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high and add chopped veggies.

When veggies are tender, increase heat to high and add chicken.

Cook for t10 minutes adding the spices and stirring.

Turn to medium heat and let cook another 5-7 minutes until chicken is tender.

Remove from heat and allow to rest overnight in pot.

Separate into smaller containers and enjoy!

Poulet Doux

I decided to try this recipe yesterday.

Unfortunately, after visiting four stores I wasn’t able to find Russian salad dressing. A quick conference with my former roommate and I decided to replace the Russian dressing with Catalina dressing.

However, this also proved impossible to find… so I ended up using French dressing. This meant that I had made the recipe mine and thus I renamed it: Poulet Doux, which means Sweet Chicken in French.

Just a review:

1 bottle French Dressing
1 jar Apricot Preserves
4 large boneless chicken filets
1 package onion soup mix. (dry)

Preheat the oven to 435.
Spray a shallow small baking dish.

Mix the dressing, apricot preserves and onion soup mix. It will look slightly disgusting. Take heart.

Roll the chicken fillets in the mixture and then plop into the baking sheet. Pour remaining mixture over the chicken and bake for 25 minutes.




I served it over noodles… but I think it will be better over rice. There is a fair bit of liquid left over after you remove the chicken for serving. This could be drizzled over the rice.

As it was, it was a hit. The gals I made it for seemed to really like it… either that or they were just starving. Regardless, I am putting it down as a success.

Time: Just about half an hour.

Corn Flake Chicken

This one looks easy... a bit time intensive but you can't go more simple wiht the number of items needed and prep work.

Corn Flake Chicken

6 to 8 chicken cutlets
Bottle of fat free Italian dressing
Corn Flakes crumbs

Prehat oven to 325.

Marinate 6 or 8 chicken cutlets in fat free, Italian dressing for an hour and a half.

Heavily coat both sides of the cutlets in Corn Flake crumbs.
Cover cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with Pam (or whatever).
Place cutlets on cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes... to an hour depending on your oven.

Nutty Green Beans

I made these last night and they were a hit!

Need:
1 pound of green beans (fresh)
3-5 cloves of garlic (cloves being the little parts not the big things –I think- hmmm, well buy the big thing then take the outer layer off an then pull out the little bulbs and skin ‘em. Chop 3-5 of these in half… the more you use the more garlic-y the beans will be)
1 Big Handful of halved walnuts (chop these up as well… I think about ¼ cup of chopped nuts is a good guide, but change for your own discretion.
Oil (I used Peanut oil)

Rinse and snap the green beans.
Place green beans in pan (large… I used my wok) and cover just barely with water.
Cook on high until beans are BRIGHT GREEN! (about 6-7 minutes(
Drain
Rinse with cold water and plop the whole strainer into cold water. (I filled my sink up about 1/3 of the way and added ice cubes.) I have no idea why this I important, but I followed the directions.
Let them cool while you heat a healthy dose (cover the bottom of the pan) of oil in the pan.
When the oil is hot add the garlic, cook on high for 5 minutes
After five minutes add the green beans and the nuts… sprinkle a bit of minced onions, salt to taste.
Cook for another 5 minutes or until you can’t stand it (They are going to smell soooo good!)

(Depending on your group.. you might want to remove the big chunks of garlic before you serve.)

Serve and enjoy!

Time: Less than 20 minutes.

Rosemary Chicken

Rosemary Chicken and Tortellini


Need:
1 package chicken (mine had 9 medium-ish boneless chicken breasts)
1 package Pesto Tortellini
Spices: Garlic, Onion, Rosemary.

I browned the chicken in a frying pan on medium high heat with about ¼ cup water (used olive oil to prep the pan).
Add Garlic, onion, rosemary to taste… I used minced onion and minced garlic and a two tablespoons of minced rosemary.

Cook the tortellini in a medium sauce pan (with a bit of olive oil) as directed on the package… must stir constantly.

Drain and serve right away to avoid clumping.

Server chicken on the tortellini with a small bit of heated frozen veggies.

Time: The first 8 songs off the Shins’ Oh Inverted World CD.

Easy Oven BBQ Chicken

Easy Oven BBQ Chicken

I love easy.

Need:
Chicken drumsticks
Bottle of BBQ sauce

Lay chicken drumsticks in greased baking pan.
Cover with barbeque sauce
Cook in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Turn chicken pieces over, add more sauce.
Cook for another 20 minutes.

Done!

Ok… maybe that is too easy. I am going to do this… but I think I am going to make my own sauce before hand.

BBQ Sauce… and….

Stay Tuned.

Kay’s Stroganoff.

This is a good easy to make recipe that is tailor made for leftovers. In fact, many people argue that it tastes better the next day. I plan on making it today (Sunday) so that I can eat it during the week.

Need:
1 package (1 pound) ground beef
1 package egg noodles (or bow tie)
2 cans gravy: beef and mushroom is a good combo. 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1 can beef gravy works as well. Use whatever you have on hand.
Seasonings to taste (I use minced onions and garlic.)

Brown ground beef in skillet on high.
Add in onions and garlic (1 clove) while the meat is cooking. Stir often.
Once beef is all brown (no more pink at all) add in the gravy (gravy/soup) and turn on medium. Stir well and then let it simmer on Medium low for a good ten minutes.

Cooke noodles in saucepan with a bit of butter. Drain and then put back in the pot.
Add beef mixture to noodles and stir well.

Take off heat and eat or let cool for easy Tupperware storage.

Time to Cook: The first seven songs off of REO Speedwagon’s Hi Infidelity.

Makes a whole bunch. I had a heaping helping along with five asparagus spears and put the rest in containers… at least two lunches and another dinner.

Pasta and Asparagus Dinner

Need:
1 Jar medium priced pasta sauce (I like the basil flavored one)
4-5 Spears of as fresh as you can get it Asparagus
1 Garlic Clove
1 Handful dry uncooked Angel hair pasta
1 loaf French Baguette
Butter and Olive Oil
Whatever spices are handy.


Time before eating: The first 8 songs off of The Best of Sheryl Crow album. By the time “If It Makes You Happy” is playing you should be sitting on your living room floor with a plate of food. Actually, it will probably take you less time if you don’t take photos along the way and send a text message announcing your success to half the people in your contact list.


Asparagus:
I chopped up the garlic… actually I pulled three cloves of the big garlic hunk and then chopped those using the chopping technique Christ taught me* and cooked the pieces in a thin layer of oil on the stove. (Frying pan)
Once it was hot and starting to smell all garlicky, I added the uncut (but rinsed) asparagus spears.
Heat on High gradually turning down to medium low for about 10 minutes,


Pasta:
I don’t measure my pasta or my water... I just cook it until it is tender but still firm (8-10 minutes) and then drain off the excess liquid. I also add butter to the pot when I add the noodles.

Sauce
Pour as much as needed into small saucepan to heat.
Add spices as desired.
A good combo is bay leaves (crushed), minced garlic, minced onions, a few shakes of parsley and a few shakes of pepper. Obviously, the more sauce in the pan, a bit more spice… And I taste it as I go.

Serve with French baguette slices and butter.

Noodles can be tossed in the fridge, leftover sauce can be as well or frozen.

Sweet and Sticky Chicken

Sweet and Sticky Chicken

1 Bottle Russian salad dressing
1 Jar apricot preserves
1 Dry packet of onion soup mix
1 package chicken pieces

Preheat oven to 425

Mix onion soup mix and 3/4 bottle of dressing
Stir in apricot preserves to taste
Pour over chicken in greased pan

Bake 25 minutes

Serve over brown rice