Category Archives: Six Ingredients or Less

September 22, 2011 · 8:50 am

Pepperoncini Crock Pot Roast Beef

This recipe saved us last night. We had violin and tae kwon do testing and this yummy recipe was cooking away while we were out doing all of that and was ready to go when we got home.

Ingredients:
3 lb. beef chuck roast, trimmed of most fat
2 garlic cloves, sliced
16 oz jar pepperoncini peppers (remove stems after cooking)
6 slices provolone cheese
Hamburger buns

Instructions:
Make small cuts in roast and insert garlic slices in cuts.

Place roast in the slow cooker, and pour the entire contents of the jar of pepperoncini, including liquid, over meat.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Shred meat and serve on buns with pepperoncinis and provolone cheese.

Did I change anything? The original recipe didn’t say anything about the provolone. Everything is better with provolone, in my opinion, so I added that in.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked it…a lot. Our oldest ate his, but it wasn’t his favorite. Our youngest ate the cheese and the bun and one bite of meat.

Where did this recipe come from? Food.com

photo from Serious Eats

Pumpkin Pie Cream Cheese

If this doesn’t say fall, then I don’t know what does. It’s like having a pumpkin pie cheesecake and spreading it on graham crackers, bagels and waffles. Yum!

Ingredients:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions:
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, pumpkin and sugar until smooth. (You could also use an immersion blender or wooden spoon.)

Add the pumpkin pie spice and vanilla.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

What did the family think? Only two of us have tried it so far and we LOVED it.

Where did this recipe come from? Ezra Pound Cake

photo from Pinch My Salt

3 Comments

Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

September 18, 2011 · 10:17 am

Rosemary Roasted Chicken

This is very easy and comes out looking like you’re a gourmet cook. It also makes your house smell incredible.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 4-6 lbs)
1 lemon
1 T olive oil
1 tsp.salt
1-2 T dried rosemary

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Clean gizzards and neck out of chicken cavity, rinse and pat dry.

Place chicken on a cookie sheet that has sides.

Cut lemon into four parts and stick into cavity.

Rub chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Sprinkle rosemary on the outside of the chicken.

Cook the chicken at 450 degrees for the first ten minutes to give the skin a crunchy finish, then lower the temperature to 375 degrees for the rest of the cooking time. You want to make sure you cook the chicken for about 20 minutes per pound. I had a six pound roaster, so I cooked it for about two hours.

Let it rest for about 15 minutes before carving.

What did the family think? Everyone liked it except the youngest. He doesn’t do chicken…unless we are at a restaurant and then he’s fine with it. Don’t ask. I have no idea.

Where did this recipe come from? This is just a variation of a recipe that I have been making for years.

photo from McCormick.com

1 Comment

Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

September 17, 2011 · 10:27 am

7-Up Biscuits

If you are looking for health food, then you need to stop reading right now because you aren’t going to find it here today. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a recipe for amazingly tasty biscuits, then you’ve come to the right place.

Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up
1/4 cup melted butter

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450.

Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough.

Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out.

Use the top of a glass to cut out biscuits.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan.

Place cut biscuits in pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

What did the family think? Holy cow. Put a little honey on them and they are even more heavenly if that’s even possible.

Where did this recipe come from? Plain Chicken

photo from Plain Chicken

3 Comments

Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

September 12, 2011 · 10:27 am

Tropical Coconut and Pineapple Smoothie

The day before school started last week we ventured out to our local science museum and ended up eating lunch there as well. Since our house has turned into a smoothie shop, my oldest made a beeline for their smoothies that were all lined up and packed in ice on the counter next to the stir-fry line. I am so glad I let him get it. Not only was it super tasty, but there was enough for all of us to share.

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 banana, sliced
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 T honey
1 cup vanilla yogurt

Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

What did the family think? Yum!

Where did this recipe come from? It was inspired by the coconut smoothie we had at our local science museum.

photo from Make and Takes

Crock Pot Ravioli Lasagna

So now that this thing called “school” has invaded our lives, our Tuesdays and Thursdays are a nightmare. School, violin, soccer…we don’t get home until almost 8:00pm. This recipe was a lifesaver yesterday and everyone liked it so much they had seconds.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken (browned and drained)
1 (28-ounce) jar prepared pasta sauce
25-30 frozen cheese or meat ravioli
2 cups Italian blend shredded cheese
2 tablespoons warm water

Instructions:
Use a 4-quart slow cooker. After browning the meat in a skillet, drain well and add the pasta sauce (save the jar!) to the meat in your saute pan. Stir to combine.

Scoop a large spoonful of meat sauce and spread into the bottom of an empty slow cooker. Add a layer of frozen ravioli. Then add another layer of meat sauce. Continue layering until you run out of ravioli and sauce. Sprinkle cheese evenly all over the top.

Put 2 tablespoons of water into the empty pasta sauce jar, and shake. Pour this water over the top of your “lasagna.”

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for about 4. Your lasagna is done when the ravioli is tender and the filling is heated through.

Did I change anything? I didn’t, but I think the next time I make it I am going to use Italian sausage instead of ground turkey.

What did the family think? Everyone had seconds! What’s not to like about ravioli lasagna? 🙂

Where did this recipe come from? Crockpot365

photo from Amazon.com

5 Comments

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

August 31, 2011 · 8:12 am

Tomatoes and Cottage Cheese

I know this isn’t really a recipe, but it is comfort food to me. Every time I make this I am taken back to my grandma’s kitchen…with her old yellow linoleum floors that slope ever so slightly, her butter churn in the corner that sits next to the potato box and the colander full of tomatoes fresh from the garden. This is the perfect way (in my opinion) to get through some of those garden tomatoes you don’t know what to do with.

Ingredients:
1 small tomato
About 1 cup cottage cheese
A dash of salt (optional)
A pinch of pepper (optional)

Instructions:
Chop tomato into bite-sized pieces. Mix with the remainder of the ingredients in a bowl. Enjoy!

What did the family think? I am the only one who eats this in my house.

Where did this recipe come from? I got it from my grandma and she probably got it from her grandma.

photo from Foods We Love

Blueberry Smoothie

MommaCooks it starting to turn into the the smoothie/breakfast blog…we’ve been making a lot of smoothies around here this week. The boys had this one for a before bed snack last night and for breakfast this morning.

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 single-serving containers yogurt (we used blueberry one time and orange passion fruit the next)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup oatmeal

Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

What did the family think? Yum. (Except for all the blueberry pieces that got stuck in their teeth.)

Where did this recipe come from? The boys wanted smoothies and the cupboard was getting bare. I threw in the oatmeal because Jaime Oliver has a smoothie recipe that includes oatmeal.

photo from CCRecipe

2 Comments

Filed under After School Snacks, Beverages, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

August 27, 2011 · 8:22 am

Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie

I have been working on finding some new, relatively quick and healthy breakfast recipes this past week since the school year will be starting in less than two weeks. It’s also important that they have some protein in them to keep my oldest’s belly full since I am pretty sure that he will be eating lunch pretty late this year. This recipe meets all of those criteria!

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons jelly/jam/preserves (we used blueberry)
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 banana, sliced
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons wheat germ (if you have it)

Instructions:
Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth.

What did the family think? Three of us tried it and we all liked it. My kids love PB & J so it was fun to be able to drink one and call it breakfast.

Where did this recipe come from? A local restaurant has these on their menu, so I have been wanting to make one at home for a while. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.

photo from The Feeding Family

1 Comment

Filed under After School Snacks, Beverages, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

August 25, 2011 · 8:44 am

Fruity Peanut Butter Breakfast Sushi

My oldest loves banana dogs and this is similar to that, but with a twist because you can call it sushi. 🙂 Your kids will love saying they’re having sushi for breakfast. This is also great because they’re getting fruit, grains and a protein all rolled into one tasty dish.

Ingredients:
1 slice of bread (crusts removed)
Peanut butter
1 banana (and some strawberries too if you have them)

Instructions:
Spread peanut butter on bread.

Place banana and thinly-sliced berries at one end of the bread.

Starting with the fruit side, roll into a tube, pressing gently.

Cut into about four pieces California Roll style.

What did the family think? Our oldest had this for breakfast yesterday with a fruity breakfast smoothie. He was a little skeptical at first, but it turned out he loved it.

Where did this recipe come from? Parents Magazine, November 2006, page 189

Photo by me