Category Archives: Definitely Making it Again

February 7, 2011 · 7:37 pm

Gnocchi with Sausage, Sundried Tomatoes and Basil

Heavens to Betsy this is SOOOO good, so simple and SOOOO easy!

Ingredients:
5 italian sausages
1 lb. gnocchi (found in the pasta aisle of most grocery stores)
Several large spoonfuls sundried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Olive oil
Salt, a pinch or two
Pepper, a pinch or two
2 T Parmesan

Instructions:
Cook sausages in olive oil over medium heat until done (or purchase the pre-cooked variety and brown them in a skillet.)

Meanwhile, heat a pan of water to boiling, add gnocchi and let simmer for five minutes. Drain. Set aside.

Slice sausages and add to gnocchi. Add sundried tomatoes, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, basil and parmesan.

Did I change anything? The only thing I did differently is that I served this with pasta sauce for certain members of my family that refuse to eat pasta without it. I ate it as written.

What did the family think? Love, love and more love! This is so good and everyone really liked it.

from half-assed kitchen

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian

· 9:20 am

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Chili

It’s definitely still the time of year for warm and cozy comfort foods…

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups prepared enchilada sauce
2 chopped celery stalks
2 (14.5 oz) cans olive oil and garlic diced tomatoes (or some other “flavor” if you can’t find those)
2 (15 oz) cans pinto or kidney beans, undrained
1 onion, diced (or 1 tablespoon dried, minced onion flakes)
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

Instructions:
Pour enchilada sauce and canned tomatoes into the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Add beans, celery, onion and spices. Stir to combine. Place chicken on top.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until flavors have combined. Shred chicken and stir back into slow cooker.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Did I change anything? I didn’t use as much onion, maybe half as much as the recipe called for and I left out the celery.

What did the family think? Hubby and I LOVED this! The boys aren’t huge enchilada fans, but they will pick out the chicken and eat that.

from A Year of Slow Cooking

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Mexican, Spicy, Stew/Soup, Super Easy to Make

February 6, 2011 · 8:40 pm

Black Beans with Lime and Cilantro

A quick little side dish that takes about three minutes to make.

Ingredients:
1 can black beans
Juice of one lime
1 green, red or yellow pepper, diced
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
Pinch or two of salt

Instructions:
Rinse and drain beans. Put in microwaveable bowl and heat in microwave for about two minutes.

Combine all ingredients. Stir and serve.

We had this tonight with fish tacos and Spanish rice with a side of avocado.

What did the family think? Hubby and I liked it. The boys aren’t big bean eaters.

from half-assed kitchen

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Mexican, Salad, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

February 1, 2011 · 8:51 am

Jessica Seinfeld’s Chicken Enchiladas

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure if these were going to have any flavor at all. I was pleasantly surprised when they turned out to be super tasty, but not so spicy that the boys wouldn’t eat them.

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (about 3/4 pound)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups sweet potato or carrot puree (I use baby food)
4 cup fat-free sour cream
1 cup shredded, reduced-fat (2%) cheddar cheese or part-skim mozzarella, divided
6 (9-inch) whole-grain or whole-wheat flour tortillas
2 cups mild tomato salsa

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Coat a 9 x 12-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with garlic powder and pepper. Cook the chicken 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

Off the heat, mix the sweet potato or carrot puree, sour cream, and half the cheese into the skillet.

Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture and roll up. Place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the salsa over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the cheese melts and the filling is hot, 35 to 40 minutes.

Did I change anything? The original recipes calls for adding a dollop of spinach puree to the top of each enchilada. I don’t have any spinach puree and I am not going to go through all the work of making it for a couple of dollops. The original recipes also calls for A LOT more pepper. I only used 1 tsp.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked them….hubby even had seconds. Our oldest liked his. Our youngest was just so-so about them.

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Mexican

January 31, 2011 · 2:14 pm

Salmon Salad

I bought about twice as much salmon as I actually needed to make dinner last night, so we had some leftovers. Turns out leftover salmon makes a pretty good lunch when it’s transformed into a little salad.

Ingredients:
(All ingredient measurements are approximations)
1 cup cold salmon, flaked
1/2 tsp. dried dill
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1 1/2 T mayo
Juice from 1/4 lemon

Instructions:
Mix first four ingredients, sprinkle with lemon juice and enjoy! I had mine on crackers.

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Fish, Lent, Salad, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

January 30, 2011 · 6:59 pm

Lemon Thyme Salmon

Super easy and tasty, too…

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces, skin removed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 lemons
24 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions:
Heat the broiler. Adjust oven rack to the second position from the top.

Rub the salmon with oil (1/2 tsp. per piece) and season with salt and pepper (1/8 tsp. salt & 3 turns on pepper mill per piece). Slice 2 of the lemons into 12 slices total.

On a sheet pan, arrange the lemon slices into 4 rows of 3. Top each row with 6 sprigs of thyme then with the salmon pieces. Broil until the salmon flakes easily, 8 to 10 minutes (depending on thickness).

Serve with the extra lemon, quartered, for squeezing.

We had this with French green beans with butter and lemon juice and a baguette.

Did I change anything? I think the cooking time on this is really going to vary depending on how thick your fish is, so just watch it to make sure it doesn’t get cooked for too long.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked this…so simple and perfect. The kids had fish sticks. Fish is something they really struggle with, but we are getting to the point where we need to just make them eat it. Fish is the only time I ever make them something besides what the hubby and I are eating.

from doitdelicious.com

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

January 25, 2011 · 9:45 pm

CrockPot BBQ Brisket Sandwiches

Your house will smell SO good all day long while this is cooking!

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons dark brown sugar, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb. brisket
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 (2 1/2-ounce) submarine rolls, halved
Red onion slices (optional)
Dill pickle slices (optional)

Instructions:
Combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar and pepper; rub over both sides of brisket.

Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, onion, and next 9 ingredients (onion through salt) in an electric slow cooker. Add brisket; turn to coat.

Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting for 1 hour. Reduce heat setting to low; cook for 7 hours.

Remove brisket; reserve sauce. Shred brisket with 2 forks. Return shredded brisket to cooker; stir into sauce. Spoon 1/2 cup brisket mixture onto bottom half of each roll; top with onion and pickles, if desired. Cover with tops of rolls.

We had this with cole slaw and dill pickles on the side.

Did I change anything? I only used 1/2 the onion.

What did the family think? After the children realized that they weren’t going to die from eating BBQ they ate it and I think it would be safe to say that they liked it. Hubby and I thought it was scrumptious.

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Sandwich

January 23, 2011 · 9:15 pm

Poached Cod with Pasta Sauce

This couldn’t get any easier…three ingredients!

Ingredients:
1 lb. cod
1 jar pasta sauce
Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions:
Simmer pasta sauce in a skillet; add cod fillets, cover and cook until just firm; top with parmesan.

We had this with green beans and a baguette.

Did I change anything? I didn’t actually use the whole jar of pasta sauce. I probably used about 3/4 of it though. Also, the cod filet I bought was pretty long, so I cut in half so that it would all fit in the pan and cook more evenly.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked this. The boys had fish sticks.

from Food Network

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Fish, Italian, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

January 21, 2011 · 10:24 pm

Italian Sausage, Mozzarella and Spinach Panini

I saw this on Cooking Light’s website; I just added some mozzarella cheese and some pasta sauce to jazz it up a bit.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
4 Italian sausage links, cut in half crosswise
4 cups baby spinach
4 (1 1/2-ounce) French bread rolls
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Pasta sauce

Instructions:
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium heat until hot. Add sausages, and cook 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

Remove sausage from skillet; carefully slice each piece in half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open the halves, laying sausage flat. Return sausage to skillet, placing cut sides down; cook 2 minutes or until sausage is done. Remove sausage from skillet; set aside, and keep warm. Add spinach to skillet; cover and cook 2 minutes or until wilted. Remove spinach from skillet; set aside, and keep warm.

Slice each French bread roll in half horizontally. Fill with one sausage, 1/4 of the spinach and 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese.

If you have a panini maker, use it. If not, heat a skillet over medium low heat and spray with cooking spray. Place sandwich in skillet and put a heavy skillet on top of it for a few minutes. Flip the sandwich over, place the skillet on top of it again and cook for a few minutes on that side until cheese is melted.

Serve with heated up pasta sauce in little bowls for dipping your sandwich into.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it. The spinach didn’t even bother the boys because they were too busy dipping their sandwiches in the pasta sauce. Yum!

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

January 19, 2011 · 6:05 pm

Santa Maria Chicken

Some friends from church had us over for dinner a few weeks ago and this chicken was so good I had to ask for the recipe. The kids liked it so much that is was almost embarrassing how much they ate. It is so easy, too…four ingredients…it doesn’t get much easier than that.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce

Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a Ziploc bag and marinate for at least four hours.

When you are ready to cook it, heat up grill to medium-high. Throw out marinade and cook chicken on grill until cooked through.

We had this will salad, bread and butter and corn.

What did the family think? Like I said before, the kids ate so much of this at their house that I was embarrassed. I was kind of worried that mine wouldn’t turn out right, but it did and they ate it right up.

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make