Category Archives: Easy

July 15, 2011 · 6:09 pm

Campfire Chocolate Bananas

We have been out in the woods for the past few days biking, hiking and beach combing. We had such a great time and on top of the traditional s’mores, we also tried out another sweet treat for around the campfire or the grill, whichever one works for you.

Ingredients:
Bananas
Chocolate chips or chocolate squares
Marshmallows (optional)
Aluminum Foil

Instructions:
Just slice open a fairly firm banana length-wise with the peel still on, making sure not to cut all the way through. Then stuff it with chocolate (and maybe some marshmallows) and wrap it in aluminum foil.

Place it on the grill (or in your campfire) as the coals die down.

You’ll know they’re ready to be eaten when the peel is black, the banana is soft and the chocolate is all melty. It won’t take long…3-5 minutes tops…if the coals are still hot. Cooking time will vary greatly depending on how hot your fire is. We just kept checking on it, pulling it out with tongs, checking, wrapping it back up and placing it back in the coals until it was ready.

Scoop into a bowl or just eat straight out of the banana peel.

Did I change anything? We didn’t add any marshmallows. We just used chocolate.

What did the family think? Only two of us tried it, but it was REALLY good. It would have been super, duper good with some vanilla ice cream on the side.

Where did this recipe come from? Slashfood

photo from Slashfood

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

July 13, 2011 · 8:44 am

Kicked Up Cole Slaw

I loved, loved, loved this cole slaw. It is still definitely cole slaw, with just a little more kick to it.

Ingredients:
1 bag of shredded slaw mix
2 carrots, shredded
1 red bell pepper, sliced very thin and cut in smaller pieces
2 green onions, sliced
2-3 ears grilled corn (kernels sliced off) or 1/2 cup frozen corn (defrosted) or canned
handful of chopped cilantro
1 cup chipotle or spicy ranch (I used Brianna’s Chipotle Cheddar dressing)
2 tablespoons mayo
a few splashes apple cider vinegar
fresh ground pepper

Instructions:
In large bowl combine ranch dressing, mayo, vinegar and black pepper.

Add vegetables (minus cilantro) and toss until fully dressed.

Refrigerate for 2 hours or until chilled. Toss in cilantro right before serving.

Did I change anything? I left out the carrots since there were carrots in the slaw mix I used. I also changed the original dressing. The creator of the recipe used Marie’s Chipotle Ranch, but I couldn’t find that.

What did the family think? I LOVED it! Hubby liked it, but wished I hadn’t put corn in it. The boys aren’t huge cole slaw fans…they have no idea what they’re missing.

Where did this recipe come from? Aggie’s Kitchen

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Salad, Side Dish, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

July 12, 2011 · 9:17 am

Radish, Tomato, Cucumber and Green Onion Salad

I am not a huge radish fan. Okay, I don’t really like them at all, but I LOVE them in this salad. This salad is cool and crunchy and perfect for a hot summer day.

Ingredients:
6 radishes, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium cucumber, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

We had this with marinated pork chops and some sliced strawberries.

Instructions:
Chop the radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers and green onions into small pieces.

Whisk together oil and vinegar. Put all chopped vegetables in a bowl and drizzle with oil and vinegar dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix until everything is combined.

What did the family think? Sadly, it wasn’t a huge hit. I was the only one who liked it and I didn’t just like it, I loved it. I will happily be eating all of the leftovers.

Where did this recipe come from? Melanie Cooks

Photo from Melanie Cooks

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Salad, Side Dish, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

July 10, 2011 · 10:03 am

Sugar Snap Pea Salad

If you don’t like raw red onions, then you can stop reading right now. If you do, then read on. You will love this easy little summer salad.

Ingredients:
3-4 handfuls sugar snap peas, chopped large*
1 red onion, chopped large*
1 lemon, juiced
few splashes white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

*When chopped, onions pieces and snap pea pieces should be about the same size.

Instructions:
Combine chopped vegetables in a bowl.

Pour lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil over vegetables and gently toss together.

Season well with salt and pepper.

Enjoy chilled.

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

What did the family think? I loved how crunchy it was. Hubby thought it was good, but wasn’t too sure about the red onions. I gave our boys just plain snap peas. Our oldest said he thought they tasted like the garden, which I thought was spot on. Our youngest took all the peas out of their pods and ate a few of the peas.

Where did this recipe come from? Aggie’s Kitchen

photo from Aggie’s Kitchen

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Filed under Easy, Salad, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

June 28, 2011 · 9:55 am

Cheesy Meatballs

I was going to try and make some meatballs that I found in a recent issue of Food Network magazine. I had all of the ingredients, I thought, but then realized I didn’t once I got started cooking. Then there were some ingredients I didn’t buy because I knew I didn’t want to use them in this particular recipe and then I forgot one of the ingredients because I was trying to talk on the phone and cook at the same time…that rarely works out well for me. So, I am not going to write the original recipe and then tell you what I changed, I am going to just write it as I made it. It will be easier that way.

Ingredients:
4 oz shredded mozzarella, divided
1 large shallot
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Dash of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb ground turkey, beef, pork or chicken (I used chicken.)
Cooking Spray

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, pulse 2 oz mozzarella, shallots, tomatoes, basil, parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper until blended.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and combine with ground chicken. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Form golfball-sized meatballs from mixture, tucking a little bit of shredded mozzarella into the middle of each one. (If you run out of mozzarella while you are doing this, no big deal.)

Place meatballs on a foil-lined baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray. (The foil is SUPER important. You will thank me when it’s time to clean up.)

Bake for about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Turn on broiler and cook for another 2-3 minutes just to get them a little brown on the top. (Watch them carefully.)

We had these with pasta.

Did I change anything? Yes, a lot. The only thing I didn’t mention at the top of this post is that the original recipe also called for frying them in oil before baking them. I skipped that step, too. Also, I changed the name of the recipe since they are clearly not what they started out to be.

What did the family think? Thumbs up!

Where did the original recipe come from? Food Network Magazine, March 2011, p. 114

photo from Food Network

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

June 27, 2011 · 8:53 am

Lemon Alfredo

This is a very kid-friendly dish, but the lemon zest gives it a more grown-up twist.

Ingredients:
1 shallot
1 T butter
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 egg yolk
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup grated pecorino
Salt and pepper, to taste
12 oz fettuccine

Instructions:
Cook fettuccine according to package directions.

Cook shallot in a skillet with butter over medium heat until golden.

In a bowl, whisk together cream, egg yolk and lemon zest.

Reduce heat to low and whisk into skillet with pecorino. Keep whisking until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss cooked fettuccine with sauce and top with more pecorino.

We had this with a green salad and some strawberries.

Did I change anything? The boys topped their pasta with a little Parmesan.

What did the family think? Thumbs up from everyone!

Where did this recipe come from? Food Network Magazine, March 2011, p. 89

photo from Food Network

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

June 20, 2011 · 9:45 am

Baked Salmon with Salsa

I often hear people say they don’t cook fish because they don’t know how, it’s intimidating, etc. Well, it doesn’t get any easier than this. If you are one of those people, this is a good place to start.

Ingredients:
1 lb. salmon
Peach, peach mango or peach pineapple salsa (I just bought some in a jar.)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a pan with cooking spray. Place the salmon (skin side down if it still has it) in the pan.

Pour the salsa over the salmon.

Cook for 15-20 minutes until done.

Did I change anything? No, but I wanted to share with you something I learned from the guy behind the fish counter yesterday. If you want your salmon to have less bones, get a cut closer to the tail than the collar.

What did the family think? Hubby and I were the only ones who had it and we both liked it.

Where did this recipe come from? Bad Girl’s Kitchen

photo from ediblecommunities.com

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

June 15, 2011 · 8:13 am

Warm Tortellini and Chicken Pesto Salad

This was SO good, but it had pesto in it, so it’s really not a surprise. Pesto is good with just about anything.

Ingredients:
1 small rotisserie chicken (about 2 cups of chicken)
1 pound tri-color tortellini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup pesto
1 pre-packaged bag of baby spinach (optional)

Instructions:
Cut the chicken off the bone into small chunks and set aside.

In a large pot of salted water boil the tortellini for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add chicken and pesto and saute until warm.

When the tortelleni is done, drain and transfer to the saute pan and stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low and divide baby spinach among 6 bowls. Top each pile of spinach with tortellini and serve warm.

Did I change anything? I left out the spinach. I just wasn’t sure how it would go over with pasta even though my kids eat spinach all the times in salads and such.

What did the family think? It was a huge hit! Our oldest even asked if he could have the leftovers in his lunch the next day.

Where did this recipe come from? Cooking with My Kid

photo from Cooking with My Kid

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

June 14, 2011 · 4:49 pm

Bada Bing Pork Chops

When I saw the name of these pork chops I had to make them. Who doesn’t want to eat something with the name “bada bing” in it? 🙂

Ingredients:
1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup hot pepper sauce
1 lime, juiced
6 bone-in pork chops

Instructions:
Mix together the Italian dressing, Worcestershire sauce, applesauce, hot pepper sauce, and lime juice in a bowl. Pour the marinade over the pork chops, and refrigerate in marinade for 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate.

Remove the chops from the marinade, and pour marinade into a saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil over medium heat, and allow to boil for about 1 minute.

Place the pork chops onto the preheated grill, and grill until well browned and no longer pink in the middle, about 6 minutes per side, basting the chops occasionally with the marinade. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160 degrees. Allow the marinade baste to cook completely onto the chops.

Did I change anything? No, but I wish I had let them marinade longer. I forgot that I was supposed to be marinating them until late in the afternoon…I probably got three or four hours in.

What did the family think? These were super duper tasty. We don’t eat porkchops that often, so I was impressed that our youngest ate them, especially since we were out of catsup.

Where did this recipe come from? Allrecipes.com

photo from allrecipes.com

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

June 12, 2011 · 11:12 am

Whole Roasted Chicken in a CrockPot

I have been making this for years. It not only tastes great, but it will make your house smell deelish and it looks like you put a lot of work into it (which you didn’t because it is super easy and it cooked by itself in the CrockPot all day while you were eating bonbons and watching Oprah reruns hard at work).

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large roasting chicken (with pop-up timer if possible)
1 cup chopped onion (optional)

Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine the spices.

Remove any giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken with water and pat dry.

Rub spice mixture onto the chicken.

Add chicken to CrockPot. No liquid is needed, the chicken will make its own juices.

Cook on low 4-8 hours.

Did I change anything? I never have all of these spices on hand all at the same time. It doesn’t matter. Just use the ones you have. Also, the original recipe calls for adding some sliced onions on the bottom of the CrockPot before adding the chicken. I have never done that, so I left it out.

What did the family think? Everyone always eats it, even our youngest, as long as there is ketchup involved.

Where did the recipe come from? Food.com

photo from Google

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