Category Archives: Easy

April 25, 2011 · 2:07 pm

Cream Cheese Scrambled Eggs

We pretty much only eat eggs that are scrambled around here. Occasionally I can sneak some hard-boiled eggs into the line-up, but that is rare. So, I have been toying with some variations on the scrambled egg. My mom used to always make scrambled eggs like this and I LOVED them…they aren’t super fancy, but they sure are good.

Ingredients:
Eggs
Cream Cheese

Instructions:
Scramble eggs in a skillet as you normally would. When eggs are just about done stir in about 1/2 tsp. of cream cheese per egg and stir until melted. You can always add more or less depending on your preferences.

What did the family think? YUM!

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

April 22, 2011 · 9:14 am

Springtime Lunchbox Wrap

My hubby takes his lunch to work about 99% of the time and since he doesn’t like to take leftovers, that really limits what can go in his lunchbox. He has probably been eating a turkey and cheese wrap practically every day for the past five years. He has been toying with some other options and was looking for a vegetarian alternative as well, so he came up with this and it is mighty good.

Ingredients:
Sandwich wrap, we have been using spelt…whole wheat would be good too
Hummus-any flavor, we have been using roasted red pepper
Lettuce or spinach leaves
Cucumber, sliced
Shredded Carrots

Instructions:
Spread the hummus on the wrap and then pile on the toppings making sure not to add too much so that you can actually roll it up.

What did the family think? Hubby and I have been having these for lunch all this week and they are so good. I think I also like them because they are light and “springy” and I love how different foods start making their way onto our plates as spring and summer arrive.

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Filed under Easy, Lent, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

April 21, 2011 · 7:47 am

West Caribbean Crock Pot Chicken

Liz, pianist and parent volunteer extraordinaire, was getting her kitchen remodeled and had to come up with some Crock Pot recipes because about the only thing functioning in her kitchen at any given time were the electrical outlets. This is one of her yummy creations…

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained
1 cup frozen chopped onions
1 cup frozen chopped green peppers (or frozen tri-color chopped bell peppers)
1/3 cup raisins
1 jar (8 oz) peanut satay sauce
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons diced garlic
1 can (15 oz) cut sweet potatoes, drained and sliced small (the plain kind, not the candied kind)

Ingredients:
Place cubed chicken breasts into 4-quart slow cooker. Add chickpeas, onions, peppers, and raisins.

In a large bowl, stir together satay sauce, chicken broth, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Pour into slow cooker and stir.

Cover and cook on HIGH setting for 3- 4 hours.

We had this served over couscous. Rice would work, too.

Stir in sweet potatoes. Cover and cook on LOW setting for an additional 1 hour.

Did I change anything? I didn’t have any garlic so I threw in some garlic powder instead.

What did the family think? This was really, really good. Hubby and I loved it. Our oldest was a little leery at first, but it turned out that he liked it. Our youngest protested the moment he saw it (which I knew he would) but quickly changed his tune when he realized that his brother was going to get to play video games after dinner with Dad and he wasn’t going to get to because he was still stuck at the dinner table.

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

April 20, 2011 · 11:25 am

Sausage Vesuvio

I rarely get pasta dishes at Italian restaurants because they usually seem like something I could probably make at home. When I go out to eat I like to order something I probably wouldn’t make myself. I saw this dish on the menu at The Macaroni Grill…the ingredients seemed to be all there, so I made it myself. Note: I have never actually eaten this dish at The Macaroni Grill, so I could be WAY off.

Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 T olive oil
2-3 Italian sausage links
15 oz. can roasted tomatoes
15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh spinach
3/4 lb. penne
Parmesan (garnish)

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.

Fill a medium pot with water and wait for it to come to a boil. Add sausage links and let them cook for about five minutes. Take them out of water and slice into coin-sized pieces.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.

Add garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add sausage pieces and saute until cooked through.

Add tomatoes, cannellini beans and spinach to skillet and cook until heated through and spinach is wilted.

Serve bean mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan.

What did the family think? Everyone liked it…the only thing that drew some complaints were the beans. So maybe next time I will make it without the beans?

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

April 19, 2011 · 9:00 am

Crock Pot Sour Cream Pork Chops

When LeeAnn over at Living the Dream posted this I thought it might be a good recipe for our family, especially during our busy baseball season…the slow cooker is my friend these days. My kids love egg noodles and they usually like just about anything that has sour cream in it, so I thought I would give it a try.

Ingredients:
6 pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 to 1/2 onion, sliced
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 to 1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
8 oz. egg noodles

Instructions:
Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then dredge in 1/2 cup flour. In a skillet over medium heat, lightly brown chops in a small amount of oil.

Place chops in slow cooker, and top with onion. Carefully pour broth into browing pan to deglaze. Pour broth over chops and add the wine. Cover, and cook on Low 7 to 8 hours.

After the chops have cooked, transfer chops to a plate. Be careful, the chops are so tender they will fall apart. In a small bowl, blend 2 tablespoons flour with the sour cream; whisk into meat juices.

Put chops back into slow cooker and turn to High for 15 to 30 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened.

While the pork chops are back in the slow cooker for the last 15-30 minutes, cook egg noodles according to package directions.

Serve pork chops and sauce over the egg noodles.

We had this with a banana and strawberry fruit salad and a green salad.

Did I change anything? The only thing I changed is that I only used four pork chops since I knew there was no way we were going to eat all six. I also thought some mushrooms might be good in this, but no one eats mushrooms in this house but me.

What did the family think? There was zero complaining at the table. Everyone liked it!

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

April 18, 2011 · 8:41 am

French Bread Pizza

This is just something I threw together because the boys seem to think that French Bread Pizza day in the school lunchroom is THE best thing ever. I wanted to show them what French Bread Pizza is supposed to look like because the ones they are serving at school look like charred bricks.

Ingredients:
Loaf of French bread
Italian seasoning (optional)
1 jar pizza or spaghetti sauce
Favorite Pizza toppings
Mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut bread in half so it looks like a hot dog bun. I then cut it into smaller rectangular pieces so that I could make individual pizzas.

I sauteed some Italian sausage and peppers together. While that was cooking I sprinkled Italian seasoning on each piece of bread and spread pizza sauce on top of that. I then topped some of the bread pieces with the Italian sausage/pepper mixture and cheese and then the others I just sprinkled with cheese.

We had this with strawberries and salad.

What did the family think? Well, I made the Italian sausage pizzas for me and hubby and the cheese ones for the boys, but when the boys saw the Italian sausage ones THOSE were the ones they wanted. Luckily, there was enough of those for everyone and everyone was happy.

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

April 14, 2011 · 4:04 pm

Crockpot Country (Hamburger) Lentil Soup

Hubby found this recipe and thought it would be good on baseball nights since when the boys have a game we don’t get home until pretty late. He was right…it was perfect after we got home from sitting through a pretty chilly baseball game…it was warm and it was ready to eat. This could also easily be made without the hamburger too if you are looking for a vegetarian option.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried lentils
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
8 ounces lean ground beef, turkey or chicken (browned)
3 ounces celery, thinly sliced (3 stalks)
3 ounces baby carrots, thinly slieced (good-sized handful)
1/2 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups broth (I used chicken broth.)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 -2 bay leaves

Instructions:
Brown ground beef.

Combine all ingredients in 4-5qt crock pot.

Cook on low at least 10 hours or high for 6 hours.

Remove bay leaves before serving.

What did the family think? The boys didn’t eat this since I fed them early because of the baseball game (and because I knew they wouldn’t like this…the only soup they like is miso soup and an occasional chicken noodle). Hubby and I liked it though and it was nice after sitting in the cold for two hours.

from food.com

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Filed under Easy, Lent, Make Ahead of Time, Stew/Soup, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

April 13, 2011 · 12:32 pm

Lemon Garlic Salmon

This is probably one of the best salmon dishes I have ever made…the salmon was moist and very flavorful.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
1 lemon

Instructions:
Season salmon fillets on both sides with lemon pepper.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Stir in garlic. Place salmon in pan.

Cook for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until fish flakes when tested with a fork. Flip fillets halfway through cooking to brown on both sides.

Sprinkle with lemon juice before serving.

Did I change anything? I completely forgot the lemon juice. I had the lemon…just forgot to use it.

What did the family think? There was high drama at dinner that night, but not over the salmon. The salmon was lovely, the 6-year old was not…apparently he felt that his fish sticks were “squished” and that his brother should trade with him because his brother’s fish sticks were not “squished”. I assure you that his fish sticks were totally fine and that he just needed to go to bed and sleep it off.

from allrecipes.com

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

April 12, 2011 · 8:44 am

Chocolate Glazed Pound Cake

Very little effort and you get a dessert that everyone loves and it looks like you’ve been in the kitchen all afternoon preparing it. (It only takes about three minutes.)

Ingredients:
6 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 stick butter, cut up
1 T honey
1 pound cake (we found one already made in our grocer’s bakery)

Instructions:
Microwave chopped bittersweet chocolate with butter and honey on 75 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Place a loaf of pound cake on a rack and drizzle with the glaze.

What did the family think? I am not sure which they enjoyed more…the finished product or the pool of chocolatey goodness that collected underneath the cake…lots of little fingers scooping up the extra chocolate.

from Food Network

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

April 11, 2011 · 7:40 am

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

My youngest said this was the best dinner I had made in a long, long, long, long, long, long time. Thank goodness because if you have been following MommaCooks you know that he has been impossible to feed lately. He wasn’t the only one who liked it either….it was a success all the way around.

Ingredients:
1-¼ pound Ground Chuck, Turkey or Chicken
1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
½ teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
½ cups Sour Cream
1-¼ cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
½ cups Sliced Green Onions (more or less to taste)
1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

We had this with a salad and some super yummy chocolate pound cake for dessert (that recipe will be popping up here on MommaCooks later on this week).

What did the family think? Everyone LOVED it! Hubby and I went back for seconds and our oldest even had thirds!

from The Pioneer Woman

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Super Easy to Make