Category Archives: Easy

August 15, 2010 · 11:20 pm

Breakfast Casserole

Super yummy, should have just waited to make it on a cooler day or when we have air conditioning though…no we don’t have AC, but we are getting it this week. Yipppeeee!!!!

Ingredients:
8 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
6 slices of bread, ripped into cube-like pieces
2 cups milk
2 Italian sausage links, casings removed, cooked and crumbled
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

Instructions:
Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the milk and cheese. Add the bread and stir it in carefully so it doesn’t disintegrate. Add cooked sausage and spinach. Stir again. Butter a 13 x 9-inch casserole dish. Pour mix into casserole dish.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. Watch it those last ten minutes so that it doesn’t get too done on top.

Let cool for ten minutes before serving.

We had this with a simple salad and a baguette. (Yes, we eat a lot of baguettes around here.) 🙂

Did I change anything? I used leftover hamburger buns instead of bread. This is a great dish to add whatever you happen to have on hand. I could have added broccoli or corn or bacon or onions…The dish not only tasted great, but it was kind of pretty with the green spinach sprinkled in there.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it. Hubby and I had seconds. Oink! 🙂

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

August 9, 2010 · 9:57 pm

Chili-Rubbed Salmon

SO easy!!!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 T chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lb. salmon fillet
1 T olive oil

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the chili powder, oregano and salt. Pat the spices on the meat.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook about 8 minutes per side or until cooked through.

We had this with Broiled Broccoli, grapes and bread and butter.

What did the family think? Hubby and I both liked it. Hubby thought it would have been better with some sort of dipping sauce though. Aioli, maybe?

from Real Simple

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Filed under Easy, Fish, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less

July 28, 2010 · 10:40 pm

Fresh Blueberry Sauce

This is a very tasty and very versatile sauce and a great way to use some of those summer blueberries…

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of cinnamon

Instructions:
Wash blueberries, place in pan and crush them with the back of a spoon. Add sugar, lemon juice and salt to pan, mix well and bring blueberry mixture to a boil. Boil for one minute. Add vanilla and cinnamon, chill and serve over ice cream, waffles or pancakes.

What did the family think? Our oldest and I LOVE this is. It is so yummy and so easy to make. We first had it as a sample at our grocery store. Our favorite way to eat it is mixed with just a little bit of vanilla yogurt and then using a graham cracker to spoon it into our mouths. Summer goodness!

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

July 25, 2010 · 11:10 pm

Easy Italian Style Chicken

I can’t figure out my mom’s recipe for Italian Chicken, so this one will have to do until I give her a call…

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup butter

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine parmesan cheese and bread crumbs in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Dip chicken in eggs and then dredge through cheese/bread crumb mixture making sure chicken is thoroughly coated.

Place chicken on a greased baking sheet. (Make sure baking sheet has sides.)

Drizzle each piece of chicken with salad dressing and then top each piece of chicken with a pat of butter.

Bake for 45 minutes.

We had this with a baguette and a salad.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it. It got two thumbs up from our oldest and our youngest ate it with zero complaining.

from Southernfood.about.com

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Filed under Chicken, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Six Ingredients or Less

July 24, 2010 · 11:30 pm

Mango Lassi

A year or so ago, I had some leftover frozen mangoes in my freezer and I was trying to figure out what to do with them….

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen or fresh mango chunks
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 T sugar (more or less to taste)

Instructions:
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

What did the family think? I don’t know because I didn’t share with them. 🙂 Okay, I did let my hubby have a sip and he liked it and our oldest likes mango juice, so I am sure he would like this, too. I usually make these after the kids have gone to bed.

from bigoven.com

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

July 22, 2010 · 10:22 pm

Asian Grilled Salmon

I have been grilling salmon like mad around here the past few weeks…I don’t think I will ever eat it any other way.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. salmon, cut into two servings
2 T Dijon mustard
3 T soy sauce
6 T olive oil
1/2 tspn garlic, minced

Instructions:
Prepare grill by brushing the grilling rack with oil to prevent the salmon from sticking.

While the grill is heating up, whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle half of the marinade on the salmon and let it sit for about ten minutes.

Place the salmon skin side down on the grill and discard the marinade the salmon was sitting in. Grill for about five minutes, then use a wide spatula to flip the salmon over and cook for about another five minutes.

Transfer the salmon to a plate, skin side down, and drizzle the remaining marinade on the salmon. Let the salmon sit for ten minutes and serve.

We had this with a baguette, a salad and some fresh fruit.

What did the family think? I really liked it. Hubby thought it was good, but he also said this was not his favorite salmon dish that I have fixed lately. It might have helped it I had followed the recipe and only let the salmon sit in half of the marinade and saved the rest for later, but I didn’t pay attention and used ALL of the marinade for marinating. Whoops. Either way I thought it was good. The kids had shrimp for dinner, which they ate without any sort of fuss.

from Food Network

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Filed under Easy, Fish, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less

July 11, 2010 · 10:54 pm

Brown Sugar and Soy Grilled Salmon

Yes, we are eating a lot of salmon around here lately.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. salmon fillet
Lemon pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c water
1/4 c vegetable oil

Instructions:
Season salmon with lemon pepper and garlic powder.

In a small bowl mix together the remaining ingredients and stir until brown sugar has dissolved. Place fish in a large Ziploc bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, turn to coat and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Preheat grill to medium.

Lightly oil grill. Place salmon on the grill and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6-8 minutes on each side.

What does the family think? This was really yummy; hubby and I both really liked it. I have recently re-discovered my indoor grill and have been using it A LOT. I liked this salmon because it was kind of sweet, but then there was the saltiness of the soy. It was a good combo and it was super easy to make.

We had this with some salad, a baguette and some berries. Yum!

from allrecipes.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Fish, Lent

July 10, 2010 · 10:04 pm

Cinnamon and Cocoa Popcorn

I read an article somewhere on-line today about the top ten foods kids should be eating. Two of them were cocoa and cinnamon. It also said a good way to get your kids to eat these two things was to put it on their popcorn. So, after a post-dinner swim tonight, the boys decided to settle in and watch a movie and they requested popcorn. Perfect! I happened to have some cinnamon and cocoa on hand. I asked them which one they wanted. Our youngest said neither and the oldest said he wanted the cinnamon and cocoa combined.

Ingredients:
Popcorn
Cinnamon and/or cocoa
Large Ziploc baggie

Instructions:
Place popped popcorn in a large Ziploc baggie. Sprinkle with cinnamon and/or cocoa. Zip up the Ziploc and shake. Serve.

What did the family think? Like I said, our oldest tried the cinnamon and the cocoa together. He ate it for a while and then decided the cocoa tasted like coffee (which he doesn’t like). He said next time he wanted to try it with just cinnamon. That said, I think I put in too much cocoa. Next time I will start off with a little cinnamon and then add more if he says he wants more. I will do that with the cocoa too if I can get him to try it again. Sometimes less is more.

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Filed under After School Snacks, Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

July 8, 2010 · 10:35 pm

Banana Dogs

Banana dogs are not for the more gastronomically sophisticated people in your house…but they might be great for the ten and under crowd. I used to make these all the time when our oldest was younger and then just forgot about them. We brought them back this summer though and they are a hit all over again.

Ingredients:
Peanut butter
Jelly
Hot dog bun
Banana

Instructions:
Put peanut butter and jelly on a hot dog bun like you were making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Put a banana where the hot dog should be. Enjoy!

What does the family think? Our oldest has eaten these just about every morning of summer break for breakfast. He also likes them for lunch, but only if he didn’t already eat one for breakfast. 🙂

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less

June 27, 2010 · 9:25 pm

Salmon with Fresh Veggies

Using parchment paper is a great way to cook fish without too much mess.

Ingredients:
(2) 4oz. salmon filets
1 zucchini, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
(You can use different veggies, this is just what I used.)
Olive Oil
Lemon, sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Butter
Parchment Paper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rip off 2 large pieces of parchment paper and place one piece of fish towards the end of each piece of paper. Place one slice of lemon on top of each piece of fish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with veggies. (You may have a few veggies left over.) Lastly, top with a few small dollops of butter.

Wrap the parchment paper so it forms a packet. Don’t wrap it too tightly though, you want enough room for the hot air to move around.

Place packets on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Be careful of the steam when opening the packets after baking.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked the fish cooked this way. I like the way the veggies came out too. It was almost like they were steamed.

from Cookie Magazine

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Filed under Easy, Fish, Lent