Category Archives: Easy

May 23, 2010 · 9:56 pm

Quesadilla Pie

This is a great dish because you can add just about any reasonable ingredient to it and it comes out fabulous.

Must-have Ingredients:
4 large flour tortillas
1/2 lb. shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend or Pepper Jack)

Possible Ingredients:
Beans, cooked (black, pinto)
Tomatoes, chopped
Onions (green, red, white, yellow)
Corn
Squash, chopped or shredded
Pork, chicken or beef-cooked and shredded
Rice (plain or Mexican) already cooked
Chiles
Cumin
Chili Powder
Cilantro

Garnishes:
Avocado
Salsa
Sour Cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter bottom and sides of a pie dish that is about the same size as your tortillas.

Place one tortilla on the bottom of the pie dish.

Next add 1/3 the ingredients that you have chosen to add to your quesadilla pie. (Note: all layers don’t have to be the same.) Make sure you put cheese in all of the layers though.

Place a tortilla on top of the first layer and add another 1/3 of the pie fillings. Top that layer with a tortilla, add more fillings and then place the last tortilla on top.

Spread a little butter on top of the last tortilla. Don’t skip this step. 🙂

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes. Then remove aluminum foil, turn oven up to 400 degrees and cook for another 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let the pie set for about ten minutes before you cut into it.

Did I change anything? One thing we always have with this is a concoction of salsa and sour cream mixed together that we use as a dip for these. Yummo!!!

What does the family think? Hubby and I really like these. The kids are inclined to eat anything that involves sour cream. 🙂

Recipe from Simply Recipes

2 Comments

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

May 21, 2010 · 10:42 pm

Caribbean Chicken Salad with Pina Colada Dressing

This is the perfect salad for a light summer dinner and it’s super easy.

Ingredients:
Dressing-
6 oz. pina colada yogurt
1 1/2 T. lime juice
1 tspn. Caribbean jerk seasoning

Salad-
4 cups lettuce (whichever variety you prefer)
6 oz. cooked chicken, cooked, cooled and chopped
15 oz. black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 c. mangoes, fresh, from a jar or frozen and thawed
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1/4 c. cashews (optional)

Directions:
Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.

Toss salad ingredients together.

Pour dressing over salad and serve.

Did I change anything? I didn’t put in as many onions. That was just too much onion for us. I also left out the cashews, but will definitely add them in next time.

What did the family think? It was a little too fruity for my hubby. I liked it though and the kids liked it, too. They just picked their way around the beans.

Recipe from www.recipezaar.com

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Easy, Everybody Ate It

May 10, 2010 · 10:53 pm

Cornbread-Coated Pork Chops

Lots of flavor-little effort…

Ingredients:
1/2 c. low-fat sour cream
4 pork loin chops
1 1/2c. cornbread stuffing mix
Black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Liberally spread sour cream over pork chops, coating all sides.

Next, dip pork chop in stuffing mix, coating all sides.

Place coated pork chops in a shallow baking dish.

Season with pepper.

Bake 45 minutes, uncovered, or until done.

What does the family think? These are SO good. I think my family will eat anything that has sour cream in it.

from the American Heart Association’s Quick and Easy Cookbook

1 Comment

Filed under Easy, Pork, Six Ingredients or Less

May 8, 2010 · 10:38 pm

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

The recipe calls for pastina, but you can use any little pasta you may have in your pantry.

Ingredients:
1 c. pastina
2 T olive oil
1/2 c. cubed chicken breasts
1/2 c. diced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
14.5 oz. can Italian diced tomatoes with juice
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated parmesan
1 T butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook pasta according to directions on the box. When pasta is done, drain and put in a large bowl.

In a large skillet, add olive oil and chicken and cook on medium high heat. After about three minutes add onions and garlic. Cook until chicken is done and onions are soft.

Put the chicken mixture in the bowl with the pasta.

Add the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese to the bowl. Stir to combine.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour the pasta mixture into the casserole dish.

In a small bowl mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture.

Dot the top of the casserole with small pats of butter.

Bake until the top is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

What did the family think? Hubby LOVED it. I thought it was okay. I really liked all of the cheese. Our child who loves pasta and doesn’t like chicken only ate the chicken and the other child ate it all up.

Adapted from a recipe at tarahsfoodreviews.wordpress.com

1 Comment

Filed under Chicken, Easy, Italian

April 30, 2010 · 5:44 am

BLT Rigatoni

This is a recipe from the lovely Rachel Ray. It is quick and easy and a nice twist on regular pasta.

Ingredients:
1/4 pancetta or bacon, cut into slivers
Olive Oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 c. dry white wine
4 ripe tomatoes, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 lb. penne, rigatoni or similar pasta
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
2 c. fresh spinach, chopped
3/4 c. fresh paremesan

Directions:
Cook pasta per the directions on the box.

In a medium skillet, cook pancetta for about six minutes. Put pancetta on paper towels to drain off oil.

In a medium saucepan, heat 3 tbspns. of olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened.

Add the wine and bring to a simmer.

Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and simmer over low heat, stirring, until sauce thickens a bit.

Divide cooked pasta into four bowls (or however many servings you need). Top each serving of pasta with the tomato mixture. Top each serving with the pancetta, basil and spinach, toss, drizzle with olive oil and top with parmesan.

Did I change anything? Yes, I took out the arugula and added spinach. I am not a big arugula fan.

What does the family think? They liked it! We are pasta eaters, so that’s not a huge surprise.

Leave a Comment

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

April 29, 2010 · 5:21 am

Easy Mexican Casserole

I found out about this easy recipe from my friend and fellow foodie, Candy.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey, beef or chicken
2 c. salsa
1 packet of taco seasoning
16 oz. can of chili beans, drained
3 c. tortilla chips, crushed
2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. green onion
1/2 c. chopped tomato
2 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese
Guacamole

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, thoroughly cook meat. Stir in salsa and taco seasoning and let simmer for a few minutes. Stir in beans and heat through.

Spray 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray.

Spread crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of the dish and cover with cooked meat mixture.

Spread sour cream on top.

Sprinkle green onions and tomato on top.

Top with cheddar cheese.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Did I change anything? I did change a few things from the original recipe. I left out the olives since we don’t do olives here. I also added the taco seasoning, which I think was Candy’s idea. I have also added a small can of corn before, too.

What does the family think? My hubby likes it, but I love this dish when it is served with guacamole. The guacamole makes this dish… or maybe it’s just guacamole makes everything taste better. 🙂 The kids aren’t too keen on it, but they will eat their required bites.

2 Comments

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Mexican

April 23, 2010 · 8:20 am

Penne with Blue Cheese, Pesto and Asparagus

I am ready and willing to try anything with pesto and I absolutely love blue cheese, so I knew this one was going to be a winner before I even tasted it.

Ingredients:
8 oz. penne
1/2 c. pesto
1/4 c. crumbled blue cheese
1/2 lb. frozen or fresh asparagus spears

Directions:
Cook pasta per the directions on the box.

Put pesto and blue cheese in a mixing bowl and mash them together with a fork.

During the last 3 minutes of the penne cooking time, add asparagus to pot and cook until bright green and crisp-tender. Drain penne and asparagus well in colander. Add to the bowl with the pesto and stir to coat them well.

Did I change anything? Yes. The original recipe called for walnuts. We didn’t have any walnuts so I didn’t make it that way. I am sure it is tasty either way.

What does the family think? The first time I made this I made it just the way it’s described above. My hubby said he felt like it needed some meat, so the next time I added a little shredded chicken in it and we have been eating it that way ever since. Either way it’s good. Our children are kid of purists when it comes to pasta…if it doesn’t have red sauce then it’s not pasta.

3 Comments

Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Italian, Six Ingredients or Less

April 21, 2010 · 5:57 am

Migas

A few years ago we took a Spring Break trip to San Antonio. While we were there I noticed that mijas was on the menu always and often. So when we got back home I looked it up and this is what I found. What’s so great about it is that there are so many different ways you can make it. This is how we have been making it lately:

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 T water
1 T chunky salsa
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
4 6in. corn tortillas
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 lb. chorizo
4 oz. can chopped green chilis
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
2 tspn. fresh cilantro
2/3 c. cheddar cheese
Sour cream

Directions:
In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs, water and salsa, and set aside.

In a small skillet, brown chorizo until thoroughly cooked.

Warm the butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the tortilla pieces and sauté until softened. Add the chopped onion and sauté until it is transparent. Stir in the chopped green chiles and cooked chorizo.

Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, and “scramble” until eggs are done. Remove the skillet from heat, and sprinkle the chopped tomato, cilantro and cheese into the eggs, again stirring well.

Garnish with avocado, additional salsa and sour cream.

Variations: You can put just about anything in migas and they will still be tasty, such as: green peppers, bacon, ham, diced potato, green onions and garlic.

What does the family think? Hubby and I really like this dish. The kids like scrambled eggs, but aren’t too keen about all the other stuff that’s in there. I think there are just too many flavors going on in there for them. Translation: It’s yummy! 🙂

Leave a Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Mexican

April 15, 2010 · 8:35 pm

Spinach Tortellini with Tomato Sauce

This is great pasta dish with a little twist…salami.

Ingredients:
2 T. olive oil
1 oz. salami, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28oz. can of San Marzano plum tomatoes, drained (save juice)
5-6 fresh basi leaves
Pinch of sugar
Salt and Pepper, to taste
8 oz. dry spinach tortellini

Directions:
Cook tortellini per the directions on the package.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the salami and garlic and cook for about one minute. Crush the tomatoes into the skillet using your hands. Let these simmer for about four to five minutes and then add the tomato juice, basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer for a few minutes and stir well.

Drain the tortellini and serve the sauce on top of the noodles. You may want to put the noodles in individual bowls for each person and then put the sauce on. We do that because some people in our house like more sauce than others. Enjoy!!!

This is great with a salad and a glass of wine. Have some parmesan cheese at the table to sprinkle on top.

Did I change anything? I didn’t really change much from the original recipe other than the type of pasta. I think I probably ended up adding more than 1 ounce of salami too. It just didn’t seem like enough.

What does the family think? We will eat pasta in any form, shape or size, especially if it has tomato sauce on top.

4 Comments

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

April 14, 2010 · 8:55 pm

Curried Chicken Salad

If you love chicken salad then you will love this one with a twist, unless you don’t like curry, of course. It is a good dish to fix in the summer when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen. It’s also a great dish to make ahead of time.

Ingredients:
2-3 already cooked boneless chicken breasts,
2 stalks of celery
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup real mayonnaise
1/4 c. onion, finely minced
1 tspn. curry powder
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Pita bread (at room temperature)
lettuce
tomatoes, sliced

Directions:
Shred chicken in a medium mixing bowl. Add celery, cilantro, mayo, onion, curry and garlic and mix well. This would be a good time to put it in the frig to chill unless you don’t have time then it’s okay to just go ahead and serve it.

Place lettuce in pita halves with slices of tomato and then add the chicken salad. Be careful not to add too much or the pita bread will break.

Next time: I have made this several times and this time it didn’t seem like there was enough curry in it. Next time I will taste it before I serve it to make sure that we can really taste the curry.

What did the family think? Hubby and I like this dish. The boys did NOT. Usually our older one will suffer through whatever I have put in front of him at the dinner table, but he just couldn’t do it. Our youngest went and got the salad dressing from the frig, tore open and ate the pita bread and poured salad dressing on the lettuce that was in the pita. At least he ate the lettuce. 🙂

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Salad