Category Archives: Super Easy to Make

February 13, 2011 · 8:14 pm

Roasted Lemon Garlic Broccoli

I had no doubts that our youngest child would go running for the hills when he saw broccoli on his plate, but it was still good and he still ate it.

Ingredients:
2 heads broccoli, separated into florets
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss broccoli florets with the extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper and garlic. Spread the broccoli out in an even layer on a baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven until florets are tender enough to pierce the stems with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and transfer to a serving platter.

Squeeze lemon juice liberally over the broccoli before serving for a refreshing, tangy finish.

We had this with salmon and a baguette.

Did I change anything? I drizzled a little extra olive oil over the broccoli after I put it on the baking sheet, but before I put it in the oven

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked it. The kids ate it, but broccoli is definitely not their favorite. Our youngest told me he would give me all of his allowance for the next 40 million years if I never made broccoli again.

from allrecipes

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

February 7, 2011 · 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

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 29, 2011 · 9:54 am

Italian Sloppy Joes

Hubby said this tasted like pizza on a bun.

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Hamburgers buns

Instructions:
Add onions, green pepper and Italian sausage to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until sausage is cooked through. Add spaghetti sauce and cook until heated through.

Serve in hamburger buns.

We had this with carrot sticks and fruit salad.

What did the family think? I was surprised the kiddos didn’t like it more since it did taste like pizza on a bun and they like pizza. I think it was the green peppers that put them off. Oh well, hubby and I liked it.

from Food Network

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

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 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

· 9:15 am

Super Easy Crock Pot French Dip Sammies

My very dear friend, Candy, posted this on Facebook not too long ago and I thought I would give it a try. I had a feeling the boys would like it and I like anything that’s easy that involves provolone cheese.

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs beef brisket (use more or less depending on your family’s appetite)
1 can beef broth
1 packet of Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix
yellow or white onion, cut in wedges (totally optional–the flavor of the beef comes out just as good without this)
Italian Seasoning (totally optional, again)
Sliced bread, hoagie rolls, or other “bun” of choice
Provolone cheese (totally optional, again)

Instructions:
Spray inside of crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.

Take the Italian Seasoning (if you are using it) and sprinkle on all sides of the beef.

Place beef (fat side down) in crock pot.

Add onions, if you are using them.

Mix beef broth and soup mix by whisking a few times in a bowl.

Pour the combined beef broth/soup mix into crockpot with beef (& onions).

Cook on LOW setting for 8 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. (This is much better when cooked SLOW and long rather than on high and for shorter amount of time, but I have done both. If you’re in a pinch for time, then go with the HIGH setting if you must!)

Once beef is done, simply slice or shred up, place in bread or bun of choice, top with cheese (we have also used shredded cheddar and have omitted cheese completely and it’s been fine!).

Ladle out au jus sauce from crock pot and put in a small bowl for each person.
Dip sandwich to your liking, eat, and enjoy!

Did I change anything? I left out the onions and I couldn’t find the exact right flavor of Lipton soup mix at the grocery store, so I used Beef and Mushroom instead.

What did the family think? Hubby was out of town, so he missed out. Our oldest loved it and so did I. Our youngest really liked it too, but he decided to dip his in catsup instead of au jus.

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

January 3, 2011 · 9:30 pm

Cake Mix Cookies

I was looking for a recipe for easy cookies…yep, doesn’t get much easier than these.

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package vanilla flavored cake mix
2 egg yolks
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat egg yolks and margarine together until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add cake mix while beating with an electric mixer. Mixture should be stiff. If it is sticky to the touch, refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Form teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls, and dip tops in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes for soft cookies, and for 13 minutes for crispy cookies.

Did I change anything? I didn’t this time, but I got to thinking that if you can use vanilla cake mix, why couldn’t you use chocolate cake mix or carrot cake mix or whatever cake mix you wanted to use? I bet these would be SUPER tasty with chocolate cake mix.

What did the family think? We had these as our New Year’s Eve dinner dessert with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. It makes quite a few, so we are still eating them along with the leftover ice cream. Everybody loves them!

from allrecipes.com

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