Category Archives: Super Easy to Make

December 6, 2011 · 11:15 am

Creole Salmon

A little bit spicy, but it can definitely be tweaked so it’s not so spicy.

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons creole seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (I used dried.)

Instructions:
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first three ingredients. Add salmon; shake to coat.

Place salmon on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Broil 6 in. from the heat for 10-14 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Sprinkle with parsley.

Did I change anything? I left out the ground pepper that was in the original recipe.

What did the family think? Hubby and I liked it and it was a good departure from how I have been making salmon lately.

Where did this recipe come from? Taste of Home

Photo from Taste of Home

Leave a Comment

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

November 30, 2011 · 8:54 am

Waffle Iron French Toast

Not only does this turn out amazing, but it so much easier to make it this way. We had this for dinner last night with eggs, bacon and fruit salad and it was a HUGE hit! I made extra so we would have some for breakfast the next day, too. If you are wondering what kind of bread to use, I ended up using some cinnamon bread I had purchased that turned out to be kind of dry and no one would eat it, but it was the perfect bread for this recipe since it already had a little cinnamon in it.

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoons brown sugar
10-12 slices bread

Instructions:
Preheat the waffle iron and spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, then add the remaining ingredients and whisk until mixed.

Dip 1 slice of bread into mixture, covering both sides. Place in the waffle maker.

Repeat with whatever number of slices will fit in the waffle iron.

Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Did I change anything? I reduced the amount of brown sugar. The original recipe called for 2 T.

What did the family think? Thumbs up…way up! They asked for seconds and then went back for thirds. We had it for breakfast this morning, too.

Where did this recipe come from? Group Recipes

Leave a Comment

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

November 18, 2011 · 8:41 am

CrockPot Hawaiian Pulled Pork

Go ahead and read this recipe, write down the ingredients and then go to the store. This is your dinner for tonight. This is seriously SO good! I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today. Yum!

Ingredients:
1 Pork Tender Roast (appx 4-5 lbs)
1 can crushed pineapple (in 100% juice)
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/2 onion sauteed then added to the crock pot
Jarred jalepeno slices (I only used five, I wish I would have used more.)
Hamburger buns (I used Hawaiian bread sandwich buns…potato buns would be good too)
Mozzarella cheese slices

Cook everything but the buns and the cheese in crock pot on high 4-6 hours.

Serve on buns with mozzarella slices.

We had this with fresh pineapple and kettle chips.

Did I change anything? I reduced the amount of sugar and onions from the original recipe. The recipe above is how I made it.

What did the family think? 3/4 of us thought it was deeelish.

Where did this recipe come from? Nicole Arnold at CrockPot Girls

Leave a Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Pork, Sandwich, Super Easy to Make

November 9, 2011 · 12:33 pm

Meatball Sandwich

I realize this is more of a dinner idea than a dinner recipe, but it was quick and easy and was perfect last night when I only had about 35 minutes to make dinner and get it on the table before I had to zip out the door to go to a meeting.

Ingredients:
Hoagie/hot dog or sub sandwich-type buns
Frozen Meatballs
1 jar pasta sauce
Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions:
Thaw frozen meatballs in the microwave.

While those are defrosting heat pasta sauce in a medium sauce pan until it begins to simmer and then turn down to low.

Put warmed up meatballs in the sauce and let them simmer for a few minutes.

Spoon meatballs and sauce into bun and sprinkle with cheese. (If meatballs are too big, you may need to cut them in half.)

Top with a sprinkle or two or three of cheese.

We had this with fruit salad and a green salad.

What did the family think? They loved it and I sent leftovers in lunches today.

Where did this recipe come from? Desperation on my part for a quick meal that everyone would eat.

Leave a Comment

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

November 4, 2011 · 1:53 pm

The Best Homemade Sloppy Joes I’ve Ever Made

I have several homemade sloppy joe recipes on Mommacooks, but this is the best one by far. Our youngest was telling me the other day how much he loves sloppy joes and we were reminiscing about how when he was toddler he could down a whole entire sloppy joe and how cute it was…yada, yada, yada. Fast forward to last night when I actually made the sloppy joes. Turns out he doesn’t like them. Why didn’t I see that coming?

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 ½ pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2/3 cup BBQ sauce
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
8 to 12 potato rolls (These are my absolute favorite kind of roll/bun.)
Cheddar cheese slices, optional

Instructions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until it is finely crumbled, the liquid boils off and the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

Drain the grease off the meat and onions.

Stir in the tomato paste, and keep stirring until the meat is coated. Add the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Did I change anything? I only made 1/2 the recipe which was a mistake. We wanted seconds and there weren’t any. I also added cheddar cheese onto the recipe. I like cheese on my sloppy joe.

What did the family think? Everyone (but the person who was telling me how much they loved sloppy joes last weekend) loved this recipe and was ready for seconds.

Where did this recipe come from? Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Photo from LiveCookLove

1 Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Sandwich, Super Easy to Make

October 24, 2011 · 11:33 am

Waffle Iron Eggs

My husband sent me a link the other day explaining how to make waffle iron eggs. I thought I would humor him and give it a try and I am SO glad that I did. First of all, they’re fun. Eggs shaped like a waffle? What’s not fun about that? Also, for some reason, when eggs come out of a waffle iron, they can be eaten as a finger food which is great if you have little ones.

Ingredients:
5 eggs, scrambled
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional
Cooking spray

Instructions:
Heat up your waffle iron.

While that is heating up, scramble the eggs and put in the cheese.

When the waffle iron is ready, spray liberally with cooking spray.

Pour eggs in the waffle iron, close the lid and wait. Check on them after about a minute. Continue to check on them until they are as done as you want them. Be careful though, eggs in a waffle iron create a lot of hot steam.

I used a pair of cooking tongs and a spatula to slide the eggs out of the waffle iron.

What did the family think? Thumbs up from everyone, even the youngest who isn’t a huge egg fan.

Where did this recipe come from? adapted from a recipe from The Novice Chef

(I know this picture is terrible, but it’s all I’ve got. Trust me, they are yummy.)

1 Comment

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

October 19, 2011 · 11:23 am

Goat Cheese, Meatball and Sun-dried Tomato Panini

This is what happens when you are super hungry and all you have are interesting tidbits of things in your frig to eat. Everything in this panini was leftover from some other recipe I’d made, but together they were yummy and perfect.

Ingredients:
2 slices bread
2 meatballs, cut in half
2 sun-dried tomatoes
Goat cheese, the soft spreadable kind

Instructions:
Make a sandwich out of the above ingredients. If you have a panini maker, use it. If not, heat a skillet over medium low heat and spray with cooking spray. Place sandwich in skillet and put a heavy skillet on top of it for a few minutes. Flip the sandwich over, place the skillet on top of it again and cook for a few minutes on that side.

What did the family think? I was the only one who ate this and I would make another one right now, but I am out of meatballs.

Where did this recipe come from? Me

Photo from Appliancist

Leave a Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Italian, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

October 12, 2011 · 12:22 pm

Tuscan Pasta with Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce

This could have easily come from a restaurant. It was so good and so different than the pasta dishes I usually make. Everyone loved it and we even had enough left over for the boys to take it in their lunch boxes to school too.

Ingredients:
1 (20-oz.) package refrigerated four-cheese ravioli (or whatever kind you like)
1 (16-oz.) jar sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce (I found some by Classico)
2 tablespoons white wine
15 oz. can diced tomatoes, throughly drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, pour Alfredo sauce into a medium saucepan. Pour wine into sauce jar; cover tightly, and shake well. Stir wine mixture into saucepan.

Stir in tomatoes and basil and cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Toss with pasta, and top evenly with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

What did the family think? Thumbs up from everyone!

Where did this recipe come from? My Recipes

Leave a Comment

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

October 10, 2011 · 8:46 am

Pesto Salmon

I bought some salmon at the store yesterday, but I didn’t have any really big plans for it until I remembered that I had some leftover pesto in the frig…

Ingredients:
1 lb. salmon
2-3 T pesto
cooking spray

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Coat glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Place salmon, skin side down, in the baking dish.

Spread pesto on salmon.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes (depending on how thick the salmon is).

What did the family think? The boys don’t normally eat salmon, but hubby and I thought it was fantastic.

Where did this recipe come from? Me

photo from Cook Everyday

1 Comment

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

September 26, 2011 · 9:02 am

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars

There’s oatmeal in them, so they’re healthy, right? 🙂

Ingredients:
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup rolled oat

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle position.

Melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl.

Add the brown and white sugars and let cool a bit.

Add egg, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.

Add flour and wheat germ and mix. Then add the chocolate chips and oats and mix everything up. The dough will be quite stiff.

With a spatula spread dough evenly into a greased 8×8 baking pan or a similar sized pie dish.

Bake at 350 for 25– 30 minutes.

Cut into bars when cool.

Did I change anything? I added the wheat germ and I would have put in a lot less sugar had I thought about it before I dumped it all in there.

What did the family think? It has sugar, butter and chocolate. Enough said.

Where did this recipe come from? Food.com

Leave a Comment

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