Unfortunately I don't have any photos to share..... but, I do have recipes!
This past weekend, I stocked up on a few groceries and decided to throw together a couple more freezer meals while I had the stuff -- and the time.
Teriyaki Pork Chops
4-5 pork chops (I chose the boneless chops)
salt and pepper to taste
2 minced garlic cloves
2 tbs brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup chicken broth
Combine all ingredients in Ziploc. Freeze. Thaw the night before. Crockpot it for 4-5 hours high or 6-7 hours low. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.
(I took this same recipe and prepared a freezer meal with chicken as well. So - two meals with one recipe. We haven't tried this version of Teriyaki chicken yet.)
I dumped the bag in the crockpot on lunch and set it to low. Once home that evening, I whipped up some mashed potatoes and veggies and served the pork chops like I normally would. The juice was too runny for any sort of gravy.
The chops were super tender --- and full of flavor throughout. Em and I both enjoyed this recipe --- and will be making it again.
Beef Tips n Gravy
1 1/2 lbs of stew meat
1 pkt dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom
1 (14oz) can of beef broth
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in Ziploc. Freeze. Thaw the night before. Crockpot it 8-10 hours on low, 4-5 hours on high. Serve with/over mashed potatoes.
THIS RECIPE IS YUMM-O-LISCIOUS!! I was late getting it dumped into the crockpot...2pm... so worried that it wouldn't be done when I got home from work. I was right. Even though I set it on high, when I got home around 5 and checked it - the meat was done, but not tender. So, I went on with the evening taking care of other things around the house. At 7pm I checked it again - PERFECT! The meat chunks were tender and dinner was ready! I whipped up some mashed potatoes and heated a can of carrots and TA-DA! Dinner was served....and dinner was YUMMY!
This recipe ended up making a lot of gravy. Well, and a lot of food too. Em and I enjoyed it for dinner, then I savored it again for lunch the following day. I kept the remaining gravy and had it over mashed potatoes again the following night for dinner. So - next time, I may try it with 2 pkgs of stew meat instead of just one.
This is comfort food to a T! Em enjoyed it ... but I'm not sure she enjoyed it as much as I did. This will definitely be done again!
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
New Recipe - Steak Roll Ups
Em and I tried steak pinwheels (steak, cheese, spinach rolled together) a while back ... that Kroger had available in their deli. They were really good....but... really expensive. Almost $11...for 2. WOW.
So I've been rolling it around in my head, trying to figure out how to do these at home - cheaper, but just as yummy. I came across some thin sliced steaks the other day.... and thought they'd be the perfect size to try this. The cost of 6 thin sliced steaks...$3.
The next step was to figure out what kind of cheese was in the pinwheels. Last night when I was grocery shopping, I stopped by the meat case and there they were ... the $11 pinwheels. It would appear the cheese used is Parmesan. Interesting. From there I went to the cheese department -- to try and figure out if it was possible - financially sound - to purchase a chunk of Parmesan. It was.. less than $2.
The spinach --- I had purchased a box of mixed salad greens for salads and such ---- so I picked out the spinach leaves.
So --- for less than $6 I had all the ingredients to attempt this. Quite a bit cheaper!
So I've been rolling it around in my head, trying to figure out how to do these at home - cheaper, but just as yummy. I came across some thin sliced steaks the other day.... and thought they'd be the perfect size to try this. The cost of 6 thin sliced steaks...$3.
The next step was to figure out what kind of cheese was in the pinwheels. Last night when I was grocery shopping, I stopped by the meat case and there they were ... the $11 pinwheels. It would appear the cheese used is Parmesan. Interesting. From there I went to the cheese department -- to try and figure out if it was possible - financially sound - to purchase a chunk of Parmesan. It was.. less than $2.
The spinach --- I had purchased a box of mixed salad greens for salads and such ---- so I picked out the spinach leaves.
So --- for less than $6 I had all the ingredients to attempt this. Quite a bit cheaper!
Sliced the cheese. The actual cheese I used was Parmentino - a blend of parmesan and sharp cheddar. It's a good cheese -- strong, but good.
Layered the cheese slice on top of the meat, then a layer of spinach leaves. Rolled them up tight and pinned them shut with a toothpick. (Soaked the toothpicks in water beforehand) They aren't "pinwheels" ... so we named them "roll ups".
Covered them in foil and baked them for 15-20 minutes at 350degrees. Uncovered and turned the heat up for about 5 more minutes. Done!
Served with Parmesan couscous and a side salad of mixed greens. I think this is a pretty healthy meal --- and it turned out GREAT!!!
My take: Yum! I'm comfortable to experiment with this idea again.
Ems take: "Really good -- better than I thought it was going to be. Maybe even better than the other ones from Kroger."
Monday, February 16, 2015
New Recipe - Chicken Fajita
Chicken Fajitas
We've tried several different "recipes" for fajitas.... and haven't been pleased with any of them yet. Until now. This was a freezer meal .... and I was "snowed in" today... so I decided to crock pot it this afternoon/evening for dinner. Em isn't here to enjoy it with me --- but, that's her loss, I suppose.
The flavor was spot on with this recipe --- not to spicy, not too ....chemical tasting... We've experienced that before with the packet fajita seasonings. The chicken cooked up tender - as it does so perfectly in the crock pot. The only complaint I had --- the onions and bell peppers were a little... chewy, maybe? Their skin didn't "break down" so well .... so there was some chewing going on. Next time I'll see about cutting them differently. I chopped them in bigger pieces and strips because I figured they'd do better for fajitas. BUT --- I'll go smaller next time. I don't want to leave them out -- because, again, the flavor is good.
I wrapped these in wheat tortillas....sprinkled some shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. They were yum! And there's enough for lunch tomorrow. We will be enjoying this one again!
We've tried several different "recipes" for fajitas.... and haven't been pleased with any of them yet. Until now. This was a freezer meal .... and I was "snowed in" today... so I decided to crock pot it this afternoon/evening for dinner. Em isn't here to enjoy it with me --- but, that's her loss, I suppose.
The flavor was spot on with this recipe --- not to spicy, not too ....chemical tasting... We've experienced that before with the packet fajita seasonings. The chicken cooked up tender - as it does so perfectly in the crock pot. The only complaint I had --- the onions and bell peppers were a little... chewy, maybe? Their skin didn't "break down" so well .... so there was some chewing going on. Next time I'll see about cutting them differently. I chopped them in bigger pieces and strips because I figured they'd do better for fajitas. BUT --- I'll go smaller next time. I don't want to leave them out -- because, again, the flavor is good.
I wrapped these in wheat tortillas....sprinkled some shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. They were yum! And there's enough for lunch tomorrow. We will be enjoying this one again!
Thursday, February 12, 2015
New Recipes - Chicken Teriyaki and Honey Garlic Chicken
So this past week we tried two of our freezer meals --- Chicken Teriyaki and Honey Garlic Chicken.
The Chicken Teriyaki was really good. I dropped it in the crock pot on my lunch break and it was ready for dinner when I got home. We had this with plain white rice. It was my plan to pick up some broccoli - but forgot once I got home and settled. So - next time I'll make sure broccoli is on the list - it would've made a nice compliment to this meal.
Next was Honey Garlic Chicken. Same thing... I tossed this in the crock pot on lunch one day...and dinner was pretty much ready when I got home from work. The plan was to serve this meal with rice as well ----- but --- an odd thing....we were out of rice. Neither of us have any clue as to how this happened..... I don't recall using the last of the rice. And, we have a "rule" that whenever we're low or run out of something - we jot it down on a list....and.... well.... rice wasn't on the list. It disappeared somehow. But... I digress.... No rice... so we had to improvise a little. We had a little bit of mashed potato flakes remaining in the box...(no worries, they're on the list)... so I stirred them up and fixed up a quick box of mac n cheese. I know - carb overload - but, I was thrown off a bit with the disappearing rice....and...well... to be honest, I wasn't sure how this honey garlic chicken would turn out. But, I've got mac n cheese leftovers for lunch, so all is good.
This one turned out looking much prettier. And... it was good, too! Again, the sauce was really runny... Em and I agreed it needed to be thicker and saucier. There was a garlic-y twang too it --- almost a little too salty. We will have this one again....but I'm gonna check the recipe and if it calls for a pinch of salt or something along those lines, I'll adjust. Again the sauce was plentiful - so we'll add more chicken next time.
The Chicken Teriyaki was really good. I dropped it in the crock pot on my lunch break and it was ready for dinner when I got home. We had this with plain white rice. It was my plan to pick up some broccoli - but forgot once I got home and settled. So - next time I'll make sure broccoli is on the list - it would've made a nice compliment to this meal.
It's nothing pretty to look at -- but it was good. The chicken was nice and tender, the sauce was great --- although we agreed, it could be thicker and saucier. We both enjoyed this meal -- and will be fixing it again... next time adding more chicken to the bag (there was an excess of sauce).
Next was Honey Garlic Chicken. Same thing... I tossed this in the crock pot on lunch one day...and dinner was pretty much ready when I got home from work. The plan was to serve this meal with rice as well ----- but --- an odd thing....we were out of rice. Neither of us have any clue as to how this happened..... I don't recall using the last of the rice. And, we have a "rule" that whenever we're low or run out of something - we jot it down on a list....and.... well.... rice wasn't on the list. It disappeared somehow. But... I digress.... No rice... so we had to improvise a little. We had a little bit of mashed potato flakes remaining in the box...(no worries, they're on the list)... so I stirred them up and fixed up a quick box of mac n cheese. I know - carb overload - but, I was thrown off a bit with the disappearing rice....and...well... to be honest, I wasn't sure how this honey garlic chicken would turn out. But, I've got mac n cheese leftovers for lunch, so all is good.
I think this makes us down to only 2 more freezer meals remaining..... bbq chicken and fajita chicken. I'll be browsing pinterest soon to see what we'll put together for the next go around. This has been an easy way to cook .... throwing the bags in the crockpot mid day and having dinner ready after work. Perfect for my busy schedule right now!
Monday, February 9, 2015
2 New Recipes.... Cilantro Lime Chicken and Alfredo Chicken
This past week we tried two different freezer meals.... Cilantro Lime Chicken and Alfredo Chicken.
The Cilantro Lime Chicken was pretty good. We shredded the chicken a bit and wrapped it up, along with the beans and corn mixture, a little shredded cheese and some sour cream, in a tortilla and had....wraps/burritos/tacos of sort. There was a little leftover so I nibbled on it for lunch the following day. I think we'll be doing this one again. Em enjoyed and so did I. I didn't get photos to share....but will make sure I do next time.
The Alfredo Chicken was pretty good as well. I boiled some penne pasta noodles and mixed them with the crock-pot mixture once I got home from work. I added a big spoonful of sour cream, to help add to the creamy-ness --- the mixture looked to be more runny than creamy Alfredo. Topped it with Parmesan cheese and called it dinner. Emily liked and so did I. We'll probably do this freezer meal again, but probably use a different brand of Alfredo sauce....and I'll probably add a touch of salt to it.
The Cilantro Lime Chicken was pretty good. We shredded the chicken a bit and wrapped it up, along with the beans and corn mixture, a little shredded cheese and some sour cream, in a tortilla and had....wraps/burritos/tacos of sort. There was a little leftover so I nibbled on it for lunch the following day. I think we'll be doing this one again. Em enjoyed and so did I. I didn't get photos to share....but will make sure I do next time.
The Alfredo Chicken was pretty good as well. I boiled some penne pasta noodles and mixed them with the crock-pot mixture once I got home from work. I added a big spoonful of sour cream, to help add to the creamy-ness --- the mixture looked to be more runny than creamy Alfredo. Topped it with Parmesan cheese and called it dinner. Emily liked and so did I. We'll probably do this freezer meal again, but probably use a different brand of Alfredo sauce....and I'll probably add a touch of salt to it.
This recipe made plenty! There were plenty of leftovers.... so we may scale down the recipe next time around.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
January Twenty Fifteen Recap
So... I'm one month into Twenty Fifteen. What has been accomplished thus far? What's been going on? Let's see....
I started the year with big plans to try new recipes. I'd say things are going good with this. I prepared 7 freezer meals - all new recipes. So far we've tried two. We had orange chicken the other night and it wasn't very good. Tonight we tried Cilantro Lime Chicken. It was pretty good. I was a little unsure on how to eat this --- the recipe ended up making quite a bit of the corn, black bean, onion mix --- so, we weren't sure if we were supposed to eat this over rice or wrapped in a tortilla or what. What'd we do? We shredded it a bit and wrapped it up in a tortilla...with rice. It was good. We'll have it again. And, for the most part, I think it's a meal that's good for you. All fresh ingredients....veggies, and chicken.... Other than the freezer meals, we've tried a few other recipes -- kale chips, which are DE-LISH right out of the oven.... but the following day, they've lost their crisp and are a bit soggy. So -- that's a recipe we'll have again.... but with plans to have no leftovers - because they don't keep well. We also tried ranch pork chops and a few other chicken dishes. Those were all successes. We did have another FAIL - cheeseburger soup. It just wasn't as good as it appeared to be. So... trying new recipes is going well. I got my Pinterest board organized and that helped TREMENDOUSLY!! Em seems somewhat excited - and interested - that we're trying new recipes. I'm glad she's enjoying this new adventure.
My other big plan was to participate in a Reading Challenge that I came across. It's a total of 52 books - to read throughout the year. I chatted with my sis and with a friend of ours, Jen.... and we decided on New Years Eve to do this!! Jen created a facebook page for the challenge. .... and we've actually got a few other folks joining us on this challenge. How am I doing on it so far? I've completed 6 books. And I'm currently in the middle of 4 other ones. I'm impressed that I've been able to stick with this one. I enjoy reading but hardly ever have time, it seems. But - sticking to this challenge, I've had to get creative (audio books) and pay attention to my "free" time and utilize it the best I can.... reading when I'm waiting for class to start, etc... and I've made it a point to go to bed at a decent time so I'll have a few minutes to read before I drift off to sleep. I've found though, that audiobooks at bedtime doesn't work well. I fall asleep and the audiobook continues --- so I have to find my place again the next day.
I chose a "word" for the year --- REDUCE. How's that going? Well.... the ONE thing I wanted to really focus on reducing ...was my commute to work. Of course, when I chose my word -- I didn't make a huge deal about that focus .... because I didn't want folks I work with to know I was looking for something in Conway. BUT --- a great thing happened. A position became available in the Conway office -- and so I jumped on it. I started in the Conway office this week. I'm now driving 3 miles to work....instead of 30. REDUCE, I did!! This will in turn reduce my spending ... on gas...and on food. I'm close enough now to come home for lunch - which will eliminate the many days I ate out for lunch...which is expensive. What else have I reduced? I've reduced my soda intake....drinking water during the day at work and I figured out how to make tea, so Em and I have tea in the evenings with dinner. I've reduced my weight ... somehow.... maybe by watching what I eat?? I've reduced my food intake ... not going back for seconds as I used to, not fixing a big plate of food, etc. I've also reduced my "idle" time. I disconnected my cable tv... which also reduced my spending by $45 a month... but, I'm limited to 4-5 channels, so I don't spend my idle time watching hours of Food Network anymore. If nothing is on tv.... news, BigBang, SharkTank.... then Pandora music is on and I'm busy doing something else or all is quiet and I'm reading (textbooks and books for the reading challenge).
Oh...and one more "thing" I started for this year... was the 52 weeks savings plan. I've been able to stick with this so far. The only problem I have .... is that I don't carry cash on me. So, "saving" the money each week... tucking it away in my piggy bank... has been a bit of a chore, to go to the bank and get the cash... but... they don't call it a challenge for nothing, right?
Spring semester started....we're 3 weeks in. This semester I'm taking online Gender Studies, hybrid (part online and part lab in class) Biology, and also one evening a week of Criminal Justice. So far things are shaping up well. The Gender Studies class is super simple.... reading articles and participating in online discussions. The Criminal Justice class...is....well... so far... a JOKE. I'm not impressed. That's another story for another post. But, let's just say ...it's not stressful or taxing. And then we come to Biology... Ehhh Gads! I'm covered up with this class. The textbook reading is over my head, the online work (quizzes, powerpoints, lecture notes) are over my head....but I'm muddling through it. The labs in class on Saturday mornings aren't too bad. I'm not overly impressed with my teacher. But... we're only 3 weeks in --- maybe things will smooth out soon!
So... I'm feeling like this year is off to a good start. I'm organized... I'm paying attention to my spending...and my eating... and ready for a good productive year. I came across a quote the other day.... and it sums up my thoughts for this year. Happy Twenty Fifteen!!
I started the year with big plans to try new recipes. I'd say things are going good with this. I prepared 7 freezer meals - all new recipes. So far we've tried two. We had orange chicken the other night and it wasn't very good. Tonight we tried Cilantro Lime Chicken. It was pretty good. I was a little unsure on how to eat this --- the recipe ended up making quite a bit of the corn, black bean, onion mix --- so, we weren't sure if we were supposed to eat this over rice or wrapped in a tortilla or what. What'd we do? We shredded it a bit and wrapped it up in a tortilla...with rice. It was good. We'll have it again. And, for the most part, I think it's a meal that's good for you. All fresh ingredients....veggies, and chicken.... Other than the freezer meals, we've tried a few other recipes -- kale chips, which are DE-LISH right out of the oven.... but the following day, they've lost their crisp and are a bit soggy. So -- that's a recipe we'll have again.... but with plans to have no leftovers - because they don't keep well. We also tried ranch pork chops and a few other chicken dishes. Those were all successes. We did have another FAIL - cheeseburger soup. It just wasn't as good as it appeared to be. So... trying new recipes is going well. I got my Pinterest board organized and that helped TREMENDOUSLY!! Em seems somewhat excited - and interested - that we're trying new recipes. I'm glad she's enjoying this new adventure.
My other big plan was to participate in a Reading Challenge that I came across. It's a total of 52 books - to read throughout the year. I chatted with my sis and with a friend of ours, Jen.... and we decided on New Years Eve to do this!! Jen created a facebook page for the challenge. .... and we've actually got a few other folks joining us on this challenge. How am I doing on it so far? I've completed 6 books. And I'm currently in the middle of 4 other ones. I'm impressed that I've been able to stick with this one. I enjoy reading but hardly ever have time, it seems. But - sticking to this challenge, I've had to get creative (audio books) and pay attention to my "free" time and utilize it the best I can.... reading when I'm waiting for class to start, etc... and I've made it a point to go to bed at a decent time so I'll have a few minutes to read before I drift off to sleep. I've found though, that audiobooks at bedtime doesn't work well. I fall asleep and the audiobook continues --- so I have to find my place again the next day.
I chose a "word" for the year --- REDUCE. How's that going? Well.... the ONE thing I wanted to really focus on reducing ...was my commute to work. Of course, when I chose my word -- I didn't make a huge deal about that focus .... because I didn't want folks I work with to know I was looking for something in Conway. BUT --- a great thing happened. A position became available in the Conway office -- and so I jumped on it. I started in the Conway office this week. I'm now driving 3 miles to work....instead of 30. REDUCE, I did!! This will in turn reduce my spending ... on gas...and on food. I'm close enough now to come home for lunch - which will eliminate the many days I ate out for lunch...which is expensive. What else have I reduced? I've reduced my soda intake....drinking water during the day at work and I figured out how to make tea, so Em and I have tea in the evenings with dinner. I've reduced my weight ... somehow.... maybe by watching what I eat?? I've reduced my food intake ... not going back for seconds as I used to, not fixing a big plate of food, etc. I've also reduced my "idle" time. I disconnected my cable tv... which also reduced my spending by $45 a month... but, I'm limited to 4-5 channels, so I don't spend my idle time watching hours of Food Network anymore. If nothing is on tv.... news, BigBang, SharkTank.... then Pandora music is on and I'm busy doing something else or all is quiet and I'm reading (textbooks and books for the reading challenge).
Oh...and one more "thing" I started for this year... was the 52 weeks savings plan. I've been able to stick with this so far. The only problem I have .... is that I don't carry cash on me. So, "saving" the money each week... tucking it away in my piggy bank... has been a bit of a chore, to go to the bank and get the cash... but... they don't call it a challenge for nothing, right?
Spring semester started....we're 3 weeks in. This semester I'm taking online Gender Studies, hybrid (part online and part lab in class) Biology, and also one evening a week of Criminal Justice. So far things are shaping up well. The Gender Studies class is super simple.... reading articles and participating in online discussions. The Criminal Justice class...is....well... so far... a JOKE. I'm not impressed. That's another story for another post. But, let's just say ...it's not stressful or taxing. And then we come to Biology... Ehhh Gads! I'm covered up with this class. The textbook reading is over my head, the online work (quizzes, powerpoints, lecture notes) are over my head....but I'm muddling through it. The labs in class on Saturday mornings aren't too bad. I'm not overly impressed with my teacher. But... we're only 3 weeks in --- maybe things will smooth out soon!
So... I'm feeling like this year is off to a good start. I'm organized... I'm paying attention to my spending...and my eating... and ready for a good productive year. I came across a quote the other day.... and it sums up my thoughts for this year. Happy Twenty Fifteen!!
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Freezer Meal - Orange Chicken
Boiled some plain white rice and heated some frozen wonton appetizers in the oven. Dinner was served.
My take: ehhhh.... not so great. The "sauce" was more of a thin liquid than "sauce" as I was expecting. I'm not sure I liked the mix of orange and onions and such. The chicken was moist and tender and flavorful --- but not sure I liked the flavor. I don't think we'll be doing this one again.
Ems take: "a 2 out of 10". She wasn't impressed either.
Overall take: we're tossing this recipe and not planning on doing it again.
I hope the remaining 6 freezer meals are better!! Stay tuned to see!
New Recipe - Ranch Pork Chops
This one is simple! simple! SIMPLE!
Take a packet of dry ranch seasoning. Dump in a bowl. Sprinkle a dash of black pepper. Sprinkle a dash of paprika. Toss your pork chops in this dry mix. Once they're coated, bake in the oven til they're done. I used thin chops, so it didn't seem to take long at all.
Once they're done, we paired them with mashed potatoes and baked beans. Yummo!
Take a packet of dry ranch seasoning. Dump in a bowl. Sprinkle a dash of black pepper. Sprinkle a dash of paprika. Toss your pork chops in this dry mix. Once they're coated, bake in the oven til they're done. I used thin chops, so it didn't seem to take long at all.
Once they're done, we paired them with mashed potatoes and baked beans. Yummo!
We "grilled" them on a grill pan in the oven.... so they had the grill marks and all!
Bon Appetite!
Monday, January 26, 2015
New Recipe - OMG! Crock Pot Chicken
I came across this recipe on Pinterest...looked good, sounded good... so I thought I'd give it a try.
The recipe:
The recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 Can cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 Packet of dry Italian Dressing
- 1 Packet of dry Ranch Dressing
- 1 8oz pkg of Cream Cheese
Instructions
- Throw everything in the crockpot on low and cook 6-8 hours.
- After about 4 hours of cooking I usually stir everything together- but if you're not home it's no big deal.
- Just stir about 20 minutes before serving to really mix together the cream cheese and dressing packets.
So ---- seems I have to tweak almost every new recipe I try...
My tweak: I did only one package of dry Ranch dressing. The dry dressings are so strong to me --- so I couldn't imagine having both packages in there. And, well, I didn't have 2lbs of chicken --- maybe closer to 1lb.
Once it was done, I served it over white rice...making sure to add some "gravy" to my bowl.
My take: It was pretty yummy. I like chicken 'n rice meals --- this one was good.
There was enough leftover for Em and I to have it for dinner the next night.
Her take: She liked it.
We'll probably do this one again.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
New Recipe ...kinda... Lasagna Roll-Ups
Lasagna Roll-Ups
So, this wasn't necessarily a "new" recipe...more like a frequently used recipe done a different way. I've seen this on Pinterest several different times....and didn't really follow a specific recipe to tackle this dinner tonight. I felt certain I could use what I normally use and just roll it up, instead of stuffing like I do with the manicotti or shell pasta.
Here we go... I simply made this just as I would normally make stuffed manicotti or stuffed pasta shells...boil the noodles, stuff them with filling, top them with sauce and bake them....the stuffing I use is a base of Ricotta cheese, shredded Mozzarella cheese, and Italian spices... depending on what else I have on hand will alter the recipe a little. I typically stuff the manicotti or shells with the cheese mixture and top it with the spaghetti/meat sauce (a jar of Ragu and a pound of ground turkey). This time, before rolling the lasagna noodles, I did a layer of the cheese mixture and a small layer of meat mixture on top of each noodle, THEN rolled the lasagna noodles up. Placed each "roll" with the end down, topped it with more meat sauce and shredded Mozzarella cheese then popped it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes.
Ems take: too much noodle and the shells/manicotti usually have more cheese.
My take: not too bad. I do think it could use some more cheese ... rolled in the noodle and on top!
Final take: we'll do this again. It was simple...not to much different than the shells and manicotti.
One final thought on this.... I made 6 rolls. We added a side of green beans and garlic bread for a yummy meal! I have plenty left over for lunch tomorrow and even a little left over for dinner tomorrow night.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
New Recipe - Cheeseburger Soup
I came across this recipe on Pinterest....thought I'd try it - since it involved burger meat and not chicken like so many of my other recipes.... I had majority of the ingredients on hand, but I had to tweak it a little to fit what ingredients I did have. We contemplated back and forth a bit trying to decide what to eat this with -- cheese toast, bread, grilled cheese sammich, crackers, chips - but decided on plain ole Saltines.
Ingredients:
1lb ground beef, browned (I used ground turkey)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 can diced tomatoes (I used Rotel for a lil extra kick)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cups beef broth (I used 2 cans and a little water)
4 cups diced potatoes (I used a can of corn - didn't have potatoes on hand)
(and although the recipe doesn't call for it - I did a squirt (about tsp) of yellow mustard and a squirt (about two tsp) of ketchup --- you can't do "cheeseburger" without those two things!)
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
8oz cheddar cheese, shredded
Combine beef, onion, pepper, spices, tomatoes, broth and potatoes in crockpot.
Cook on low 8 hours.
30minutes before serving - combine flour and milk - whisk until no lumps, stir into soup.
**I didn't go the flour/milk route - I added about 1/2 cup of potato flakes as a thickener.
Add cheese, stir again.
**I didn't use shredded cheddar - I had a small chunk of Velvetta and a few cheddar cubes on hand, so I stirred them in until they melted.
Cover and cook until soup thickens.
My say:: ehhh... It was... ok. I wasn't too impressed.... and it may have been that I veered to far from the original recipe. Who knows? ..there was just something about it that wasn't so great... Definitely sounds better - and smells better - than it tasted. Maybe it was the mustard??
Ems say:: she didn't like it....although she ate two bowls of it! She said it needed LESS tomatoes and more onion.
Final say:: Tossing this recipe. We won't be doing this one again.
Ingredients:
1lb ground beef, browned (I used ground turkey)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 can diced tomatoes (I used Rotel for a lil extra kick)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cups beef broth (I used 2 cans and a little water)
4 cups diced potatoes (I used a can of corn - didn't have potatoes on hand)
(and although the recipe doesn't call for it - I did a squirt (about tsp) of yellow mustard and a squirt (about two tsp) of ketchup --- you can't do "cheeseburger" without those two things!)
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
8oz cheddar cheese, shredded
Combine beef, onion, pepper, spices, tomatoes, broth and potatoes in crockpot.
Cook on low 8 hours.
30minutes before serving - combine flour and milk - whisk until no lumps, stir into soup.
**I didn't go the flour/milk route - I added about 1/2 cup of potato flakes as a thickener.
Add cheese, stir again.
**I didn't use shredded cheddar - I had a small chunk of Velvetta and a few cheddar cubes on hand, so I stirred them in until they melted.
Cover and cook until soup thickens.
My say:: ehhh... It was... ok. I wasn't too impressed.... and it may have been that I veered to far from the original recipe. Who knows? ..there was just something about it that wasn't so great... Definitely sounds better - and smells better - than it tasted. Maybe it was the mustard??
Ems say:: she didn't like it....although she ate two bowls of it! She said it needed LESS tomatoes and more onion.
Final say:: Tossing this recipe. We won't be doing this one again.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Pinterest Project - Menu Board
While browsing on Pinterest, I came across this idea. Since I've been browsing recipes and one of my challenges this year is to try new recipes, then I've been trying to figure out how to do a "menu" for the week. I've tried doing a menu several times before --- but, it seems our schedule doesn't always allow for that... Maybe with the new year and the few things I'm doing with getting organized (with my recipes and freezer meals and such), then we can try the "menu" thing again. I think this way will be a little more...relaxed.... just jot down a general plan for the week.
This project was quick and easy --- mainly because I had all the materials on-hand.
1 8x10 frame, with glass
1 8x10 colored/designed paper - trimmed to fit the frame if it's larger
Stickers for the title and the days of the week --- or you can handwrite these.
Ribbon to hang... or some sort of way to hang. I chose ribbon tied to the frame hook and a Command Strip hanger -- jussst in case I want to move it from where I initially started.
You'll also need a dry erase marker. The one I have pictured is a wet erase...and will get a dry-erase when it dies.
I did my stickers for the titled and the days of the week on my paper. I drew lines with a black pen to give me the sections for each day. Once I got my page done, I just popped it in the frame. TaDa!
I tied the ribbon to the frame hook, allowing some to dangle behind for the marker and a loop up over the top to hang it.
Simple. And, well, I'm gonna tag this project to my "oneword365"
challenge --- because VERVE, again, is "creative enthusiasm". You can ask Em how silly I was when this project was completed. I saw it on Pinterest, gathered the stuff and within 40 minutes the project was done! It was such a quick and easy project....and so far I'm pleased with the results.
Now.... the challenge will be to actually USE it on a regular basis!!
Thursday, January 1, 2015
New Year, New Challenges! - NewRecipes
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