Chili

This is a tried and true favorite that I've created using mom's recipe and adding some of my own things.

Chili

Ingredients:

1 lbs. ground beef
2 can chili beans (I use Brook's mild)
1 can pinto beans, drained/rinsed
1 pkg Williams chili seasoning (the one for 2lbs. meat)
1 can diced tomatoes
tomato juice

Brown and drain ground beef. Add all ingredients except tomato juice to a big pot and mix together. Add enough tomato juice to your desired consistancy. Heat and eat. This is best if you make ahead and let sit before heating.

We served this with raw carrots & celery, crackers, mandarin oranges & cinnamon rolls

Apple Cake

I found this at Thrifty & Chic Mom's blog.

Apple Cake

Ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 cup oil

2 cups flour

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t salt

4-6 apples, peeled cored and diced

Mix together beaten eggs, oil and sugar. In a seperate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, mix well. Add egg mixture into flour mixture and mix well. Add apples to mixture, stir to combine. Spray 13x9 pan and spread mixture out evenly in pan. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. I sprinkled powdered sugar on top after baking, yum!

Our Review: This cake is FABULOUS! It smells wonderful while cooking and turns out really moist with the apples in it. Everyone loved this one...it definately will be put in our recipe box and used again and again!

Baked Dijon Talapia

I found this recipe at Postcards from Insanity.

Baked Dijon Talapia

Ingredients:

4-5 Talapia fillets

3 T oil (recipe called for olive but I used vegetable)

2 T Dijon mustard

1 T lemon juice

2 t Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup bread crumbs or crushed crutons

Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Place fillets in dish and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together the oil, mustard, lemon juice and worcestershire sauce in small bowl. Spoon and spread mixture on fillets. Sprinkle bread crumbs over each fillet. Bake at 450 for 12-15 min.

We served this with butter & herb rice, green beans and apple cake.

This is a horrible picture of the fish but I've been asked (mom) to put pictures on.

Our Review: This was the first ever fish recipe I have tried. Besides fish sticks and tuna my family really didn't eat fish. This was VERY good! Not too fishy tasting, very tasty and easy. Mike, I and Brooke really like this, it will be going in our recipe box and being used again!

Chicken Manicotti

I found this recipe on another blog.

Chicken Manicotti

Ingredients:

1 can/jar spaghetti sauce
1 t garlic salt
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up or shredded
8 oz ricotta cheese
14 uncooked manicotti shells
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Spread 1/3 of spaghetti sauce on bottom of 13x9 pan. Mix ricotta cheese with chicken and sprinkle on the garlic salt. Insert chicken mixture into uncooked manicotti shells, stuffing from both ends if necessary. Place filled shells on spaghetti sauce. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over filled shells, covering completely. Sprinkle on shredded cheese. Bake covered at 350 for 1 hour. NOTE: Mine (below) is kinda crispy on the top because I forgot to cover when baking until it was about halfway thru the time.

We served this with a big fresh salad, buttered toast and peaches

Our Review: This was not one of the better recipes. Edible but not great. I think I prefer my manicotti meatless or with beef. To me the chicken just tasted funny in it.

Chicken 'n Noodles

This is a tried and true recipe from Mom. Yummy Yummy!!!

Chicken 'n Noodles

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen chicken thighs
2 pkgs (24 oz) Reams noodles
6-7 chicken bullion cubes

Cover chicken with water in stock pot. Boil until chicken is falling off of bones, remove chicken and set aside to cool. Reserve the water (chicken stock). Debone chicken and place back into the chicken stock. Add in 6-7 bullion cubes and Reames noodles. Cook for about 30 minutes.

This was served with mashed potatoes, corn, mandarin oranges

Weekly Menu

I'll post recipes and pictures after I have made new or noteworthy meals.

Not all of my dinners will be gourmet, who am I kidding, none of them will!! I will admit I use a lot of prepackaged foods but I'm a busy mom! I might not always get to every one of the meals if we have a hectic week and end up at Sonic or another fine eating establishment but this is my attempt at trying to try out some of the great new recipes I have been pulling from random places!

This week...

Chili, raw carrots & celery, man. oranges, cinnamon rolls

Waffles, bacon, eggs, grapes

Chicken Manicotti, toast, salad, peaches

Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup, crescent rolls, pears, strawberry cake

Baked Talapia, green beans, butter & herb rice, apple cake

Mexican Casserole

Mexican Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
2 cups salsa
16 oz can of chili beans, drained
3 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup chopped tomato
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Cook and drain beef. Stir in salsa, reduce heat and simmer for 20 min. or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in beans and heat through. Spray 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Spred crushed tortilla chips in pan and spoon beef mixture over chips. Spread sour cream on top of beef. Sprinkle tomatoes over sour cream. Top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

Our Review: Mike and I both REALLY like this one! The girls...not so much. I will put this one in the recipe box and make it again and fix something else for the girls!

Ritz Chicken Casserole

Ritz Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

2 sleeves Ritz crackers (I used generic reduced fat)
1 can cream of chicken soup (I used 98% fat free)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked & shredded/cubed
4 oz. margarine, melted

Crumble 1 sleeve of crackers in bottom of 13x9 pan. Drizzle 1/2 of butter on crackers. Mix chicken with soup, sour cream and broth. Pour mixture over crackers. Crush other sleeve of crackers over mixture. Drizzle remaining butter over top. Bake at 300 for 30-40 min.

Our Review: I thought this was really good. Mike (not much of a chicken eater) and Brooke (picky on casseroles) both ate it. Lexy tried her one bite and said "tastes like crackers". I will probably make this one again but not soon.

Meatball Bake

This recipe came from another blogger, Foster Mama over at Postcards from Insanity.

Meatball Bake

Ingredients:
1 pkg Stove Top Chicken Stuffing (I used low sodium)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used 98% fat free)
1/4 cup milk or water
1 pkg (1 lb.) frozen meatballs (or you could make your own)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare stuffing as directed on package and set aside. Combine soup and milk in 13x9 pan. Stir in meatballs and sprinkle with cheese. Top with prepared stuffing. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

This was served with corn-on-the-cob and pears.

Our Review: This was VERY good!! Very easy and convenient to make. Mike said he liked it better than pork chops and stuffing. Brooke liked everything except the cheese in it (she doesn't care for cheese in things), Lexy tried a bite and said "yep it tastes like meatballs". This recipe will definately be added to our recipe box and be used again!

Weekly Menu

I'll post recipes and pictures after I have made new or noteworthy meals.

Not all of my dinners will be gourmet, who am I kidding, none of them will!! I will admit I use a lot of prepackaged foods but I'm a busy mom! I might not always get to every one of the meals if we have a hectic week and end up at Sonic or another fine eating establishment but this is my attempt at trying to try out some of the great new recipes I have been pulling from random places!

This week...

Mexican Casserole, salad, apples

Meatball Bake, corn on the cob, pears

Ritz Chicken Casserole, green beans, pineapple/mandarin oranges

Chicken and Noodles, corn, fruit cocktail

Cheese Noodle Tuna (tuna helper), crescent rolls, raw carrots/cucumbers, peaches

BBQ Pulled Pork

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

Ingredients:
Pork loin
BBQ sauce

Put pork loin in crockpot. Cover with BBQ sauce. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Take pork out and pull apart with 2 forks. Put back in crockpot with BBQ sauce. Serve on buns or alone.

This was served with baked french fries, corn, pineapple/mandarin oranges.

Candy Bar Brownies

Robin gave me the idea for this last night. These are so versatile, just use what you can find.

CANDY BAR BROWNIES

Ingredients:
Brownie Mix
Snickers bar, cut in chunks
caramels
chocolate bar
milk

**you can use any type of candy bar in place of the snickers.
**you can use chocolates with caramel centers in place of the seperate caramels & chocolate

Make brownies as instucted on box.
Melt caramels and chocolate with a little milk in saucepan. Pour 1/2 of mixture over brownies once they are done. Sprinkle snickers chunks on and then pour the remaining caramel/chocolate mixture over the snickers. Let cool completely.

Our Review: These are absolutely delicious and WAY chocolaty!

Easy Pleasing Meat Loaves

This recipe came from the back of a Stove Top stuffing box. This is our FAVORITE meat loaf recipe, oh so delicious!

EASY PLEASING MEAT LOAVES









Ingredients:
2 lb. ground beef
1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing (I use the low sodium chicken one)
1 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup original barbecue sauce, divided

Mix all ingredients except 1/2 cup of the barbeque sauce with hands.

Shape meat mixture into 4 oval loaves on a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Top loaves with the remaining barbeque sauce.

Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until centers are no longer pink.

Makes 8 servings.


(One doesn't have bbq on top b/c Brooke doesn't like it)






This was served with baked potatoes, corn and peaches.

Weekly Menu

I'll post recipes and pictures after I have made new or noteworthy meals.

Not all of my dinners will be gourmet, who am I kidding, none of them will!! I will admit I use a lot of prepackaged foods but I'm a busy mom! I might not always get to every one of the meals if we have a hectic week and end up at Sonic or another fine eating establishment but this is my attempt at trying to try out some of the great new recipes I have been pulling from random places!

This week...

Due to the sickies last week (so we didn't get to most of what we had planned) and the kiddos asking for some of our old convenience foods, this week there will be no Weekly Menu.

If you must know what we are having, think things like fish stick and mac & cheese, etc.!!!

Back to regularly scheduled programming next week!

Beef & Veggie Stew

This is a tried and true family recipe and OH SO YUMMY!!

Beef & Veggie Stew














Ingredients:
Stew meat - 1 lb.
1 large & 1 small can diced tomatoes (with juice)
2 cans corn, 1 drained, 1 not drained
2 cans green beans, drained
5 lbs. Potatoes - quartered
1 lb. baby carrots - cut in half
1 can baby onions, drained (optional-I don't use)

1 Tbs. celery salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
garlic salt
meat tenderizer

Put potatoes, carrots, onions and celery salt in big stock pot, fill pot to 1/2 full with water. Boil until potatoes are starting to get soft.

Meanwhile, season stew meat with tenderizer, garlic salt, oregano and put in skillet. Cover with water. Boil slowly until done, adding water as necessary.

Dump tomatoes, corn & green beans into potato stock and bring back to a boil. Dump meat (with stock) into potato stock. Fill with water to about 1/2 inch to top of pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 min. to 1 hour, adding water as necessary.

Weekly Menu

I'll post recipes and pictures after I have made new or noteworthy meals.

Not all of my dinners will be gourmet, who am I kidding, none of them will!! I will admit I use a lot of prepackaged foods but I'm a busy mom! I might not always get to every one of the meals if we have a hectic week and end up at Sonic or another fine eating establishment but this is my attempt at trying to try out some of the great new recipes I have been pulling from random places!

This week...

Meatloaf, baked potatoes, green beans, pears (didn't get to this last week)

Sausage, eggs, biscuits, strawberries

Beef & Veggie Stew, mixed fruit

Sandwiches, crackers, carrots/celery, raisins (game night)

BBQ pulled pork, baked french fries, salad, pineapple/mandarin oranges

Tuna Casserole

This is a tried and true recipe from my childhood, thanks mom!

Tuna Casserole

Ingredients:
Medium egg noodles
2 cans tuna (in water)
1 small can peas
1 can cream of celery soup (98% fat free)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (98% fat free)
Shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.
Cook and drain noodles. Add all ingredients except cheese and mix together. Put mixture in a 13x9 dish and cover with shredded cheese. Heat in oven until cheese melts and heated through.

This was served with a salad and pineapple/mandarin oranges

Our Review: This is an easy and oh so yummy dinner. I make a section without peas for Brooke but she loves the rest.