Recipe - Pillsbury Meatpie

Sometimes I don't fail in the kitchen. Those times usually involve Pillsbury.

Heat oven to 400°F. Grease 9-inch pie pan with shortening. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Press 6 biscuits in bottom and up side of pie pan to form crust. Cut remaining 4 biscuits into quarters; set aside.

In 10-inch skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook uncovered until bubbly. Spoon into biscuit-lined pan.

Arrange cheese slices on top of beef mixture. Place biscuit quarters, point side down, around edge of hot beef mixture.

Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Easy, quick and delicious.

Recipe - Bacon Cheddar Meatloaf

Every time I buy bacon, I never know what to do with it. We love it, but just can't eat a whole pound or whatever they give you. This time, I used the extra in a meatloaf, and it came out great! (Okay, it doesn't look so great, but trust me. And maybe leave it in 10 minutes less than I did.)

10 slices bacon
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on paper towels. When cool, crumble into a large bowl.

Mix ketchup and mustard in a bowl.

Thoroughly combine 1/4 the ketchup mixture, ground chuck, Cheddar cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper with crumbled bacon in bowl; pat the mixture into a 5x9-inch loaf pan. 

Spread remaining ketchup mixture evenly over top of meatloaf.

Bake in the preheated oven until the meatloaf is no longer pink inside, about an hour.

Recipe Monday - Easy and Incredible Lasagna

Cooking is generally hard for me, but one thing I've got down is lasagna.

You really can't fail at this...it's that easy.

Lasagna noodles

Sauce

Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Ricotta Cheese

Ground beef

Spinach

1) Start boiling a lot of water and cook 9 noodles

2) Preheat oven to 350

3) Brown the ground beef until cooked through

4) Add sauce to the beef and turn heat to low

5) Mix together all the cheeses, saving some of the mozz and parm.

6) Rinse spinach

7) Put a thin layer of sauce on bottom of lasagna pan

8) Layer three noodles across

9) Put a layer of beef / sauce there

10) Layer of the mixed cheese

11) Layer of spinach

12) Repeat all layering until last noodles are on top and all ingredients used.

13) Sprinkle sauce on top

14) Spinkle rest of mozz and parm on top

15) Bake for 30-35 minutes.

DONE.

Eat for a week.

 

Recipe Monday - Cheesy Chicken Pasta for Dummies

I went on Pinterest and, like, I totally don't have time to be baking a casserole after I already made the whole dish. So, here's a mac and cheese with chicken that I just did pot-style, and everyone seemed to love it.

Chicken breasts - diced
Bowtie pasta
Summer squash - sliced
Onion
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Cheddar cheese
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Milk
Chicken broth

Dice all your chicken and vegetables, then put sautee the chicken in some olive oil until it's tan around the edges.
Boil your pasta water, and start making the pasta per box directions.
Put squash, onion and garlic in with the chicken until they're all soft.
Add some chicken broth and cook until it boils, then add the milk.
Drain pasta and add it to the mess.
Throw in all your cheeses until the liquid turns to a satisfactory this-is-the-consistency-of-mac-and-cheese consistency.

Serve it up.

Recipe Monday - Lemon Feta Chicken

This was a great recipe. The original used drumsticks, but we prefer white meat around here, so I used breasts and it was fantastic.

Ingredients:

8 skinless chicken drumsticks, (about 30 oz total)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup feta cheese, grated


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and lemon juice.

Place in a roasting pan and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center near the bone. When chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and sprinkle with feta.

Broil on low for about 2-3 minutes, until cheese is golden brown (careful not to burn).

 

Recipe Monday - Easy Sea Scallops

These were on sale so I splurged, but then ran out of energy for a fancy meal. This recipe worked great and took no time!

1 lb. sea scallops
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 c. white wine
Salt and pepper


Preheat the oven to broil. Wash and drain the scallops and place in an oven- proof pan. Thinly slice the butter and place on top of scallops. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper and gently pour the wine around the edge of the pan. Broil for 10-12 minutes, until the scallops are opaque. Serve hot. Serves 2.





 

Recipe Monday - Beef Stroganoff

This is a great, traditional stroganoff recipe, that isn't too hard to follow. Ready in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 1/2pounds beef sirloin steak

1/2 inch thick8ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (2 1/2 cups)

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1garlic clove, finely chopped

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 1/2cups beef flavored broth

1/2teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sour cream

3 cups hot cooked egg noodles

Directions

1 Cut beef across grain into about 1 1/2x1/2-inch strips.

2 Cook mushrooms, onions and garlic in butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender; remove from skillet.

3 Cook beef in same skillet until brown. Stir in 1 cup of the broth, the salt and Worcestershire sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

4 Stir remaining 1/2 cup broth into flour; stir into beef mixture. Add onion mixture; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in sour cream; heat until hot (do not boil). Serve over noodles.

 

Recipe Monday - Onion Mushroom Pork Chops

These chops are absolutely delicious. Make sure you saute the onions and mushrooms long enough so that they have their full flavor.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 (4 ounce) pork loin chops, 1/2 inch thick
3 teaspoons seasoning salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 onion, cut into strips

8 oz of mushrooms, sliced
1 cup water

Directions

Rub chops with 2 teaspoons seasoning salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste.
In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Brown pork chops on each side. Add the onions and water to the pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Turn chops over, and add remaining salt and pepper. Cover, and cook until water evaporates and onions turn light to medium brown. Remove chops from pan, and serve with onions on top.















 

Recipe Monday - Basil Scallop Pasta

This was so delicious. Totally worth your time. My kids ate it three times without complaint!

1 (16 ounce) package farfalle (bow tie) pasta
24 scallops, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dried basil
9 tablespoons whipped butter


Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, rinse, and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Meanwhile, place scallops in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. Pour mixture over scallops. Arrange scallops in a single layer in a large baking dish or plate. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon dried basil over scallops so that only one side is sparsely coated with basil.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high, and melt one tablespoon of butter in the pan. Place 12 scallops basil-side down, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until dark golden brown. Turn scallops, and cook the other side. Cook the remaining 12 scallops the same way.

In a small saucepan, melt remaining butter with 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon basil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Toss pasta with butter and olive oil mixture. Divide pasta onto plates, and top with scallops.



















      

Recipe Monday - Hawaiian Ham Quesadillas

I felt like mixing up my quesadillas, so I gave this a try. Not half bad for a really quick meal, and, honestly, great for kids.

Ingredients
8 oz. cream cheese (I used ricotta)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
3 sliced green onions
⅛ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 (15 oz.) can pineapple chunks in juice (I used fresh pineapple)
½ lb. smoked ham
1 pkg (of 8) 8 inch flour tortillas

tablespoon of vegetable oil

Instructions

Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature before you begin. Combine the cream cheese, shredded mozzarella, sliced green onions, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Stir until well combined.

Drain the pineapple chunks as much as possible. Roughly chop them into smaller pieces. Roughly chop the sliced ham into small pieces. Add both to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.

Place ¼ to ⅓ cup of the filling in each tortilla and spread to cover half of the surface. Fold the tortilla in half to close. Cook each quesadilla in a skillet over medium heat in oil until brown and crispy on both sides.









 

Recipe Monday - Lemon Spice Mahi Mahi

This has been the most delicious way I've yet prepared Mahi Mahi.

4 mahi mahi filets, about 6 ounces each

Seasoning (see instructions):
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Dried dill weed
Lemon pepper
Sweet Hungarian paprika

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter, divided use
1/2 cup sweet white wine (may substitute fish or chicken broth) ... I used broth. I needed the wine.
Juice of half a lemon (reserve other half for garnish)
1/2 teaspoon honey mustard

Preparation:

Rub each mahi mahi filet with olive oil, then sprinkle both sides of the fish lightly with each of the listed seasonings.

Preheat broiler on high.

Place a large, heavy, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter, swirling to combine and coat the pan. Sear filets until golden brown on one side. Remove to a platter. Add wine, lemon juice, and honey mustard to the hot skillet. Whisk, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until liquid is slightly reduced and thickened. Whisk in remaining tablespoon of butter.

Return fish to the skillet, uncooked side down, and place in the broiler 6 inches from the heat. Broil 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve with pan sauce and garnish with lemon slices, if desired.




 

Recipe Monday - Simple Enchiladas

The other night I meant to make fajitas, but I didn't have some of the ingredients. So, I found myself trying to make enchiladas for the first time in my life. And they were great!

1 lbs beef strips

1 tablespoon butter

2 medium onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
12 flour or corn tortillas
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
Sour cream
Salsa

chili powder

Directions:

Saute beef strips with a dash of cumin, salt and chili powder. Set aside.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until onion is tender. Blend in flour. Stir in broth, milk, chilies, salt and cumin. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Grease a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Spoon a little sauce in the center of each tortilla; spread to edges. Place about 2 tablespoons meat down the center of each tortilla. Combine cheeses; sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons on top of meat. Roll up tortillas and place in baking dish, seam-side down. Pour remaining sauce over. Sprinkle with green onions and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Yield: 6 servings.












 

Recipe Monday - Easy Mexican Chicken

I definitely need to make these again soon. A great twist on traditional Mexican, and really easy, too!

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 (20 ounce) jar salsa
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoons chili powder
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained


Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2.Arrange the chicken pieces in a casserole dish or a 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine the salsa, red bell pepper, cumin, lemon juice, chili powder and garlic.



Pour the mixture over the chicken.



Pour the black beans on top and cover.



Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Top with cheese.



We ate baked tortilla chips with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole for a side.

 

Recipe Monday - Gorgonzola Mushroom Steak

If you're looking for something a little different on your steak, this gorgonzola mushroom sauce is a great alternative to regular seasonings. Next time I make it, though, I will cut down on the recommended gorgonzola amount. The cheese is so strong that using the full amount can be a little overpowering!

Mushroom Gorgonzola Sauce:
1/2 c butter
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
3-4 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic
4 ounces gorgonzola cheese
1 T Worcestershire sauce

In a medium skillet, melt the butter and then add the mushrooms and green onions. Cook until the mushrooms are soft, and then add the gorgonzola cheese and Worcestershire sauce. Serve over the beef.

In terms of the steak itself, I seasoned mine with rosemary, basil, salt and pepper, then broiled it in the oven for a few minutes on each side before serving with the sauce.



 

Secret Ingredient to All Pot Roasts -- Campbell's Soup

Look, I know I'm known for my kitchen fails, but one thing I never mess up is pot roasts. Know why? Because you can't mess them up. They're amazing.

In fact, the closest I've ever come to messing up a pot roast was when it came out too thin and bland, and I was like, why? I used the onion dip mix (secret ingredient one). I put in all the veggies with the salt and pepper, and powders. But the sauce was thin and oily, and the taste was lackluster.

I'd forgotten secret ingredient number two, an ingredient that not all that many people include, but that everybody should.

Campbell's Cream of ______ soup. Why the blank? It's part of the secret. You can actually make the roasts taste different depending on which soup you use. Cream of Mushroom is my family's favorite, but I'll often switch it up with Cream of Onion, Cream of Celery or Cream of Asparagus.

The thickness of the cooking soup absorbs the fat, making the juice a thick, gravy-like consistency that you can put on rice or mashed potatoes if you serve the roast with a side. It also keeps the meat tender. I just slop it right on top, and don't mix it in for the first few hours of cooking, to keep the meat cooking consistently all the way through. (I have no idea if this is scientific. I'm only going through taste tests, here.)

Anyway, to make these roasts, start in the morning.

You'll need:

Carrots
Potatoes
Celery
Onions
Roast (pork or beef)
onion dip mix
salt
pepper
chicken or beef broth (or wine or juice or seltzer...I'm serious, you cannot mess up a roast.)
Cream of something soup

Chop up carrots, onions, potatoes, celery and any other vegetable you'd like. Put the potatoes in the crock pot and then the roast.




Cover it with salt and pepper. Then add all the vegetables around it. Another round of salt and pepper to your taste. Add about a cup of broth.



Put the onion mix on top, then put the Campbell's on top of that.



 Let it cook for four hours on low, open and stir, and let it cook for another four hours. Done. And you'll have excellent leftovers.




For more fantastic recipes, including dishes even the pickiest child will love, check out this great recipe site. Campbell's and The Wisest Kid in the Whole World™ has teamed up to bring busy moms everywhere quick and delicious meals everyone in the family can love!

Recipe Monday - Asian Inspired Tuna Steaks

 Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 clove garlic minced
2 Tbsp minced ginger root
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
4 8oz yellowfin tuna steaks (1 1/2" thick)

 Set a large frying pan on med-high heat. Remove tuna from the marinade and dry on paper towels. When the pan is hot, pour 2 Tbsp of oil from the marinade into the skillet. Add tuna steaks to a pan. Shake the pan couple of times so that steaks don't stick. Sear 2.5 minutes on one side. Flip and sear 1.5 minutes on the other side. This will cook 1/4" of tuna on each side and leave the rest rare. If you like your tuna more cooked through, cover the pan, turn down the heat to medium and cook flipping the steaks half way until desired doneness.

 I cooked the shit out of these because I don't trust my own rare tuna. I'll leave those to the restaurants.





 

Recipe Monday - Easy Fajitas

I have a complicated fajita recipe I love, but this one does the trick in one-third the time!

2 red bell peppers or 2 green bell peppers, cut into strips (or one each)
1 small onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs lean beef sirloin or 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch strips
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 -2 teaspoon chili powder (depending on how much heat you want)
1 dash fresh lime juice
olive oil
vegetable oil
8 6-inch flour tortillas, warmed (I toss mine in a frying pan with vegetable oil for a few seconds on each side...way better than oven warming, tbh)

Directions:
Toss your olive oil in a pan on medium high heat
When skillet is very hot add bell peppers, onion and garlic; (be careful not to burn garlic or it will taste bitter) cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is slightly golden and peppers are tender.
Stir in beef or chicken, cumin and chili powder; cook, for just a few minutes
Squeeze a little lime juice over meat and stir occasionally, until meat is no longer pink.
Serve in tortillas; top with desired toppings.

Maybe you're looking for easy-peasy quesadillas. If so, check out this site.




 

Recipe Monday - Salsa Salad Mix

This was amazing. I used it as a side dish for enchiladas the other week. It's really simple, too.

1 can black beans
1 can corn
2 fresh diced tomatoes
2 avocados
1 small onion
lime juice
garlic
salt
pepper

Cut up anything that needs to be cut. Mix it all together. Refrigerate for an hour.

DONE.








 

Recipe Monday - Shrimp Pesto

This was pretty good for my first time out.

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Special equipment needed: A food processor

Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic and cheese and pulse a few times more.

Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

If you're making it with shrimp, like I did, toss those suckers in a frying pan with olive oil, lemon and salt, then toss with the pasta!




 

Recipe Monday - Mushroom Mahi Mahi

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 small onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 button mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 pounds mahi mahi
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water



In a large skillet, heat olive oil and cook onions, mushrooms and garlic over medium heat until onions are transparent.

Cut the mahi mahi into 3 inch long filets. Place the Mahi Mahi fillets over the onions, mushrooms and garlic.

Salt and Pepper the first side of the filets to taste.

Add white cooking wine and lemon juice. Cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes.

Turn the filets over and salt and pepper the second side to taste. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Remove only the fish to a heated plate and keep warm until sauce is ready.

In the same skillet with all the onions, mushrooms, garlic and cooking wine, raise heat to medium/high. Bring to a boil.

Dissolve cornstarch in the 2 tablespoons of water; stir into skillet. (I didn't do this part...the sauce thickened for me without it.)

Stir the sauce continuously until sauce thickens to desired consistency. Pour sauce over mahi mahi filets.