Everyday Food for Busy People
My mom served this at Christmas time. It was so good, I made it again the next week.
It’s also super simple. Chop veggies. Stir in Marzetti’s ranch dip. The end.
This salad holds up in the fridge really well for several days. Even the tomatoes stay perky instead of doing that limp, soggy thing that cut tomatoes can do.
Here’s the recipe, but feel free to vary it for what you like and have available. [Read more...]
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Stir fry is a cooking method that can’t really be replicated in a slow cooker.
But you can make a pretty good fake!
I’ve made this recipe twice now. It’s easy and quick to fix. The chicken gets cooked in stir fry sauce for several hours. The veggies are added later, so they don’t get mushy.
No ingredient photo this time. I was in a big hurry both times I’ve made it. [Read more...]
Let me say, that when I decided to make this I had no idea what really goes in Kung Pao Chicken. I just saw a bottle of the sauce in Walmart and bought it. The rest was decided by what I had on hand.
The result turned out delicious. The Kung Pao sauce had just enough spice to lend and interesting kick. I used chicken that I had already grilled, sliced and frozen, so it was quick to make.
Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]
So, I watched an old Alan Alda movie a few weeks ago. Early in the movie a man is explaining that he found his wife to be boring. He said she spent a year taking pictures of vegetables, for crying out loud.
Oops! That sounds vaguely familiar to my own hobby.
I hope my habit of photographing veggies doesn’t mean I’m boring! Jim and I just looked at each other and laughed at that scene.
For what it’s worth, I think I snapped a pretty good picture of broccoli.
Broccoli is our favorite veggie. I serve it a lot, just because all the kids will eat it. Here are some of my broccoli recipes: [Read more...]
Stir fry is one of the simplest things to make. Providing you have a good knife to do the chopping. That’s the first tip for making it fast. You can’t be quick with a dull knife. (The Rada Cutlery giveaway is still open, in case you’re in need of a sharp knife.)
Colorful veggies and lean chicken make this a healthy dinner. It’s one of my kids’ favorites. Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]
Have I mentioned my freezer full of cubed ham? We bought 1/2 a hog (my niece’s 4-H project). The place my sister takes the pig to be processed gives us whatever they decide they’re in the mood to make. Last year we had more Italian sausage than I’d ever seen. This year it’s cubed ham.
So of course, when I decided to make a cheesy broccoli soup, I had to put some ham in it too. It’s a combination that works well and makes for a filling soup. I based the recipe on the Cream of Cauliflower Soup from More With Less Cookbook.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it: [Read more...]
It’s hot outside. Super hot and humid.
If you’re looking for a cool dinner idea, this is your recipe.
I wish I could say that I had garden fresh tomatoes for this dish, but my plants have yet to decide to really produce tomatoes. All I have are a few small green maters that taunt and torment me because they haven’t changed in size or color for weeks.
I’m a gardening failure. But that’s a whole ‘nuther post. For this dish I used a couple of store bought tomatoes and grape tomatoes (tragic because this is August) and 3 delicious cherry tomatoes from my garden.
Sometimes limitations bring forth the best creations.
Recently, on a message board someone wanted to make stuffed shells. She wanted to use chicken, no red sauce, no spinach and no ricotta. She did have a jar of alfredo sauce. I don’t know what the woman ended up making, but this is what I suggested. It sounded so good, I decided to try it myself.
Chicken, broccoli and mozzarella cheese fill the shells which are covered with alfredo sauce and baked. Bonus -the recipe makes enough to put some in the freezer.
Roasting broccoli in the oven gives a new dimension to the flavor. It brings out a nutty taste in the broccoli and enhances the sweetness of the red pepper. You can vary the seasonings using seasoned salt, grill seasoning or lemon pepper, but I chose to go simple with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
I’ve been experimenting with pepper jack cheese in various recipes lately. Macaroni and cheese seemed the perfect dish to highlight this ingredient. Because I was afraid that using all pepper jack would be too spicy for the kids, I went with half pepper jack and half monterey jack. It was good, but next time we’ll use all pepper jack. Even the kids thought it would be good with the extra kick. I originally intended to serve the broccoli along side the macaroni, but tossed it all together at the last minute. It was a hit with everyone. [Read more...]
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