Wagon Wheel Supper

This hearty pasta meal is very quick and easy.
I doubled it because there are a lot of hungry
 boys in my house, but you can leave as is.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound uncooked wagon wheel pasta

1 pound ground beef( i used ground turkey)

1/2c chopped onion

1 jar of sauce~any kind u like (i used tomato basil)

1 bag of frozen corn and peas

1/8 tsp pepper

shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions,meanwhile in a large skillet cook beef and onions over med. heat until meat is no longer pink.,Drain!
Stir in sauce and then add drained pasta..stir in peas&corn and cheese and pepper.

See very easy and its nice on a cold rainy day like today! Enjoy and let me know what you think!
(i know i went off my schedule again..im soo confused..tomorrow us herbed chicken stir-fry! Can't wait!)

Chicken Stew & Savory Grilled Cheese

A great recipe to start off the first day of spring! This warm but light stew is very tasty and filled with lots of protein and veggies!
I had said i was starting monday, but I forgot that thursday's is chinese night so I kinda moved things around.





Chicken Stew
ingredients:

1~pound bonless skinless chicken breasts,cut into 1-inch cubes
1~ tbsp olive oil
1~package (16oz) frozen veggies for stew(really anything u like)
1~jar of chicken gravy
1/2~tsp dried thyme
1/4~tsp rubbed sage
1/4~tsp pepper

In a large saucepan, brown chicken in oil over med. heat for 4-6 mins/ or until no longer pink. Drain if necessary.Stir in the remaining ingredients. bring to boil. Reduce heat; Cover and simmer for 15 mins or until veggies are tender.(I did 20 mins)
I also sauted onions, garlic and celery and added it to the mix...

Savory Grilled Cheese
 This sandwich was a great hit! This herb butter gives this sandwich a great taste!

Ingredients:

1/4~cup of butter,softened                 

1/2~ tsp dried parsley flakes

1/2~tsp dried oregano

1/4~tsp garlic powder

montery jack cheese slices

provlone cheese slices

whole wheat bread slices

In a small bowl, combine butter, parsley,oregano and garlic powder and set aside. Place cheese on four slices (or how ever many u would like to make) top with remaining bread. Spread outside of each of each sanwich with 2 tbsp of butter. In skillet over med. heat, toast sandwiches 4-5 mins on each side or until bread is lightly browned and cheese is melted.



Eli said it was Very Good!



I enjoyed it very much!

Simple & Delicious

This is one of my favorite magazines. Its a good day when I open the mailbox and this is inside. I rip open the plastic and quickly start picking out what I want to make. I love the pictures that show the wonderful foods you can create! BUT there also very easy recipes but also very yummy!  They have menus for the week ahead that you can follow and it helps you be more prepared for the week and its suppose to be easy to follow. I am going to pick a menu for the week and see if I can follow it and see if its a good way to go about cooking for my family or gang I should say!

Here is the food ideas for the week!

Mon~Chicken Stew with savory grilled cheese sandwich

Tues~Herbed chicken Stir-fry

Wed~Wagon Wheel Supper

Thurs~Tortellini-Shrimp Caesar Salad

Fri~Parmesan Pork Chops and Herb Roasted Squash

I will place a pic and recipe each day! I will do all my shopping on sunday or I might try Peapod from stop and shop. Wish me luck!

Ham & Cheese Cannelloni

This is a recipe from Rachael Ray. It was a very easy dish that you can make a lot of for when u have company..(which i always do) I just made it with a famous "JUICY" salad and it was good to go!
 Here's the recipe:
Ingrediants:
1 cup~ricotta cheese
1 cup~shredded mozzarella
1~large egg
1 Jar~15oz Creamy alfredo sauce

8~egg-roll wrapers(available by the pre-cut veggie and fruit section)

8~slices of deli ham  (I prefer boars head)

1/2 cup~grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta,mozzarella and the egg.

2.Reserve 3/4 cup of the Alfredo sauce and spread the remaining sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-in. backing dish.

3.Arrange an egg-roll wrapper on work surface. Spread 3 TBSP of the ricotta mixture over the wrapper, cover with a slice of ham, then roll up to form a log (jelly roll style). Repeat with the remaining wrappers and place the cannelloni, seam side down,in a single layer in the baking dish.

4.Spoon the reserved sauce over the cannelloni, top with cheese and baker for 20 mins or until golden brown and bubbly.

SERVES 4

Eli and Cousin Josh both said it was good..Gabe will try it soon bc he fell asleep at dinner time =)

I also doubled the recipe. I still have so many egg-roll wrappers left, i will have to come up with a recipe to use with the rest.
ENJOY and of course let me know if you try!



**Gabe woke up and said it was good but in some bites it was too salty..maybe a low~sodium ham would be better**
Great thinking~it would be healthier too! Thanks !

White Bean Turkey Chili

Let me just say...Yummy!!! I told you that the first recipe I was going to try in my cast iron pot was the white bean turkey chili and it was a hit! I made this for the boys and we ate as we were watching the oscars! So its a RED CARPET HIT!
Here is the recipe!
Ingredients:
2Tbsp~olive oil
1 1/2 pounds~ground turkey meat
1~yellow onion,cut into 1/2" dice

2~cloves of garlic,minced
1~rib celery,cut into 1/2" dice
1~ carrot,cut into 1/2" dice
1~green pepper,cut into 1/2" dice
1~red pepper,cut into 1/2" dice
2tsp~dried ground cumin
2tbsp~chili powder
salt and black pepper
2~17oz. cans of white beans,drained
3cups~chicken stock
1/4c~fresh cilantro,chopped
sour cream(optional)
scallions,chopped (optional)
cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
Heat a cast iron casserole over med. heat. Add olive oil to the casserole, and brown the ground turkey. Once cooked, remove the turkey meat to a bowl and reserve. Drain and discard any excess grease from the pot.
Add the onion,garlic,celery, and carrot to the pan and cook for 5-6 mins. Add the green and red peppers,cumin and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper,and continue to cook for an additional 10 mins, until all the veggies are soft.

Return the meat to the pan and add the white beans. Pour in the chicken stock and stir to mix well! (scape the bottom to get all the good flavoring off).Simmer over low heat for 1 hour and then stir in cilantro.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream ,chopped scallions, or cheddar cheese, or a combination of the three

serve 6-8

(in my case i used all three..and it served 4 people~3 boys and they were starving)

I also made rice and put the chili over it and then the toppings as shown in the picture.

The boys (Eli,Cousin Josh and Gabe) Liked it

Eli~ITS GREAT!

Gabe~ITS GOOD!

CJ~ITS PRETTY GOOD =)

*Its not a hot chili~ but add whatever hot sauce you like and yum!

Every Cook Needs....

A CAST IRON POT

Chicken Pot Pies..

Dinner on a cold rainy night...the best thing i can think of is chicken pot pies..wish i was eating them tonight..but chinese take out will do for tonight..but many people asked for my recipe...i kinda just made it up..and put in what i remember from growing up and eating the frozen pot pies that my mom would get (dont get me wrong..i loved them and they were easy....but i love cooking..so frozen wont do!)

RECIPE..i was making this recipe for a bunch of people..so

In BIG skillet, melt butter(1 stick); stir in flour(2/3c) and pepper( dash). Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in chicken broth
(2~10.5oz cans) and 1.5 cup milk; cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Add chicken(i used one and 1/2 rotisserie chickens..diced up), onion,celery and carrots (diced and sauted in veggie oil or olive oil), peas and corn(frozen and thawed); cook until hot and bubbly. Spoon mixture evenly into ramekins(or i used mini loaf pans) u can either place biscuits on top..i used puff pastry..but i have also used pie crust.....just cover top( u can also place on bottom..either taste good) Place on top (and bottom if u like). Cut slits in tops. brush tops with milk. cook until top is golden brown..20 mins..i just look at it and see how i feel..

they were very tasty! enjoy! and let me know!