Southwest Zucchini Boats

"I love this meal!"This is what my husband says as he eats almost the whole pan of zucchini! These are a pretty quick yummy meal!  

The ingredents are:

 4/5 med. zucchini

1lb of ground beef

3/4c of salsa

1/4 c of bread crumbs

1/4c of minced fresh cilantro

1tsp chili powder

1/2tsp ground cumin

1/4tsp salt,

1/8tsp pepper

1c shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Sour cream optional

Cut Zucchini in half lengthwise;scoop out the pulp,leaving 1/4 in. shells.

Place the shells in an ungreased 3. quart microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 3 mins. or until crisp-tender;drain and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large skillet,cook beef over med. heat until no longer pink;drain.

Remove from the heat and stir in the salsa,bread crumbs,ciltrano,chili powder,cumin,salt ,pepper and 1/2 c of the cheese.

Spoon into zucchini shells.

Microwave ,uncovered on high for 4 mins. Sprinkle remaining cheese.Microwave 3-4 mins longer or until cheese is melted and zucchini are tender. Serve with Sour cream if desired.

* i added salsa to dip in as well!

Parmesan Pork Chops & Mac&Cheese

This dish is a great finale of the week. It was so good. And I just mixed parmesan, dried parsley,dried italian seasoning,and pepper in a big ziplock bag...I melted butter in a bowl (in the microwave) I dipped the prok chop in butter and then placed in zip lock bag..(coat well) and then place in a med hot pan with olive oil..7 mins per side and its a yummmmmmmy pork chop. I wasnt in the mood to cook anything that was time consuming... so i just decided to add kraft mac&cheese to the meal, I havent have that in some time now. It was a yummy meal, that everyone loved! I will definitely do that one again!



here's our friend maria cutting away!



Tortellini-Shrimp Caesar Salad

This was a fun dish...not really for me but I loved how excited the boys were! Why? because i absolutely HATE seafood and never never never cook it! I decided I want to learn how and thought this was the simplest way to start...

Ingredients:

2 cups of breaded popcorn shrimp

1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini

8 cups of torn romaine

1 med tomato, chopped
1/2 cup of caesar salad dressing
Prepare shrimp and tortellini according to package directions. In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine and tomato; drizzle witth dressing and toss to coat. Drain tortellini; Toss with salad. Top with shrimp
(I  doubled everything ; except for the dressing bc it was still plenty)

he looks serious about this dish!

The boys LOVED this meal..so quick and they kept going back for more and more. It was a HIT! def. try!

Family Dinner Night~March 22nd,2011

For "family dinner night" I made chicken stir fry.
Gabe cut 3 pounds of chicken into 1-inch pieces for me (thanks gaby) and I got him to season them with salt and pepper and brown them in the pan. I was out and when I got home. I got 2 big bags of frozen veggies. I added some water in a big pan and I sauted the veggies and I added a little teriyaki sauce to start flavoring it..then when the veggies are tender add cooked chicken and more teriyaki sauce..mix till coated well....Cook rice and serve with the stir fry.

Everyone loved the stir fry...=)

Debbie's Chicken Wings (as an appetizer)

Everyone REALLY loved these!!!! Actually Cousin Josh and Jess are eating them right now as dessert haha
Oh, u want the recipe..sorry its a secret!
Just Kidding! all it is ...is DUCK SAUCE (half jar)...mix with chicken and bake  350 degrees  for 1.5 hours..mix a couple times to crisp up!

 

Zucchini~I took left over herb butter and sauted it in a pan..yummy! 

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!