Our New Family Favorite!

Hi Ladies.   So I get tired of the same old recipes that keep recycling through my kitchen.  I love this blog because I've gotten new and great ideas from all of you!  Thank You.   I like to purchase recipe books from time to time.... and tonight I dusted one off and hoped for inspiration.  I found an EASY recipe - most things we probably have in the pantry or freezer - and my kids LOVED THEM!  The nice thing is most of these ingredients are "lean" or "skim" or "low fat" if you so choose.  You could probably throw in  a few veggies and they would never know!  Here you go:

Cheeseburger Calzones

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1 jar (1 lb 10 oz) Ragu Robusto Pasta Sauce
1 jar (8 oz.) marinated mushroom, drained and chopped (optional)
1 C. shredded Cheddar Cheese (about 4 oz.)
1 Package (12 oz.) refrigerated large flaky biscuits (8 biscuits)

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In 12-inch skillet, brown ground beef with onion and salt over medium-high heat; drain.  Stir in 1 cup Ragu Pasta Sauce, mushrooms and cheese.

2.  Roll or press out each biscuit to a 6 - inch circle (this is key - roll them big enough!)  Place 1/2 Cup beef mixture on each dough circle; fold over and press edges to close.  Seal completely by pressing along edges firmly with tines of fork.

3.  With large spatula, gently arrange on cookie sheets.  Bake 13 minutes or until golden.  Serve with remaining sauce (warm it up and dribble on top of Calzone or serve on the side)

De-lish :)

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

 

Yummy Enchiladas:

1 lb. cooked chicken strips, or canned chicken (that's what I used)
1 brick cream cheese (can use low fat)
1 sm can green chiles

*warm in a skillet until cream cheese melts

*Spoon mixture into 10, or so, warmed large corn tortillas (I found mine at Walmart), roll up and place seam side down in a greased casserole dish. Pour over the top, 2 10 oz. cans Old El Paso mild green chile ench. sauce (Jon says it's hard to find good green ench. sauce and he thought this one was really good) and put grated cheddar cheese on top. Bake @ 350 for 15-20 min. YUMMY! EASY! FAST! It's good with or without sour cream and serve with spanish rice, corn and or beans.

Me, Jon, and Haleigh loved it. Lauren and Collin thought it was a little spicy but putting sr. cream on it helped to cool the spiciness and then they ate it up!

HOLIDAY CANDIES

This recipe came in time to make Easter eggs with the little ones, but could be made in a variety of shapes and colors for any holiday - hearts, pumpkins, bells, etc.

Ingredients:

1/4 C. butter, softened

4 oz. regular cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp. flavor extract of your choice

4 C. powdered sugar

2 1/2 C. shredded sweetened coconut (7 oz.)

colored sprinkle sugar (purchased, or color your own)

Method:

Mix softened butter and cream cheese, add flavor of choice and powdered sugar. Mix well, then add coconut, stirring by hand or with cookie dough attachment in mixer.

Roll candy into small egg shapes (about size of golf ball) and roll in colored sugar; place candy on cookie sheet to set up. Makes between 18 - 24 pieces.

Note: flavoring extracts could include almond, vanilla, orange, lemon (with a little grated rind), coconut. These could also be dipped or partially dipped in colored or regular melted chocolate. Use your imagination! The kids are great at forming and sugaring!

Something new for breakfast...

I bought a bag of quinoa grain at Costco a few months ago. A friend of mine told me it is the only grain that provides protein. Didn't even know how to cook it. I tried steaming it in Mike's rice cooker. Mike took one bite and basically said it tasted like a soggy rag. Thankfully, my sister Katie had a delicious breakfast recipe for it. Much better than my plain quinoa.

Cinnamon Quinoa Cereal

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa

2-3 tsp ground cinnamon

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (can also use honey or agave)

dash of real salt

add all ingredients together except quinoa. when water/cinnamon mixture is boiling add quinoa. cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Corn & Blueberry Salad

My friend made this for us one night for dinner at her house...it was delicious! Click here to see a picture and recipe: corn & blueberry salad

enjoy :)

REUBEN SWIRL ROLLS

This is a delicious way to use left-over corned beef after St. Patrick's Day. You could also adapt it to use other sliced meats and cheeses.

8 frozen dinner rolls or 1 loaf frozen bread, thawed (or make your own bread dough)
3 Tbs. Thousand Island Dressing
6-8 slices Swiss cheese
1 - 2 C. sauerkraut
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/3 pound thinly sliced corned beef
extra Thousand Island dressing for dipping

Roll dough into 9x13" rectangle. Spread dressing evenly over dough. Arrange cheese slices evenly over dressing. Sprinkle with sauerkraut, caraway seeds and pepper. Top with corned beef slices. Starting from a long side, roll up jelly-roll style. Using a serrated knife, cut into 8 slices. Place cut side up on a sprayed baking sheet (secure with toothpicks if needed.) Cover with damp towel or plastic wrap and let raise 30-45 minutes. Uncover and bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with extra dressing for dipping if desired. (They're also pretty good at room temp.)

Quick and easy Rice Pudding

 

When ever I have a meal that I will have rice as a side dish, I cook extra so that I can make this for dessert that night or the next night.

2 C. cooked, unseasoned, white rice
1/2 C. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 C. milk
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 - 1/2 C. raisins
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt

*Place rice in a bowl, add all ingredients, stir to mix. Pour in a greased baking dish, and bake for 25-30 min @ 350. Serve with a little nutmeg sprinkled on top